Bachata - Tango

[M.A.R.]

Last night I was at the South St.Seaport/NYC, having dinner at a Cuban Restaurant and as I looked down over the outdoor terrace I see people dancing tango.

We went downstairs to the dock between the ships where this was taking place. We sat with our glasses of cabernet/sauvignon and watched the couples glide on the floor, the ladies with their Comme Il Fauts (exclusive tango shoes, learned this term today) and elegant stance and the men leading them as if their were a delicate passionate flower.


Gardel's El Dia que me quieras played on and I was entranced (sp.). As I watched the couples dance I promised myself to sign up for tango lessons. I asked my friend if he thought that bachata would ever reach the international acceptance like tango has. The bachata and the tango have many similarities IMO because they both developed in the bars of the low income barrios. Tango has reached the people of all levels of economic and social classes now and is included in ballroom dancing. Do you guys think that bachata could ever take the route of the tango, as a more passionate elegant genre of music? Maybe as the bachata generation matures and seeks a more refined, elegant bachata we'll see it reach the reputation of the tango. What do you think?

[Alyonka]

I like this thread You know, I love tango. My father was really good at it and taught me how to dance it when I was a small. I really think that bachata moves can become popular – they are just a little bit more complex than merengue or salsa and take a while for a dancer to pick up.

Question: when I was still a teenager living in Europe - there was a very popular video by a French group Kaoma : YouTube - Kaoma-Lambada. The song is called Lambada. When I was in DR and saw people dancing bachata - that reminded me of that video. Does it have anything to do with it? This song was a huge hit many years ago and I still remember it.

[M.A.R.]

Alyonka Lambada is from Brazil, and you just brought me back so many memories of when I got married. At the end of the wedding celebration, everyone started dancing lambada, since it was the dance craze of the moment. They all did the line and dance all around the room, it was just so much fun.

btw: Why do you think bachata is that complicated, I think is the easiest thing, now the other latin dances have more complex steps, imo.

[Alyonka]

You know, it is strange. I took ballroom dance classes for many years and used to dance volts, tango, mambo, rumba, etc. But somehow salsa and bachata seem to be complicated to me and I have no idea why. I can only dance merengue Maybe it is only because I was introduced to these types of dancing only a couple of years ago? Are there any professional dancers on DR1? Maybe they can explain this?

[Talldrink]

LOVE this thread... My first two loves: dancing and bachata!!

Bachata is slowly moving up in ranks. They now offer bachata lessons along with merengue and salsa at major dancing studios. However, I dont like 'learned' bachata, is too orchestrated.

I love to dance both bachata and salsa - I get bored dancing merengue. The best is to just learn - follow the rithym and get a good partner. Bachata and salsa can be complicated if you look down at the feet or the others dancing around you. Thats why you have to look up and be in your own world with the music and your partner.

Lambada: I danced that song in SIXTH grade as part of Culture Week during a school assembly! That was so much fun! I was in the ESL Class and our little spanish group taught all those American kids just what we can do with our hips at that early age.

[miguel]

Originally Posted by M.A.R.

Do you guys think that bachata could ever take the route of the tango, as a more passionate elegant genre of music? Maybe as the bachata generation matures and seeks a more refined, elegant bachata we'll see it reach the reputation of the tango. What do you think?

NEVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!.

Contra, ya veo que tu queres que Gardel se mueva en la tumba, wahahahaha!!.

MAR, let me put it "nice and simple" for you:

Tango is internationally accepted, by just about all levels of economics, as you said, meanwhile crapcha, I mean bachata is still NOT accepted by all levels of ecomonics, NOT even in it's country of origin and that's says A LOT!.

Don't forget that bachata is NOT a new genre, it's been around for generations and still is not accepted by all classes in the DR. It wasn't accepted then and it's not accepted now.

But, I guess everything is possible. Not in the DR though!.

[Alyonka]

Yes, that is the thing - how to learn to isolate hips from the rest of your body. Do you think belly dancing has something to do with merengue? Is this another Arabic influence?

[Talldrink]

I thought women were born with that ability~!

[M.A.R.]

NEVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!.

Contra, ya veo que tu queres que Gardel se mueva en la tumba, wahahahaha!!.

It won't happen right now, but like I said when the bachata generations get older it could come back.
but then again look how far it has come in a couple of decades, it was just a couple of decades ago when it was just played in the "cantinas de mala muerte en santiago"???? So I think it is gonna go up in ranks towards the tango status, and btw tango is much older than bachata.

[M.A.R.]

Originally Posted by Talldrink

I thought women were born with that ability~!

heheheh mujer no!!! like is not true what they say about making love and dancing well.

I think bachata is easier to dance for some people because you don't have to move the hips as much as merengue and salsa.