THE 2012 BACHATA FESTIVAL IS SET FOR 27th – 29th of APRIL.

MLF is in its FOURTH year running and is one of Melbourne’s largest Latin dance event running over 3 evening and two days.  The event will feature daily workshops ranging from complete novice to advanced professional in a variety of Latin genres such as Salsa, Bachata, Cha Cha, Flamenco, Tango and more.

Featuring some of the top Latin dancers from Melbourne and all over Australia and with international stars and artists from Cuba, Italy, Brazil and New Zealand, it’s definitely an event not to be missed.  Last year was a sell out so don’t wait too long to book – Come join MLF 2012 now!

The evenings will comprise of nightly performances and hot after-parties with the best live Latin bands and Latin DJ’s Melbourne & Australia has to offer.

MLF2012

As well as having the main Salsa room every night, MLF2012 will also have the following different dance genre rooms:-

- TANGO MILONGA ROOM (FRIDAY NIGHT) – to cater for the Tango dancers

- ZOUK/BACHATA ROOM (SATURDAY NIGHT) – to cater for the crazy zouk and bachata dancers

Melbourne Latin Festival

The 4th annual ADELAIDE SALSA FESTIVAL

Now in its fourth year, the annual Adelaide Salsa Festival is the biggest and most prestigious Latin dance event ever to be staged in South Australia!

Get ready for 3 sizzling days and nights of Latin dance parties, performances & workshops with the créme de la créme of Australia and the world’s Latin dance artists at the Arkaba Hotel!

The Adelaide Salsa Festival is a celebration of Latin music and dance and will showcase an exciting variety of Latin dance styles including Salsa, Bachata, Cha Cha Cha, Brazilian Samba, Zouk, Reggaeton, Cuban Son, Afro-Cuban Rumba and more!

Whether you are new to Latin dance, an advanced dancer or a music lover, it will be an unforgettable weekend of Latin dance and music!

Get ready to party!

Last year, May 2011, Bachateros released a Worldwide Bachata Survey. The aim of this survey was to better understand the Bachata community and its members. The survey focused on 3 main topics:

1. Bachata history
2. Bachata music
3. Bachata dancing

There were a total of 346 responses from all over the world.  I’m happy with this number of respondents, as it was the first time something like this was ever attempted! So I believe it is an accomplishment by itself.

This was an unbiased exercise. The results of the survey are displayed below for everybody to see, as in contains very interesting information useful not only for Bachata singers and instructors, but for anybody that works and promotes the Bachata scene.

If you want a copy of the data collected, please contact me directly.

The major highlights are:

1.    93% of the respondents know that Bachata is from the Dominican Republic! And around 40% of the responded said that they confidently know the history of Bachata.

You might think this is a no-brainer, but there are still people there that don’t know much about the history of Bachata. So lets make sure everybody knows things like this

2.    Urban Latin Bachata (ie. Aventura, Xtreme, etc) is more popular than Dominican Style Bachata (ie. Luis Vargas, Frank Reyes, etc)

Urban Latin Bachata obtained 67% of popularity from the total number of respondents compared to the 40% of popularity that Dominican Bachata got.

This is not a surprised, as majority of people are introduced to Bachata music by the Urban Latin bands, as their music is played more in nightclubs and radios worldwide.

3.    Respondents relate Bachata music to “romantics times with partner” and “dancing and hanging out with friends” (56% and 50% respectively) instead of referring Bachata as a bittersweet music.

When Bachata started (back in the 50’s and 60’s), Bachata was considered a bittersweet music, as it sang about broken love, money problems and other life struggles. Nowadays, this conception has changed completely, and majority of the people relate Bachata to positive feelings.

4.    Word of mouth and free downloads are the most popular ways people get Bachata music

Only 16% of respondents said that they buy Bachata music CDs. Due to today’s social media trends and the easy way to share music, it is not surprising this low number of CD’s buyers. Artists need to think on different ways to distribute music (i.e. giving away free samples) to gain exposure, or sponsor Bachata dancers, allowing them to legally use their music for their shows.

Also, Bachata singers should consider different and more engaging type of live shows, as that will be the major differentiator between them.

5.    Majority of respondents said that they know how to dance Bachata Traditional and Bachata Moderna (both got 76%), compared to the 59% that said they are know Dominican Bachata.

Again, it shows the influence of the Urban Latin Bachata music, as people are introduced to Bachata through these artists, people learn the Traditional and Moderna style before they learn Dominican style. Think of Usher doing traditional Bachata steps at the Latin Grammys!

However, Dominican style is rapidly becoming one of the most common styles nowadays.

6.    Bachata classes are the number one option for people to learn Bachata.

67% of respondents said they took classes to learn Bachata, however, 45% were self-taught.  (Keep in mind; respondents could select various options in this question).

As an instructor, I am happy with the numbers here as it shows that people are giving Bachata the respect that is needed and that they want to learn the proper basics; as on previous years, Bachata was seen as a second class dance, meaning that you could learn the steps on the dance floor and forget about taking classes.

7.    People prefer experimenting and creating new moves with their dance partner instead of purchasing Bachata DVDs.

Only 15% of respondents said they watch Bachata DVDs in order to learn new moves compared to the 38% that learn new moves by watching videos on YouTube, Facebook and other sites. 61% said they create new moves with their dance partner.

This is not a surprise; once again we see the strong influence of social media here. As instructors, we need to use social media to reach a larger numbers, and the instructional DVDs should contain material that could be shared online, or use a hybrid type of online and video instruction.

FAVORITE BACHATA BANDS (TAG CLOUD)

FAVORITE BACHATA INSTRUCTORS (TAG CLOUD)

These are just the major insights of the data collected; I do recommend that you should look at the answers as you might find other insights as well.

Feel free to comment on this survey, and also, please share these results with the Bachata community, as the more we know about our community, the more we can help it grow.

Regards,

-Juan

SURVEY RESULTS

One of the biggest Latin events in Australia is happening soon, the Sydney Latin Festival will be from the 2nd to the 5th of February. This is an international event that has launched many careers and has always showcase the best talent in Australia and over the world.

So, catch up us at the Sydney Latin Festival!

BACHATA WORKSHOP

• Juan and Pascale teaching Bachata Moderna style, 1:45pm, Stage area

View all the SLF’s workshops

BACHATEROS SHOWS

• Thursday, 2nd of Feb, BACHATEROS INTERMEDIATE
• Satruday, day shows, 4th of Feb, JUAN’S BACHATA SHOW
• Sunday night, 5th of Feb, BACHATEROS ADVANCED

View all SLF’s Shows

DJ’ing

• DJ Juansito will be spinning the best BACHATA at the BACHATA Room on Friday night, from 10:30pm!

View the Party schedule

The SYDNEY BACHATA FESTIVAL will have a booth there! so come and say hi to Nestor, Juan or Sky!

Of course, we will also be supporting the Tropical Soul workshops and shows! oh yeah!

The SLF is always a good time! We look forward to hang out with all our Bachateros and Salseros!

NEW BACHATEROS CHOREOGRAPHIES

Elegido Por Ley – Noche de copas.mp3

After 4 successful years The Sydney International Bachata Festival looks forward to inspiring you with more Bachata love in 2012, at the 5^th Annual event!

Get ready for 3 days of awesome workshops & 4 nights of prestigious parties, world-class performances & an urban Bachata concert!

Back by popular demand we are bringing you International dancers ATACA Y LA ALEMANA plus for the Dominican Bachata fanatics TROY & JORGET!
Also, live in concert for the first time in Australia, famous Bachata singer DOMINIC MARTE all the way from New York. It certainly is going to be one of the best Bachata Festivals yet!

The festival focuses on celebrating Bachata, a sexy & sensual partner dance from the Dominican Republic. It also includes other popular Latin rhythms like Salsa, Merengue, Zouk, Kizomba & Reggaeton.

With more then 40 workshops for beginners to advanced dancers, there is something for everyone. Soak up new dance knowledge at the workshops & master classes, dance to your hearts content at the great Parties & be awe inspired by the amazing performances!

The festival will be held at the Roundhouse, UNSW, a spacious & well-equipped venue with great space for workshops & parties. An awesome production set up & a nice out door terrace area perfect for socializing or sampling Latin American food & products.

International & National guests gather every year to experience & share their love for Bachata & have fun with friends.

See you all at the Bachata Festival in beautiful Sydney, Australia!

-The SIBF Team

I started my professional Bachata career 4 years ago. Even though I was teaching Bachata before, it is not until 2008 that I decided to push it as far as I can. Now, 2011 is coming to an end, and as every year, I like to look back and remember the year’s accomplishments, wonderful memories, be grateful for what has been achieved and plan for the next year, 2012!

The best reward for 2011 is that I have met so many Bachateros all over the world! In every country that I taught Bachata – New Caledonia, Holland, France, Singapore, USA – I was welcomed by wonderful Bachateros that were eager to learn, dance and enjoy themselves! In my homeland, Australia, I was a judge for the NSW, ACT, VIC and National Bachata Championships (4 competitions). I also had the opportunity to be part of the first Bachata dedicated events in Perth, Coffs Harbour and Tasmania, and kicking-off the Bachata revolution there!

Also, for this year, Bachateros finally had a home: TROPICAL SOUL Dance Studio! In April 2011, together with my partner Josie, we opened our dream, our own dance studio! At Tropical Soul, Bachateros has grown even stronger and faster. We have 2 teams full of dedicated Bachateros! I love the Bachateros teams!

The Bachateros website continues to grow and generate more traffic, we’ve had visits from all over the world! We have 51 Bachata songs on the Download section for free, and close to 400 Bachata posts and 300+ comments! The website accomplished all that even though we were under the Australian domain name (Bachateros.com.au). Imagine what will happen if we go with the International domain name (Bachateros.com)?!

The Bachateros brand also grew online. We doubled up on the number of Bachata Moderna fans on Facebook (close to 2000 fans) and on our twitter account (600+ followers), and we finally passed the 1000 subscribers on our Youtube Bachata channel!

So, the question I ask myself every year is: What’s next for 2012?

• The famous Sydney International Bachata Festival will continue to lead the way (have you checked out the website? It’s going to be an awesome event!)
• Bachata Moderna DVDs Volume 4 and 5. Yes, thanks to popular demand, they are coming soon!
• New choreographies for the Bachateros team that will be showcased at the Tropical Gala Parties, the SIBF and the Byron Latin Fiesta.
• More travels to teach and promote Bachata all over Australia and the world.

I feel privileged and grateful that God has put me in this wonderful path. The lovely dance of Bachata has definitely changed and improved my life, and I hope I’ve been able to do the same for all my students.  2011 has been a wonderful year! So I raise my glass…. Here’s to a great year with Bachateros!

- Juan Ruiz

Over the last 5 years of so Bachateros and Bachateras all over the world have been the beneficiaries of one of the most rapid and diverse explosions of Bachata stylistic options and Bachata talent that’s ever hit the social dance scene.  It was only a handful of years ago that Bachata was ‘that other Latin dance’ taught in studio that made most of their money from Salsa.  It was all taught the same way and only few hard-core Bachata traditionalists believed in Bachata as its own dance style.

The Bachata market started to grow because the market was ready for an alternative to overly commercialized sales that dominated the social Latin dance scene. Myself and a handful of other Bachata innovators knew that Bachata’s ‘day’ had arrived and people were ready for Bachata dedicated instructors and instruction (Lots of credit goes to Jorge Elizondo and Tony Lara for being the first ones in the industry).

It is during this time that various instructors from all over the world came up with some unique styles of their own. Some people from the ‘old school’ felt our styles were a bit controversial, and that we were deviating from the roots; but at the same time, a lot of people like them because it brought variety to their dance.  If everybody liked the same thing the world would be a pretty dull place, wouldn’t it?

My point in this post is just to encourage everybody to keep experimenting and trying to develop a unique style of your own (as long as you don’t forget the traditional scene of Bachata, of course!). Just as our Bachata Moderna is a little of ‘something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue’ (as the saying goes)……I think that’s what any art form should be.

My vision for Bachata Moderna has always been for it to be something that lives and grows and has room for continued diversity and experimentation. I was inspired by Inaki’s crosses – Bachata Moderna beginnings, and then I came up with new fundamentals on my own (quick step back, about turn, exits and more). I certainly think there’s a lot more that I can do, and I actually hope it doesn’t look the same a few years from now.

For Bachata Moderna, I hope it will be a catalyst for my students to grow as Bachateros and Bachateras themselves. I think the worst thing that can happen is that my students look to me for 100% of their inspiration. If you’re a Bachatero or Bachatera I think you should always be ‘pushing the envelope’ and trying new stuff yourself.

Just as Bachata has become a passion that guides my daily life, and enriches my friends and students, I hope it will be for you guys as well. So, lets get out there, and lets continue pushing the envelope!

Bachata – Bachata Moderna Footwork and Combo

Bachata Moderna performance 2011