Sabrosura
Son Montuno
There is a Dominican bachata thread in the VideoClips section so you can see what they dance like.
http://salsaforums.com/threads/bachata-dancing-videos.19271/
Here's the thing (I've danced quite a bit in the Dominican Republic and am friends with Dominican dance instructors): not all Dominicans are dance experts. A lot of them dance very simply. Others are more talented dancers and dance more intricately. But it's still "Dominican". And of course when people take classes in Dominican style they want to learn to dance like those better dancers--so it's not that the Dominican instructors invented a new style, they are just teaching the more interesting footwork. Plus most people don't actually learn that intricate footwork well enough to dance it socially--I have yet to dance with a non-Dominican dancer who actually dances Dominican style well and plays with footwork.
When I dance in various little discos/bars when I go to the DR, I like to play with footwork, so I don't dance as simply as some Dominicans do (but I don't dance too flashily either). In my experience, people there loved dancing with me and watching me dance. And I was told by many of them they couldn't believe I wasn't Dominican.
So while "Dominican style" does not have a strict definition, it is definitely different than what is danced in most non-Dominican US clubs to the "modern/urban" bachata music.
http://salsaforums.com/threads/bachata-dancing-videos.19271/
Here's the thing (I've danced quite a bit in the Dominican Republic and am friends with Dominican dance instructors): not all Dominicans are dance experts. A lot of them dance very simply. Others are more talented dancers and dance more intricately. But it's still "Dominican". And of course when people take classes in Dominican style they want to learn to dance like those better dancers--so it's not that the Dominican instructors invented a new style, they are just teaching the more interesting footwork. Plus most people don't actually learn that intricate footwork well enough to dance it socially--I have yet to dance with a non-Dominican dancer who actually dances Dominican style well and plays with footwork.
When I dance in various little discos/bars when I go to the DR, I like to play with footwork, so I don't dance as simply as some Dominicans do (but I don't dance too flashily either). In my experience, people there loved dancing with me and watching me dance. And I was told by many of them they couldn't believe I wasn't Dominican.
So while "Dominican style" does not have a strict definition, it is definitely different than what is danced in most non-Dominican US clubs to the "modern/urban" bachata music.
