How to improve your bachata dancing

If you’re a beginner or an intermediate bachata dancer, you’re probably taking some bachata class and you would like to improve your dancing, learn faster, and get better.

Don’t move, you’re in the perfect place !

And if not, you should still stay, you might learn interesting tips 😉

I remember when i started bachata, i wanted to learn so many moves in order to be more comfortable and confident on the dance floor. So let me tell you that making progress is a topic very important to me!!! So important, that I’ve decided to create this blog to help you and me to become better bachata dancers.

Yes me too !! Because if you haven’t checked my story, I’m not a professional, teacher or whatever but still a student who wants to improve herself. So, i know very well this subject !

PS: This article is the following of How to start dancing bachata for beginners, the first article of my Bachata challenge (series of 52 articles) ! I would recommend you to read it, if you haven’t found your bachata class yet. 😉

And now, let’s begin !

1. Go to your bachata class, dance school regularly

I don’t think that’s very necessary to remind you how much it’s important to be consistent when you take bachata lessons. If you attend group classes and if you want to improve your bachata dancing, you should go to classes :

• every week, because the repetition will help you to build muscle memory, perfect your bachata moves, steps,
• at least once a week, if you can train more than once, that’s even better. But don’t put all your attention in bachata classes, if you want to be able to dance with any partner, you should spend some hours on practising as well. Sometimes, after class, some teachers give the possibility to their students to practice the moves they’ve learned like a social party. Don’t miss that opportunity, if it’s the case !
• be goal oriented, have a long-term vision. If you’re a beginner, you should spend AT LEAST one year taking classes, if you want to be a good bachata dancer, confident enough on the dance floor.

2. Practice what you’ve learned during your bachata class

This is so important if you want to improve your bachata dancing. Because as i told you earlier, this is the repetition that matters. If you practice what you’ve learned, the moves will become more familiar. They will be internalised in your body.

I’ve taken some bachata class as a leader and it was so essential for me to review the steps at home to make the move more natural. I highly recommend you to review the bachata videos recorded in class.

Plus, if you want to go to the next level, there are so many things you can work on too, at home, in front of a mirror :

• basics and fundamental steps, it takes so long to get a perfect basic step, with correct hips, chest, shoulders, arms movement,
• posture, frame,
• footwork, you can work on you Dominican steps for example in order to kill that solo during social dancing,
• body movement, (body roll, isolations…) in order to get more awareness of your body, amplify the movement,
• musicality, listen bachata songs, feel the music, count the time when you practice your moves,
• styling, arms and hands,
• spinning technique,
• flexibility,
• weight transfer,
• … the list is so long, it could be a whole article 😉

Ok and now, you’re going to tell me, yes but if i want to practice my partnerwork, alone, that’s not so convenient.

And my answer is “Yes, sure”, that’s why we’re going to the next point “Find a partner to practice together“.

3. Find a dance partner to get better

Find a dance partner to practice must be part of your bachata journey if you want to improve yourself. You can find him in your class or in social dancing. The good thing is, if your partner is in the same class as you, you will have the possibility to review the moves you’ve learned together.

I personally found a partner to practice during my first year in bachata. It was so helpful to progress and get better. We used to practice every week for 2 hours. At the end, our efforts got paid because our teacher really noticed our evolution and encouraged ourselves to keep going.

Since then, i still do it when the occasion comes. That will be so effective in your improvement !

4. Track your progress to improve your bachata

Once again, that’s so important to record yourself anytime you can during social dancing, when you practice alone, at home or with your partner. Do it regularly in order to track your progress.

I still have videos when i first started with my mate and that’s so funny to watch them again now. At that time, we thought we were so good haha! More seriously, i can see how much I’ve improved since. Sometimes, you feel very discouraged, you don’t see the small progress but if you look back few months before, you can really tell the difference.

Plus, video yourself will allow you to correct your mistakes, bad habits or see on what you should focus your attention. It could be a bit hard to analyse that, at the beginning. So you can still show the video to your teacher and ask for constructive feedback.

5. Go to social dancing to become a good dancer

Yes, social dancing is one of the most important part in your bachata journey. This is the way where you will have the opportunity to put into practice all what you’ve learned during classes.

I know that could be very scary for some of you. I personally waited for few months before going to social. I know very well, what you’re probably afraid of, like :

• being asked to dance,
• doing some mistakes,
• not be able to lead/follow correctly,
• dancing with a better partner than you.

I had exactly the same fears !

But unfortunately, there is no magic bullets when it comes to improve yourself. You have to practice and for that, you have to go to social dancing and face your fears, do some mistakes, smile, laugh and learn from them and become better ! Trust me, we all passed there. I was sincerely terrified the first times i went out and now, i enjoy it so much !

More you go, more you will be comfortable and relax. So don’t think, let yourself go, feel the music and dance even if you’re a very beginner. You can go out with your mate, others students, even alone. I personally started to go alone, if i did it you can, trust me 😉

6. Find a mentor to get inspired

If you want to improve your bachata dancing, find a mentor. It could be your teacher or someone who has some good experience in bachata and good enough to give you some relevant and useful advice.

You can find him in your dance school, during social events, festivals. If you see someone dancing very good with an excellent technique, try to come to talk to that person and ask her, where she has learnt, how she’s done to dance like that, what tips she could give you…

I have never had a personal mentor and i should really think about it. But I always knew who i could see if i had an issue with a move, technique, struggling… At least, try to identify the people who can help you to go to the good direction in your bachata journey.

7. Do some bachata workshops from different instructors

Try to learn from different teachers, different styles. And doing occasionally some workshops is an excellent way to improve your dancing, to expand your skills.

You will have probably the opportunity to learn different things or same things you know but explained in a different way that you will understand more clearly.

Sometimes, you can find in your city or very close a workshop or bachata festivals with international or national artists. That could be a great way to learn from them! And sometimes you can find workshops more specific, focus on technique or footwork. If you don’t have the occasion to learn that during class because your teacher is focus on something else, don’t miss that chance ! It will help you to incorporate new concepts, elements to your dancing.

8. Practice your bachata but do not rush the process, don’t compare to anyone

Learning and improving take time! Do not rush the process. Keep practising during classes, social, at home and the results will come. Practice is the key!

Don’t compare to anyone else ! That’s why, keep your video recording to compare only to yourself. Everyone learn differently and at his own pace so take your time no matter what your goal is.

If you want to know more about bachata tips, and being a good bachata dancer, check out the video below of Luis and Andrea a famous bachata couple from Spain

Thanks for reading me. I hope you’ve found interesting tips to improve your bachata dancing. If you want to share your experience or more useful tips, i would be more than happy to read you.

Hope you the best in your bachata journey 🙂