Merengue & bachata?

Question

i've only ever been taught salsa as i grew up but i'd love to learn merengue or bachata what are the basic moves im sure the steps arnt as hard as salsa are they

Answer 1

Merengue is the simplest of dances, in its simplest basic form being only a series of chasses with a step on each beat of music. And bachata is no more complicated than salsa done sideways, without all the flash & trash.

Answer 2

If you've been lucky enough to grow up with salsa then you'll probably be able to pick up the basic bachata and merengue rhythms just by listening to the music.

So that's a good place to start! Get yourself some music and sit and listen to the rhythm. You'll notice that merengue music has two beats - and it's easy - as the basic step is just stepping from side to side, swinging your hips (through your footwork) just like in salsa, one step per beat.

Bachata is slightly more complicated. There are four beats but the last beat is accentuated (I like to think of it as a little 'pop'). Type 'bachata' into youtube and you will find a few examples of bachata being demonstrated and you'll see how this rhythm translates into steps.

Good luck!