Why I don’t believe in “side to side basic“

If you think of Bachata basic steps, what do you think of ?
I guess most people think of “1, 2, 3, tap“ and the side to side motion - the so called “side to side basic”. That’s how I learned Bachata as well 15 years ago. And even though I was a new dancer then, I never liked how the Bachata dance looked like in Europe, especially because of this side to side motion. It looked like a line-dance disguised in partner dance, like kids trying to dance together at the playground. All you need is a signal that the dance is starting and you just knew in which direction you are supposed to go. How convenient, right? Yet, I never enjoyed that weird sensation of automatisation and disconnection between me and the dance partner. In fact, this was the main reason why I didn’t enjoy Bachata very much although I liked the music a lot. Simply because it looked funny to me to be completely honest with you.
Only later I would find out that Dominicans dance it completely differently. To find out more about my Bachata journey, check out my previous blog post “Why I promote Bachata“.

There are many theories where the side-to-side basic steps originate from, but one thing is for sure : it was not created by the Dominicans. So here are some of the reasons and also theories I have collected personally and through observing :

1. Tourists saw the Dominicans dance Bachata and tried to copy them, but since it was difficult for them to grasp the different variations of basic steps, they developed the side-to-side steps to simplify it.

2. There are numerous ways to dance Bachata basic steps in the DR (Dominican Republic), very much depending on the region of the island as well, but the most common basic steps are on-the-spot and the box step. The box step is a typical step which can be found also in Son and Bolero, which only makes sense as Bachata evolved from those musical rhythms (for more history of Bachata, check out this link ).
   Since there’s a side motion in the box step as well, it could be that the Western people saw it as if it was a side-to-side step. It’s not that Dominicans never dance laterally, but if they do so it’s more for displacing rather than a “basic“ or “default“ basic step.

3. The side-to-side motion seems to be a thing in the Western culture if you think about how common and popular line-dance is. Have a look at Salsa NY Style which is also very linear and you move from one end to the other. So it only makes sense that Bachata was adopted that way as well, to maintain that linear structure for the structured mindset in the Western world.

4. Given the fact that it’s very common to dance linear in the Western world, most people associate dance with steps and the body movement is left out completely.

   In fact I’ve been observing for many years how for the Western people it’s easier to follow steps, especially when it’s directed from one end to the next :
   most of my students find it extremely difficult to dance on the spot, and steps like box steps are easier for them to digest and they get the impression they’re dancing because they’re displacing themselves. So the whole concept is very different from the Dominican way.
   Conclusion: side-to-side steps are easier for them because they're only focusing on their feet - which I btw is the reason I blame for that Bachata gets underestimated and seen as “it’s easier than Salsa“ or “it’s easy to learn“, since it’s ONLY “1,2,3,tap“.

5. Some people have come up to me and told me how they went to the DR and have danced side to side basic or they could dance just the same way as they are used to in the Western world. Truth is, yes, side to side basic has taken over completely and become the default basic step and sadly this phenomenon can be seen in the island sometimes as well. The reason for that is though, that if you think about why they dance like that, it’s pretty simple: DR is a touristic country, so in order to be able to dance with the tourists, Dominicans need to adapt to the them because they want to mingle and be included. Wait, isn’t that funny, though? I thought tourists travel to learn from the locals. How come it’s so difficult to encounter the authentic Bachata then? If you are new to dancing or don’t know anybody who can teach you the real deal, how are we supposed to distinguish? Also, Bachata is a street dance, and most Dominicans learn it from their family members or neighbours and friends without going to a dance school. Now that we’ve got the internet, they might learn it from Youtube so they can potentially build a business with dancing, too. And as we all know you can find anything on the internet and the most flashy videos get the most views. If that’s a trend in the Western world, the temptation is high to adjust to that. Plus, not all Dominicans know the history or the origins of Bachata.

Now that we cleared the different theories of the origin of the side to side basic steps, I would like to explain you why I don’t believe in them :

1. The whole concept of leading and following is missing its point when dancing side to side basic as it is an automated step. Both know in which direction to go first and to go back. It’s like a mutual agreement of navigating. But this is not what dancing is about - because it’s not a show where you need to coordinate. It’s about agreeing in letting yourself get involved with somebody else for a short moment and to create an experience. It’s about trusting each other and feeling each other’s energy. It’s not about guessing or anticipating where the partner wants to go or to surprise them. It’s a dialogue and not a guessing game or a board game. Since Bachata is less about turns but rather shapes and displacing, using the space in an organic way, keeping the frame is important. This typical frame concept doesn’t usually change no matter what kind of basic step you dance, however due to the automated lateral motion this beautiful frame loses its essence. In my future post I will explain more about the concept of leading and following in Bachata.

2. Due to the lateral automated steps, the whole body movement feeling gets lost because people are too busy focusing on their feet and the direction.
   Bachata is a unisex hip based movement. Actually you can dance Bachata on the spot without doing any steps but only using your hips or different body parts like the chest, shoulders, your bum and pelvis. It’s about feeling the music and connecting to your own body. This leads me to the next point…

3. This is exactly the reason why the side to side basic became so popular - because you don’t have to deal with your body movement anymore but just focus on the steps. Considering the Western and European culture, feeling and enjoying your body is associated with shame and judgment. Also still too many people believe that hip movement is only meant for women and not for men. Sadly enough I often times hear people say “I can’t move my hips“, or “my hips won’t move“ or “I’m not a Latin@ so I can’t move like them“ - majority of them are men saying this, which is really sad to think how society has shaped us with this limiting believes. For sure I will make a separate post on body movement in future.

4. I believe the side to side basic has ruined the whole cadence and feeling of Bachata in the Western dance world. Bachata is about freedom, playfulness, connection and being in that moment. Once you have built the connection between you and your body, you and your dance partner, and you and the music, it actually becomes are very intimate and sensual moment - yes, Bachata IS sensual! However unless you are a Dominican Bachata lover yourself, it might be difficult to recognise how sensual and intimate the dance can be, because they don’t dance to show off or to entertain others. They dance to create - again - connection! And the best way to develop a connection is to make compact moves instead of huge exaggerating moves or turns or footwork. In the end it’s all about feeling each other’s body movement.

5. The side to side basic concept has made the Bachata moves become overly exaggerated and big in places outside the DR. Only few people know how compact Bachata moves are. Since you dance to the beat with your hips and your body instead of the feet (try to be on beat with your feet and you’ll see how you end up dancing too fast and not really connected to the music), the moves need to be compact. Try to dance compact and on beat with your body, and you will realise very soon, that there’s no time and space to dance side to side as a basic step because it looses all the essential feelings as I have described above.
   In the end dancing is an experience more than anything and once you have discovered the connection in yourself it will change your dancing completely - of course to the better :)

As I mentioned above, nowadays there are many Dominicans who have adopted to the side to side basic because of the tourists and foreigners so that they can mingle better with them. I have also observed that it’s simply easier for the Dominicans to adjust to the non Dominicans aka to the side-to-side-basic-exaggerating-big-move-dancers than the other way round. And then I wonder, where does this dance come from again? What is authenticity? What is culture? How do Dominicans feel about this situation? What about cultural appropriation? Shouldn’t it be the other way round? Shouldn’t we be the ones learning from them when the dance and music come from them?
You tell me….

Kuriko in 2009 - when I had no idea how Dominicans dance Bachata
By A. H.