The History of Bachata
Every dance originates from a certain type of music, but it is always the music that comes first, and then the dance – never the other way around. It was similar with Bachata, which originated in the Dominican Republic, and with the growth of its popularity, it spread all over the world. Today, both dance and music have evolved into different styles. I will try to introduce you to the origins and evolution of dance and music.

The Roots of Bachata:
Bachata as music was created in the first half of the 20th century as a combination of son (Son Cubano) and bolero (also the Cuban version, which differed in rhythm from the Spanish version), as well as merengue. While son, bolero and merengue were the music of salons, Bachata was played by poor people using simple instruments. The basis of Bachata was the bongo, guitar (requinto) and maracas, replaced with time by the guira, which was a cheap alternative and often a source of shame for poor musicians. Due to the fact that it was the music of poor people, it quickly gained a bad reputation and was considered the music of prostitutes and the margins. For this reason, playing it on the radio or later on television was outright banned. The music told about the everyday problems of the population, whoops and worries, in which it resembled the blues. At the time when bachata was created in the Dominican Republic as music and dance, there was a dictatorship there. Part of the population sought refuge and a better life in the USA, where music came with them. Due to the greater freedom, it could develop without any problems, as it did not have such a bad reputation there. With the fall of the dictatorship and the return of some immigrants to their home country, an opportunity arose to popularize Bachata, as those returning to the Dominican Republic brought with them wealth that allowed them to advance socially. In this way, the perception of Bachata began to change, and musicians could freely boast about their compositions. The first musician to start recording bachata songs is considered to be Jose Manuel Calderon, and various sources say that the first recorded songs were: Borracho de amor and Llanto a la luna. Another name worth mentioning is Luis Segura, who also started at this time (theoretically earlier than Calderon, but the songs were released later). It is also worth mentioning such figures as Eladio Romero Santos, Edilio Paredes, Ramon Cordero and Rafael Encarnación. Mélida Rodríguez was the first woman to record bachata, she was one of the first bachateros, and the musicians who accompanied her songs were the same musicians who also accompanied other artists of the period such as José Manuel Calderón and Fabio Sanabia. Rodriguez wrote her own songs, and her signature work “La Sufrida” is undoubtedly the most famous female Bachata. Shortly after the first recordings, Bachata began to appear on the radio, both in the Dominican Republic (Radio Guarachita) and in the USA (this was in 1964). Although the first recorded songs were completely different from the current Bachata or even from the Bachata that we commonly call Dominican, they gave rise to what we know today from festivals, workshops and clubs. The wealth brought from the USA allowed for the social advancement of both people and music, and gave artists the opportunity to develop and promote their songs and enrich themselves with new instruments and sounds. The appearance of new music also gave rise to a dance, which, due to the origin of the music, was danced in the same position as the bolero, i.e. the closed position. Initially, there were not many turns in the dance and only one closed position was used. Over time, the dance position was changed, both to half-open and completely open, simple turns and syncopations were added. The later popularization of music and the spread of the dance brought significant changes that still influence the development of Bachata. This genre has been recognized by UNESCO as the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

The development of Bachata – from simple rhythms to electronic music:
To play the most basic bachata rhythm, three instruments are enough: guitar, bongo and guira. At the beginning of Bachata, due to the fact that the instruments were not cheap, such a composition often had to be sufficient, but currently five instruments are considered the basis for playing the bachata rhythm: bongo, guira, bass, first (lead) and second guitar. The fact that Dominican citizens brought their wealth earned in the USA gave new opportunities to musicians playing Bachata. From the end of the seventies and the beginning of the eighties, Bachata began to resemble what we often call today Dominican or traditional Bachata. The precursors here include Luis Vargas, Antony Santos and Blas Duran, who was the first to use an electric guitar in 1987. Initially, Antony Santos played in Luis Vargas’ band as a guitar specialist, who eventually taught himself to play the guitar and changed his approach to writing lyrics, which influenced the development of his career and even greater popularization of the style. Among the artists from this period, it is also worth mentioning Raulin Rodriguez, who greatly popularized this style in the Dominican Republic, as well as such figures as Prince Royce, Zacarias Ferreira, Frank Reyes, Monchy y Alexandra, Domenic Marte, Xtreme.

The first changes in music were followed by the first changes in dance. In the 1990s, the basic Bachata step was taught not as a square step, but as a side step with changes of direction. The first elements from ballroom dancing, such as leaning, began to appear in the dance. However, the real revolution was yet to come. Its seed was sown by Juan Luis Guerra, who received a jazz education in the USA and began his career as a creator of merengue, bolero, salsa and also Bachata. His distinctive voice and the introduction of jazz guitar to compositions resulted in the creation of a new quality in Bachata, and his album Bachata Rosa brought the first Grammy Award. It was his compositions that caught the attention of Jorge (Korke) Escalona, who in the late 1990s learned the basics of Bachata and, together with his current partner Judith Cordero, began creating Bachata Sensual, a completely new style based on leading in a circle and wavelets. Korke himself emphasizes that if it weren’t for Guerra and his compositions, there would be no Bachata Sensual. The group Aventura also had a major influence on the popularization of Bachata, whose song Obsession gained great popularity on the world charts in 2004, and the group, thanks to combining R&B and hip-hop elements with Bachata, paved the way for other artists, such as Toby Love and Prince Royce. Bachata has become increasingly popular, both as music and dance, and a whole host of artists specializing in this style, as well as in other Latin rhythms, create both more traditional songs and various types of fusions, often allowing dancers with different dance backgrounds to demonstrate their dancing skills. The latest trend is the creation of bachata remixes of various songs, which in the original have nothing to do with Bachata. Korke himself claims that he contributed in part to the popularization of this trend, as he received two bachata covers created by Dawin Polanco, which he used to record a demo after the workshops, which popularized the songs. It turned out that with some knowledge of music theory, a computer and the right software, you can adapt songs to Bachata. This paved the way for careers for DJs such as Soltrix, Tronky, Khalid, Alejando, Manuel Citro and Ryan Miles.

Another groundbreaking event in the history of Bachata in 2008 was a YouTube commercial by a couple who popularized Bachata in the US and caused its huge popularity around the world. They were Ataca y La Alemana, who popularized its current version with their demo of the song Te Extrano by the group Xtreme. Their film is the most watched bachata film in the history of this dance. Thanks to this, Bachata began to be promoted on a large scale, creating congresses, concerts and dance competitions. Dance schools and studios began to open en masse, which continue to shape dancers and future instructors around the world.

When it comes to dance development and fusions, Bachata Moderna / Urban Bachata is definitely worth mentioning, as it gained popularity in 2005 in Spain. It combines many styles, drawing on elements of Hip-Hop, Salsa, Tango, Zouk, Dancehall, Reggaeton, Contemporary Dance and Ballroom Dancing. Although some may also consider it a variation of Bachata Sensual, it is still evolving.

Bachata, regardless of the style of music and dance it is mixed with today, creates its own history, of which we are a part.

Author: Małgosia Andrzejewska