THE history of Bachata
Bachata is a dance and music genre from the Dominican Republic. It derives directly from bolero campesino, with influences from other caribbean genres such as son and merengue. Based on a simple blues-like structure, smilier to its predecessor bolero, the lyrics often depicted stories of love and bitterness. The word bachata originally meant an informal gathering where people would come together to drink, eat, dance, and play music in a family style sharing of joy and community. This is where it first developed, in the countryside among country folk.
During the regime of Dictator Trujillo, who considered bachata to be of low-class, it became heavily suppressed and marginalized. During these dark ages the music could only be heard at bars and brothels in the capital Santo Domingo and became associated with the underground community. Trujillo’s demise in 1961 paved the way for the emergence of bachata to become a more established rhythm. Just one year after his death, the first ever recording of bachata was created by pioneer Jose Manuel Calderon. As other musicians began to follow suit the music continued to develop rapidly, both in its instrumentation and lyrical themes.
The instrumentation of the 60s featured nylon string guitars, bass, maracas, and bongos. This sound is what is referred to today as traditional bachata. During the late 70s and early 80s, the music went through another development as more modern instruments were introduced like the electric bass, steel string guitar, and güira. Led by Blas Duran this became the staple sound of bachata until it was revolutionized during the 21st century by the likes of Juan Luis Guerra, Monchy & Alexandra, and Aventura. This new sound of the 2000s brought more American R&B, pop, and rock influences, which helped the genre reach a wider international audience.Today it is one of the most popular Latin genres globally and one of the most danced rhythms in the world.
The dance that accompanies the music has also been developing over the years. Since bachata has grown to have a global reach, new dance styles have been created from its influence. However, the style closest to how it is actually danced in the Dominican Republic is the Bachata Dominicana, which is the main inspiration behind all the work the Bachata Dominicana RD team does.