On this page you can read about what bachata is. What and who our community is and how it started. Aswell as who our founders and instructors are. Currently Bachata Dominicana Copenhagen is run by Mette Larsen – we hope to be able to include more in the future!
About Bachata
Bachata is music and dance from the Dominican Republic. Both the music and dance has roots in west Africa, Spain and indigenous Taino. Taino’s are the indigenous people living on Hispaniola before the Spanish and French invasions.
Bachata is a social dance where focus lies on the ability to flow and connect with a dance partner in a lead/follow partnership. The Lead and follower are both part of creating a non-verbal conversation.
Culturally it is danced between family members aswell as friends and loved ones. You will find no two people dancing exactly alike.
“Bachata is a social dance where focus lies on the ability to flow and connect with a dance partner”
Personal style and expression is part of the beauty of the dance style and what makes it special. Depending on the area of the country you go to, you will notice very different basic structures. All the basic steps are build on the same rhythm. They can be spiced up with personal improvisation Like different types of body movement and footwork. As you learn and develop your understanding for the music, rhythm and buildup of the dance, you will be able to ad more personal style.
Want to see what Bachata can look like? check out this video.
History
Bachata (read more about the name here) is said to have developed in the early 1960s in the countryside of the Dominican Republic. Here it was looked down on from the upper-class citizens. However, the dance did not gain its popularity until later years.
“Bachata is culture”
The first Bachata song ever recorded (probably not the first Bachata ever made) was by José Manuel Calderon in 1962. Bachata dance is a direct development of the smoother Bolero (which originates from Cuba) and also has roots in dances like Danzon, Son (Cubano/Dominicano) and Merengue.
Bachata is culture and in 2019, UNESCO added it to the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list.
Musicality
The music has changed through out the years. Starting with the more slow/romantic music as a direct development from Bolero (campesino). Bachata also became known as bitterness music (Amargue). Now you will find a wide range of music from slow to fast, and with topics most often related to romantic relationships.
The music consist of 6 instruments – Requinto (1st guitar), Segundo (2nd guitar), Bajo (base), percussions: Bongo and Guira, and the voice of the singer(s).
Apart from being danced on 4 counts with a pause on the 4th step, the dance is supported by these instruments and can inspire which movements or feeling you are dancing with.
Want to see some of the dance styles that inspired Bachata? and what they can look like -check it out here:
Merengue
Bolero (Dominican Republic)
Son Dominicano
Misunderstandings
Our new students and other curious people, often ask very similar questions – and these are some of the misunderstandings we most often get asked about:
- “Bachata is always really fast” – Bachata is often thought to be a fast-paced dance and music – but you can find just as many slow-paced songs.
- “It’s all bachata – what is the difference” – Bachata is from the Dominican Republic – but styles like ‘Modern fusion’ and ‘Sensual fusion’ are often marketed as ‘Bachata’ – They were invented in Europe with inspiration from simplified tourist dance, Salsa (USA) and Brazilian zouk.
- “Bachata is all footwork” – Bachata is not only footwork. Footwork is the spice you can add when you have good, proficient knowledge of the basic rhythm and steps.
- “I need to start on the timing 1” – You don’t have to start you dance on the timing ‘1’ – Actually, you will find that in many areas in the country it is more common to start on the timing ‘2’, ‘3’ or ‘4’ – as long as you are on the same timing as your partner!
- “The lead always start on their left foot” – You don’t have to start dancing with you left foot (lead). the music is written in 4/4, so you can just aswell start on your right – as long as you move in the same direction as your partner!
- “Normal Bachata” – Bachata is the dance from the Dominican Republic (see etymology description) . It is not ‘Dominican bachata’ as a sub genre to other styles of ‘bachata’.
Aditional educational websites and material:
BDC have found inspiration from many people – below is a list of some of them. We encourage you to do your own research. Be curious. Ask questions. Visit the country.
- For the love of bachata (FTLOB)
- Has good educational material, also on how to educate in general. We have especially been inspired by their community building and setting up a code of conduct on what kind of community we would like to build.
- Adam Taub
- Has made many educational videos on YouTube. We encourage you to watch this one, if you want to learn more about Bachata and what it means to the people of the Dominican Republic.
- Areito Arts
- Two of our main and favorite teachers. They inspire curiosity, cultural education and inclusion.
- Kuriko la japomana
- Is an advocate and inspiration for authenticity. Among other things, on her website you can find a list of people around the world who are curious of authentic Afro-Latin dances aswell as a link to her Facebook group, to connect with like-minded people.
- Frank E
- A person who we have later learned is spreading the word of Bachata in the city of Copenhagen. With a common goal of spreading Bachata as it is danced on the island.
- Los Bonitillos
- Have made a documentary series called ‘Dominicanidad’ on their YouTube channel – With loads of good info and beautiful pictures.
Anyone we have missed? feel free to send us a link with a description of why they belong on this list! (no promise it will be added though ;))
About Bachata Dominicana Copenhagen
Bachata Dominicana Copenhagen (BDC) was created by Lærke Birk in 2020. She did sporadic events while strongly affected by a global pandemic – in 2022 it became a joint adventure with Mette Larsen who then took over in 2023 when Lærke decided to retreat from the project (but with her continued support of the events and activities).
“We teach dance styles from the Dominican Republic such as Bachata and Merengue”
In Bachata Dominicana Copenhagen we teach dance styles from the Dominican Republic such as Bachata and Merengue with occasional inspiration from Bolero, Son Dominicano and Dembow. And we have a strong desire do share the roots and history of the dance we love, aswell as paying tribute to the culture it comes from.
To keep our knowledge and inspiration fresh, we frequently participate in Dominican Festivals around the world as well as instructor courses and visiting the Island.
“whether you’d like to lead or follow, is up to you!”
We are a continuously growing, a diverse community with different nationalities and culture. We strive to make it a brave and inclusive place, with space for trial and error. You are encouraged to play and try things out to see what works best for you – whether you’d like to lead or follow, is up to you!
You can find all our events here!
Want to join our community group on Facebook? – find it here!
Want to leave us a testimonial? – We always enjoy hearing about your experiences with us – would you consider leaving us a review/testimonial? – you can do it right here – Thank you!
About Mette’s dance journey
The beginning
Mette started dancing at Frederikssund ungdomsskole in 2004 and was offered to take over the class in the end of 2006 when her teacher decided to stop. Here she got the opportunity to create a show with her students for the event Bigdance Grenaa aswell as choreographing three musicals “Husker du, Musikalske minder(2008)”, “Smuk og Dejlig(2009)” and “Danner Live(2010)”.
It was a steep learning curve for a teenager – and Mette got caught up in ‘adulting’ and had to push the pause button for a couple of years. Until she recovered her dance joy!
In 2015 she started playing with partner dancing and the styles Blues and Improvised-partner-dancing under instruction by Nuno Catherina and Natasha Figueroa.
Cuba
By 2016 Mette traveled to Cuba for the first time with a group from cubakultur.dk, to learn Cuban Salsa from the place of origin. She has since returned in both 2017 and 2019 – specifically to learn Salsa, Rumba and Afro Cuban dances from Yunielys Yuyu Hernàndez Manso.
Being a part of the salsa communities in Copenhagen, Mette was introduced to Bachata. However, learning on the social dancefloor didn’t feel right. She observed difficulty in understanding the leadings and it seemed like there was many ‘signals’ that one should know and not only feel. After a dance class with Junior and Carolina at a festival in late 2019, she found that the dance style she had learned on the social dance floor was the European ‘Sensual’ and ‘fusion’ and that the dance had traditional roots. This was, unfortunately, not danced or taught in Copenhagen (or at least not to her knowledge at the time). As roots and culture are something she values a lot, she had to find out how to learn more. And which better place to do that, than the Dominican Republic?
Dominican Republic
In the beginning of 2020 she met Bachata in the land of origin when she travelled with kelokebachataadventures. She has since then spent a total of 7 months in the Dominican Republic, getting immersed in the dance communities, travelling by herself. In 2021 she connected with Lærke Birk (while still in the DR) about becoming a part of Bachata Dominicana Copenhagen – It didn’t take long for the two women to set things in motion.
Back in Denmark
2022 was the year she took an instructors course with BachataDominicanaRD (approved by the Dominican ministry of culture). Her focus is on social dancing, personal style, connection and non-verbal conversation as well as the cultural background and musicality of the dance. Striving to make everyone feel comfortable, seen and welcome. In 2022 she started her L4 certification in Leadership and facilitation in ‘Authentic relating’ with ARTinternational (#reklame) which she includes in her way of being and teaching.
In 2022, Mette founded the company “Butterfly on a journey” that has the purpose of creating more connection aswell as deeper and more meaningful relationships between people.
What our dancers say
Mette kom til vores sommerfest og underviste os i diverse trin. Alle gæsterne gik rundt med smil over hele hovedet både under og efter timen. Super sjovt indslag.
Man bliver jo bare helt glad efter sådan en gang dans. Vi kan varmt anbefale Mette.
Rytmer fra den dominikanske republik, enkle dansetrin, hvor alle kan være med, sjov undervisning og glade gæster.
En times danseundervisning ved festen får alle gæster med et smil op ad stolen. Kan varmt anbefales!
Jeg gav min mand nogle dansetimer i merengue i 50-års fødselsdagsgave, og det har vist sig at være en af de bedste gaver, jeg kunne have givet os begge! 💃🕺
Vi har haft fornøjelsen af at have Mette som vores danselærer, og hun har været helt fantastisk. Hun er utrolig anerkendende, tålmodig og god til at skabe en tryg og afslappet stemning. Fra første øjeblik følte vi os godt tilpas, og hun har virkelig fået os til at tro på, at vi kan danse!
Det har også været en stor bonus, at undervisningen har foregået hjemme i vores egen stue. Det har gjort det nemt og bekvemt for os, og vi har kunnet nyde timerne i vores eget tempo uden stress.
Selvom man har været gift i 22 år, kan man godt blive overrasket over hvad det at danse sammen kan gøre – vi synes at det er skønt – og har selvfølgelig bestilt flere timer hos Mette!
Hvis du overvejer at tage dansetimer, kan vi varmt anbefale Mette – hun er fantastisk!
Mette var fantastisk til at sætte gang i dans og smil.
Jeg holdt 60 års fødselsdag og vi var en blandet flok af unge og gamle. Vi dansede og grinede og havde virkelig en skøn time med Mette.
Alle der kunne var med til at danse og alle 💕 fortalte efterfølgende, at de syntes, det var rigtig sjovt og festligt.
Tak Mette 🌺
Jeg kan kun anbefale Mettes danse undervisning. Hun får mig til at føle at jeg kan danse! Hendes evne til at følge hendes elevers behov er unik. Hun ser mig og jeg kan følge med.
Jeg føler mig grundig oplært. Jeg bliver så glad i låget og fyldt op med alverdens gode følelser af at danse Bachata
En lang række små skridt i den rigtige retning og bare derud af. Mette er en god og engageret underviser, som hjalp mig med at få gang i hofterne og bruge kroppen bedre på begynder Dominikansk Bachata. Begge dele som et udgangspunkt for den originale dominikanske legende, asynkrone og ikke koreograferede stil, Mette og Bachata Dominicana Copenhagen er fortaler for
Energi fyldt time med Caribisk dans.
Vores løbeklub havde en sjov og fornøjelig time med Caribisk dans til klubfest og de fleste fandt ud af at hofterne kan svinge mere under dans end under løb.
Mette kom ind med en super god energi og fik hurtigt alle i selskabet med i dansen. Vi grinede og havde en virkelig sjov time, hvor alle fik rørt sig og fik lært sig nogle nye trin. Niveauet var perfekt, trinene blev vist hurtigt så der var ingen ventetid – kan helt klart anbefales som et sjovt indslag til festen.
Der er en nice, hyggelig stemning – altid. Og fokus i undervisningen er på at det skal føles godt. Jeg elsker at der bliver talt ind i rødderne for dansen og at det er forbindelsen mellem fører og følger der lægges vægt på, at alt er en invitation, en mulighed, og jeg kan stadig mærke efter om min krop er okay med bevægelserne.
Hvis du har et lille ja og overvejer at prøve dominikansk bachata, så se denne invitation som dit tegn til at komme afsted
Beyond the dance classes, Mette and the team are bringing a different approach to social dance training. The focus is resolutely on the social aspects, i.e., how to enjoy dancing in a social setting. Figuras and footwork are, of course, explained and practiced, but always as a means to achieve a better connection to the partner and respect for the other dancers. Overall, it brings an experience much closer to what you’d find in the Caribbean culture, where dance is meant as a way to socialise, not showcase your abilities or force them on your partner.
Vi bookede Mette til vores teamaften, og vi var 18 personer som havde en meget festlig og sjov dansetime! Mette har hele tiden været nem og professionel at skrive/tale med, alt gik supergodt!
Varmeste anbefalinger, det bliver en fest!
Mette var med til vores sommer-Ibiza-fest i min gård, hvor hun gennem en time førte os gennem den caribiske dansehistorie og lærte os alle at danse bachata. Det var et super godt indslag, hvor alle gæster kunne være med og vi resten af aftenen kunne genbesøge alle de nye dansetrin. En kæmpe anbefaling herfra hvis I trænger til et caribisk-danse-pust til jeres fest 🙂 (og trænger man egentlig ikke altid til det?? )
Super sjovt og tilpas udfordrende!
Vi havde booket Mette til en firmafest, og vi havde den sjoveste time med masser af latin-vibes og god musik! Det var en sjov, (tilpas) udfordrende og underholdende time, og Mette var sød og tålmodig, og helt med på, at vi bare skulle have det sjovt og hygge os! Det var en super oplevelse!
Jeg vil gerne give en varm anbefaling af Mette, som underviste i Caribisk dans til vores 50 års fødselsdag, hvor hun virkelig formåede at skabe en skøn oplevelse for alle gæsterne.
Mette udstrålede en smittende energi og glæde, som virkelig satte gang i festlighederne. I løbet af den time, hun underviste, blev alle gæsterne engageret og havde det sjovt. Hendes entusiasme og positive indstilling gjorde, at selv dem, der måske ikke normalt ville have kastet sig ud i dans, deltog og havde en fantastisk tid.
Jeg kan varmt anbefale hende til alle, der ønsker en energifyldt og glad danseoplevelse til deres arrangement. Hendes engagement og positive energi vil uden tvivl bidrage til en mindeværdig oplevelse. Tak for det Mette.
Mette always teaches with her heart. Her love and knowledge about Dominican bachata, and about dancing as a whole is always showing. She’s making sure it’s a safe space and everyone is feeling good about themselves, no matter previous dance experience. I highly recommend taking classes from and cooperating with Mette on any kind of event.
Mette just gets it. Her and Ulrikke’s teaching is always fun, and the vibes that the Bachata Dominicana Copenhagen team bring to their events at Café Globen and Ku.Be are awesome! As I mature in my dance journey, good vibes with focus on connection and a strong emphasis on honouring the culture this dance comes from has become important, and you really get that here. Plus, they play a ton of merengue at their socials. Win win!