Bachata for the blind and visually impaired
The path to a love for Latin American dances.
Bachata is primarily a romantic music genre from the Dominican Republic. It originated in the early 19th century in the rural areas of the Dominican Republic, where the poor population gathered at the end of the day to express their dissatisfaction with their impoverished situation through music. The original term used for this genre was "amargue," which means bitterness. Later, the term "bachata" became more popular. Both the music and the dance are often associated with the lower social class because they were often played in taverns and brothels.
Bachata is danced in couples, with one partner leading and the other following. Generally, the dance style ranges from fast-paced bachatas that are danced loosely (with only the hands held) to romantic bachatas that are danced closer together with more physical contact. There are 3 different substyles of bachata: Bachata dominicana/authentica, Bachata moderna, and Bachata sensual.
Bachata dominicana is primarily danced on the spot and is characterized by fast footwork. Bachata moderna is mostly danced in North America and Europe. In this style, movement is lateral over 4 beats: 1, 2, 3, tap. Bachata sensual is a fusion of the previous two styles, adding body movements such as body rolls and body isolations.
It has now been just over 4 years since we started offering dance lessons to your target group. We have found that bachata is a very good dance for the blind or visually impaired. It is the ideal dance to step into the wonderful world of partner dancing. What we noticed is that the simplicity of the basic steps (4 steps to the left and then 4 steps to the right) yields quick results, both for someone who is blind from birth and for those who have lost their sight later in life due to illness. In other words, anyone can quickly reproduce 4 consecutive steps to the left and 4 consecutive steps to the right. Additionally, horizontal movement, which is not initially practiced simply because it is not necessary in daily life, is a new sensation.
Want to work on your motor skills? Then this dance is ideal for learning to combine rhythm, movement, and music in a simple way. All together, it’s also great for mental and physical health.
The movements are easy to interpret, which is why it leads to quick success. In short: “The dance is completely manageable.”
While salsa dancing requires not only physical effort but also thinking, with bachata, you can hit the social dance floor much faster. The basic rules of bachata are so simple that it almost feels like a pleasant slow dance in a connecting moment with your partner. If you enjoy it, you can perfect it further, incorporating elements like body movement and isolating different body parts. The latter might be more challenging than salsa or any other dance. Again, the quicker you start, the quicker you will see results.
Over the past year, we have focused a lot on bachata, especially in Brussels, with great results. In the photos, you can see Manuel assisting with several bachata lessons, where both one-on-one and group dances take place. Two blind women participate in the lessons: Madina, blind from birth, and Nadine, who has Retinitis Pigmentosa. While Nadine still dances salsa, we noticed that Madina, who had never danced before, was able to perform a nice little dance by the end of the sessions. To this day, Madina still continues dancing bachata on Mondays in Brussels.
The result was that we organized a fun workshop with the entire group in Brussels, where sighted and non-sighted people could dance on the same level, and the instructions were clear for everyone on an equal level. This remains our main motivation behind our inclusive dance lessons. Additionally, we are very grateful for the wonderful moments we shared with Lesley and Cedric. Manuel was the only blind person in our group of 4, and not once did that difference come to light. We just had a lot of fun with these wonderful people. In the video, you can see us performing a rather complicated figure with many turns. Maybe a challenge for you too?
Image Description
Video 1: Manuel, Cedric, Lesley, and Michèle dance the “très” figure. They stand side by side. Manuel and Michèle are wearing their dance uniforms with black clothing and a yellow logo. Lesley has red hair, and Cedric is of African descent.
Video 2: Manuel spins Madina by crossing the right hand over the left to perform the “train” figure. They take 4 steps forward and 4 steps back (2x).
Video 3: Manuel and Michèle dance in the Etage Tropical warehouse, just before the bar. It’s warm, and Michèle is wearing salmon-colored shorts with a brown-orange blouse. Manuel is wearing a red t-shirt and jeans. Around them are the students from the class filming the figure. The following steps are performed: basic, half turn, movement in an embrace from right to left, hammerlock follower, leader steps backward on 5-6-7-8, unwinding the follower, basic, half turn, one and a half turns for the follower to come in front of the leader and perform forward ochos, unwinding, and Michèle releases Manuel as the figure ends. She playfully smiles at Guy, who enthusiastically reacts by moving his hips left and right and smiling back. She then blows kisses for Luc’s camera.
Photo 1: Manuel dances with Nadine. Nadine participates in both the inclusive and exclusive lessons at Etage Tropical.
Photo 2: Manuel spins Madina in an “inside turn” to the left. Madina is of African descent.
