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Bachata

Bachata is tropical dance music that began as a folk tradition in the barrios of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. An urban form developed in New York City in the 1980s and 90s. 🇩🇴

Bachata News

Juan Luis Guerra (Michael Bush/Dreamstime)
Juan Luis Guerra (Michael Bush/Dreamstime)

Latin Grammy nominee Manny Cruz sings Dominican Bachata and Merengue at Lehman Center in Jerome Park, The Bronx on Sat, Jan 29 at 8pm.Rescheduled to Sat May 21 at 8pm. From $45. 🇩🇴

Bachata Dance Clubs

Club Cache nightclub in Greenwich Village.

Gonzalez y Gonzalez Mexican restaurant and Salsa nightclub in Greenwich Village.

La Boom nightclub in Woodside, Queens.

Many small bars in Washington Heights play Bachata on weekends.

Previously

Elvis Martínez plays Dominican Bachata at La Boom in Woodside, Queens on Fri, Oct 29 at 9pm. From $48. 🇩🇴

Afro-Dominicano plays Bachata for dancing at the “Brunchata” Bachata brunch at Gonzalez y Gonzalez in Greenwich Village on Sun, Oct 10 from 12 noon to 10pm. $10 cover after 5pm. 🇩🇴

Aventura with Romeo Santos brings their Inmortal Tour to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Sat, Oct 9, 2021 at 8pm. From $49.50. 🇩🇴

Grupo Aurora plays Bachata for dancing at Gonzalez y Gonzalez in Greenwich Village for the “Brunchata” Bachata brunch on Sun, Oct 3 from 1-6pm. 🇩🇴

Frank Reyes sings Dominican bachata for dancing at La Boom in Woodside, Queens on Fri, Sep 10 at 10pm. From $50 🇩🇴

Bachata Music

Merengue was originally played on a guitar, but is now usually played on accordions.

Traditional bachata is a blend of bolero and son sung by troubadours, sort of a Dominican blues. It’s guitar music that is very easy and fun to dance.

José Manuel Calderón and others brought the music to New York in the 1960s as the Dominican community was growing in Washington Heights.

Juan Luis Guerra updated the sound in the late 1980s and helped popularize bachata around the world.

Aventura (with Romeo Santos) in The Bronx and Monchy & Alexandra in the DR electrified, updated and romanticized urban bachata in the 1990s.

Merengue and bachata are part of the Latin dance trinity: Salsa + Merengue + Bachata.

Everybody plays bachata now, but the leaders of the music are Juan Luis Guerra (traditional), and Romeo Santos and Aventura (urban).

Bachata Dance

Most salsa dance parties are mixed salsa, merengue and bachata. Sensual bachata is a club form that is popular with Eastern Europeans in New York City.

Bachata Festivals in NYC

tropical Music

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