Latin ~~~~ Salsa / Merengue / Bachata

By Jenna Weng

1,2,3, and 5,6,7; A bunch of people trying to follow what the instructor and trying to learn salsa steps were the two images still clear in my head, even though all these things happened about 6 years ago.  Thanks to a friend of mine, I started a different life ever since.

At the very beginning, salsa to me was just simply a word telling people what the dance is called. However, the more I danced I realized that “salsa dance” involves a lot of emotion.

Unlike ballroom dance, salsa is a social dance where people dance more freely and with more fun. Many people might have a wrong impression and think that salsa is from Cuba. Cuba indeed created a special style of salsa; however other Latin countries such as Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Colombia etc. also contributed. They all dance the same dance, but slightly different from country to country.

People from Latin America are born to dance. The rhythm and the melody is  in their blood. That’s why when Latin people dance, you can see the music is in the body and every movement, every step is telling a story.  Compared to the Latin style, later developments like New York or L.A. style requires more techniques, including a lot of spinning and speed. In New York, for example, new instrumentalization and extra percussion were added to some Colombian songs so that New Yorkers - that dance mambo "on the two" - can feel comfortable dancing to the rhythm and beat of the song. So for today’s salsa, not only are the styles different, but also the music involves many different elements.  You may find Cumbia, Merengue, and pop melodies mixed in with salsa music. This makes the dance more diverse depending on the feeling of the lead thus creating a different feeling of the dance.

Besides Salsa, Merengue and Bachata are also two very popular social dances.

Merengue, originally from the Dominican Republic, is one of the standard Latin American dances.  There are two popular versions of the origin. One story alleges the dance originated with slaves who were chained together and, out of necessity, were forced to drag one leg as they cut sugar to the beat of drums. The second story alleges that a great hero was wounded in the leg during one of the many revolutions in the Dominican Republic. A party of villagers welcomed him home with a victory celebration and, out of sympathy, everyone dancing felt obliged to limp and drag one foot.  Doesn’t matter which version you like, Merengue should be danced happily. There is a lot of variety in Merengue music. Tempos vary a great deal and the Dominicans enjoy a sharp quickening in pace towards the latter part of the dance. The most favored routine at the clubs and restaurants that run a dance floor is a slow Bolero, breaking into a Merengue. Merengue, wasn’t a couple dance at the beginning, but was a circle dance, each man and woman faced each other and holding hands - at arm's length. It is a dance that is easy to learn and essentially a "fun" dance.

Bachata is a form of music and dance that originated in the countryside and rural neighborhoods of the Dominican Republic.  Its subject is often romantic, heartbreaking and sad. Bachata was created and primarily used by servants, who used to play it when they got off from work. They created the songs from things they saw or they heard. In some areas Bachata means little, but most saw it as a celebration. For people who dance Bachata, dancing with the steps in 4/4 beats is not so difficult, but the body movement to express the meaning of the songs, to let people feel the pain of the heartbreak or sadness is the key of the dance.

In Taiwan, there are only a few places you can find Latin dancing and especially with the many different styles. Not one single place can take the credit for the existence of Salsa and one style of dance is not better than the other. Each dancer is accustomed to dance his/her own style. None is better, only different.

If you would like to know more about Latin Dance, or to experience the hot sexy dance yourself, you are very welcome to join us.

Please contact: Jenna 0936-985-881 / megeni@msn.com  ; Cherry 0918-538-228  or visit Sahara Café 04-2310-9269 / No.52-2, Jing Cheng 3rd, Taichung, for more information.