Is Bachata Gonna Trump Salsa?

Salsa Bear

Salsa Bear

Son
Is bachata still increasing in popularity in your local scene?

More than half the traffic - maybe as much as 90% - on my website goes to bachata-related pages. Of course, the results are biased because I focused on bachata before salsa, but the results sill seem a little skewed.

After I dropped out of my local scene, I ignored the Facebook groups I created. Later, I discovered Facebook planned on "archiving" them, which I understood to mean they'd eventually be deleted.

Then I received a few new members requests, so I decided to create a new bachata group for people wanting to network with each other. A few days ago, I suddenly started receiving even more requests - for both the new group and the old group, which has apparently been "migrated" rather than deleted.

Then a couple people who moved here from the Caribbean queried me regarding Zouk and Kizomba.

So I'm a little confused. Is bachata still booming, or is this just some sort of quirk, maybe nothing more than a search engine thing? I know bachata is very popular - I always figured it was a close second to salsa in popularity.

On Edit: I forgot, there is a big bachata event planned for Valentines Day, so maybe that's driving some of the more recent traffic.
 
I don't think bachata is booming overall. In the UK it is pretty dead actually. Hardly any bachata songs are played during a regular salsa night, and even at some events where they have 'Latin rooms' kizomba has taken over and eaten into the play time. Kizomba seems to be the new bachata really (at least in the UK).

In Japan bachata was booming, especially in Tokyo. There were bachata nights, and a bachata congress plus big bachata club nights. High profile teachers, and lots of demonstrations... I don't think that this is happening in most other countries though..

Apart from Italy. I hear that in Italy bachata is played loads and is very popular. Will find out when I go next week..!

Personally, I would love bachata to be played more in the clubs/socials.
 
In NY there is a bachata night every Friday at Cache (I have never been) and at most salsa nights at clubs/bars the DJs play a bit of bachata (about as much as cha cha, meaning a few songs for every hour of salsa). There will be a Bachata Festival happening at the same time as the NY Salsa Congress this year.

www.nybachatafestival.com
 
Sabrosura said:
In NY there is a bachata night every Friday at Cache (I have never been) and at most salsa nights at clubs/bars the DJs play a bit of bachata (about as much as cha cha, meaning a few songs for every hour of salsa). There will be a Bachata Festival happening at the same time as the NY Salsa Congress this year.

www.nybachatafestival.com
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Well I'm going to Cache after Abakua on Friday if you want to come along and see what it's like? :) I liked it last time I was here, the bachata is on another level compared to most of Europe. There's a different vibe vs Thursday but I enjoyed it - having a friend there would make it better though.
 
In Barcelona, Bachata is still pretty popular (not as much as Salsa, though). Pretty much in every club I've been, the ratio of Salsa/Bachata is about 70/30, (unless it is a Bachata night).

Also, just recently one of the most famous studios/clubs in the area seems to be trying to popularize Kizomba (offering beginner workshops and playing one or two songs each sunday), but it still seems pretty much unknown around here.
 
londongirl said:
Well I'm going to Cache after Abakua on Friday if you want to come along and see what it's like? :) I liked it last time I was here, the bachata is on another level compared to most of Europe. There's a different vibe vs Thursday but I enjoyed it - having a friend there would make it better though.
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Sure, would love to go :). I have been meaning to try it, I've heard good things.

See you tomorrow!
 
Bachata is also big in Finland and Estonia. They have a bachata festival in Finland - 7th edition this year I think.
 
sunsoul said:
... In the UK it is pretty dead actually. Hardly any bachata songs are played during a regular salsa night...
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THAT is disgusting! I am disgusted! This genuinely makes me feel very sad indeed.

If there was ever a reason to publicly riot on a dance related issue... this would be it.
 
In Asia Bachata is very much alive and well; it is booming, but as a part of the "salsa craze", rather than on its own.
There are several events each year, both in Europe and the Caribbean.
Also, from what an Aussie friend has been telling me, Bachata is quite popular in Australia as well.

I don't think that has anything to do with zouk-lambada or kizomba...
 
Bachata is definitely booming in Australia. In fact when I visited NY I was bewildered by how much more bachata there is in Australia over the US, and here the standard is actually really high.
 
I'll also say you should exclude Scotland from statements re: Bachata in the UK.

Bachata is still, by a country mile, the 'second' dance to Salsa at nights here.

Kizomba continually fails to find any traction, and I think there's only me and one other DJ who throws in a merengue here and there to shock people.
 
Salsa Bear said:
Is bachata still increasing in popularity in your local scene?
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Bachata is popular, fun and growing. No way it is going to trump salsa.

Night clubs is different. I see a big potential for packaging and promoting bachata in night club. It can grow big like reggaeton. Rather than solo it gives guys a legitimate reason to ask a stranger girl for dance in nightclub setting. Would just need someone enterprising to market it properly :)
 
el_Che said:
In Asia Bachata is very much alive and well; it is booming, but as a part of the "salsa craze", rather than on its own.
There are several events each year, both in Europe and the Caribbean.
Also, from what an Aussie friend has been telling me, Bachata is quite popular in Australia as well.

I don't think that has anything to do with zouk-lambada or kizomba...
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Agree with this.
 
sunsoul said:
In Japan bachata was booming, especially in Tokyo. There were bachata nights, and a bachata congress plus big bachata club nights. High profile teachers, and lots of demonstrations... I don't think that this is happening in most other countries though..
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It's become very popular in Osaka, too, since 'it' teacher Michael Kim started up serious lessons and a bachata party in Umeda which is now the place to be on Tuesday nights. Dancing bachata with him, I almost became a convert! However, what Japan does well (translation, what I like about it :D ) is keep the scenes separate. A salsa night will have a smattering of cha, bachata or merengue, but the focus is still salsa. JSC, DJ Angel's Shine and so forth - you're basically going to get 98% salsa. Best of all ;) zouk is banished to its own world, save for in Kyoto where a Brisbane couple is trying to introduce it to salsa people.

However, it's easier to have differentiated, thriving scenes in Japan as the population is sufficient to support them all; this is difficult in Australia's smaller cities. Zouk would be unlikely to survive unless combined with salsa at festivals and parties.

This, year, Sydney Congress had a third room - Salsa, Brasilian, and now bachata. It kept me happy - more salsa in the salsa room! but certainly points to its growing popularity. I wish they'd put the cha cha in that room as well! The bachata festival seems to be very popular as well. In Melbourne it's trendy to go to the bachata room / party - it's become 'cool' to hang out there.
 
azana said:
This, year, Sydney Congress had a third room - Salsa, Brasilian, and now bachata. It kept me happy - more salsa in the salsa room! but certainly points to its growing popularity. I wish they'd put the cha cha in that room as well! The bachata festival seems to be very popular as well. In Melbourne it's trendy to go to the bachata room / party - it's become 'cool' to hang out there.
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Wow, Brasilian; that's cool. There's a Brazilian band here in Seattle that I think is so cool, but when I used to go to their performances, I was blown away by the size of the audiences - very tiny. I like cha-cha-cha, too.
 
Salsa Bear said:
Wow, Brasilian; that's cool. There's a Brazilian band here in Seattle that I think is so cool, but when I used to go to their performances, I was blown away by the size of the audiences - very tiny. I like cha-cha-cha, too.
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The Brasilian Room is popular - it's zouk, samba and so forth. I don't mind a cha here and there, but they always go overboard at this congress. Each time another one came on, a mass of humanity surged from the salsa to the bachata room and the cafe. And yet they kept overdosing on cha!

In any case, bachata based parties are doing very well in Melbourne.
 
New dancers will gravitate toward bachata because you can learn it on your first day and dance all evening. It is popular in LA, but not nearly as much as the promoters would like you to believe. There is one good night here dedicated to bachata. The rest have all failed.

The Bachata Congress was a huge success
 
The salsa clubs I go to play bachata and salsa tracks during the band breaks.
The salsa congresses have bachata rooms and many congresses have bachata performances. The bachata congress performances are not like club bachata at all.

That said, bachata is not competing with salsa. The same teams that perform bachata routines switch costumes and come back on for salsa performances.

I'd say in the US, bachata has replaced merengue and reggaeton as the "break from salsa music" in salsa clubs.
 
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