Salsa Latina Dance Centre Dance Classes & Events, Christchurch New Zealand
Bachata Dance Classes Christchurch
Learn to Dance Bachata in Christchurch City from New Zealand Champions
Bachata is a modern, social Latin dance style that originated in the Dominican Republic. It is a freestyle dance, meaning it is not choreographed. Bachata is widely popular and often danced at Latin dance events, socials, and parties. It is easy to learn and a lot of fun. There are different styles of Bachata, including traditional, Dominican, and the more recent Sensual Bachata, which has gained popularity in Europe. The dance involves a three-step movement with a Cuban hip motion, followed by a tap and a hip movement on the fourth beat. Salsa Latina has been teaching Bachata since 2009 and offers consistent classes in Christchurch and the South Island.
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Bachata 101+ Start Dates:
​★ Bachata Beginners 101: Mondays 6:15pm - Starting: 27 Nov 2023 - Just Started
​★ Bachata Beginners 101: Wednesdays 6:15pm - Starting: 10 Jan 2024 - ENROL NOW >
​★ Bachata Beginners 101: Mondays 6:15pm - Starting: 05 Feb 2024 - ENROL NOW >
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Bachata 201+ Start Dates:
★ Bachata Imp-Intermediate 202: Mondays 7:30pm - Starting: 27 Nov 2023
​★ Bachata Imp-Intermediate 206: Wednesdays 7:30pm - Starting: 29 Nov 2023
★ Bachata Imp-Intermediate 203: Mondays 7:30pm - Starting: 08 Jan 2024
​★ Bachata Imp-Intermediate 207: Wednesdays 7:30pm - Starting: 09 Jan 2024
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Bachata 301+ Start Dates:
​★ Bachata Int-Advanced 302: Monday 8:35pm - Starting: 09 Jan 2024
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Bachata Online Classes:
★ Online Footwork Classes Available here >
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N.B. You won't be able to join in the middle off a 'Bachata course' unless you're above beginners, this is why we have a Free 1st Salsa class only on the start date, last chance to join a new beginner course is on week#2. For levels above beginners 101 you will need to pass and assessment or grade and gain a certificate to join higher levels, read more about levels below.
Bachata 101 Courses
Beginner Level
- Free 1st Class on Week#1 Only
- Teachers Mon: Reuben & Jessica
- Teachers Wed: Reuben & Grace S
- Modules: 101
- Duration: 1 hour, once a week every week for 8 weeks
- Everyone welcome
- No Partner required
When to Join?
It's best to join when the course starts (week#1) but can join any time up to week#2 at the latest. Even if you have done Bachata somewhere else you will need to do our Bachata syllabus to progress to the next level. tip: Check the timetable for week numbers.
Class Level:
• Level: Beginners 101
• Duration: 1 hour, once a week every week for 8 weeks
• No Partner Required & Everyone welcome
• Course Updated 07-07-23 (New Shines & Partnerwork)
Bachata Beginner Beginner 101 courses are ideal for absolute beginners & anyone who has had some partner dancing experience or if you have done Bachata before, this is a chance to recap and learn more. Learn all the basics of most of the styles of Bachata traditional style. Everyone welcome, yes even if you think you have 2 left feet, we have a cure for this. Once you have completed the beginners 101 you can progress to the New Intermediate level.
Regardless of your dance level in other styles its always best to start at the beginning, we've redesigned this course for the absolute beginner in mind, but also those with higher dance training. Latin dancing is a great way to Have Fun, keep fit and meet lots of new people! In this class the basics of Latin dancing is covered with Bachata. If you have done some Bachata before, we highly recommend you do this level regardless, teaching styles & information vary between dance schools. This is the most important of all the levels to master, worth repeating. More about the syllabus below..
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Done Bachata Before?
If you have done some Bachata before, we highly recommend you do this level regardless, teaching styles & information vary between dance schools. This is the most important of all the levels to master, worth repeating at least a few times. If you are a confident dancer and know all the basics you'll need to get a grading to join higher levels regardless of your actual level. Please see the level flow chart below
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Early Bird Deal
A Special Course Deal will be available close to the start date and up until midnight of the start date. So snap these up because they are at a great price and are only available in beginner courses! See Pricing here >
Bachata 201-208 Courses
Imp-Intermediate Level
- Beginner Grading Required to Join
- Teachers Mon: Reuben & Miléna
- Teachers Wed: Reuben & Grace S
- Modules: 201 - 208
- Duration: 1 hour, once a week for 8 Modules (32 weeks)
- Start Dates above
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Requirements to Join & Grading:
You will need to complete & get a grading from the Bachata beginner 101 course before you can join this level (see above beginners about the grading & progression or click here for full info on grading options) . Once you pass the grading you can join any of the 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 207, 207 or 208 courses in any order. All courses are very different and offer different Shines, fundamentals & variations. You can see the timetable to see what courses are on right now.
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Enrolment Not Required
Typically, progression from the Beginners level to this stage occurs after successfully completing a grading. As a result, enrollment is automatic and not necessary. Nonetheless, if you are new to our classes and are visiting Christchurch, and would like to experience a casual class, or if you already have experience in this dance style, you have the option to register - enrol here >
Please see the level flow chart below
Class Level:
• Major Course Update 07-07-23 (New Shines & Partnerwork)
• Courses are 4 Weeks Blocks with 8 modules which span over 32 weeks in total.
In this New Improver Intermediate Bachata dance level we place more emphasis on timing, leading skills, styling, variations of the fundamentals, positioning, body isolation with complex moves & combinations. This is where you get to learn how to play with the structure & fundamentals taught in beginners.
The material in each 4-week course is progressive from Beginners, so it is essential not to miss the start of this level if you are progressing from Beginners. Your actual level will depend on your comfort and ability to recall the main fundamentals at this level. Generally, if you have completed the Beginners level and have done at least 8 classes at the Improver/Intermediate level and feel confident with the material taught, then you would have progressed from an Improver to an Intermediate dancer.
The first two weeks (Week #1 and Week #2) of any 4-week course will generally be focused on fundamentals, while the last two weeks (Week #3 and Week #4) will be more Intermediate-level material based on the previous two weeks.
Bachata Modules 201-208
The Bachata Shine series (footwork) has over 26 shines to learn over 32 weeks to date, a new shine every week for 8 months (2 months if you take 2 classes per week) if you don't repeat any modules. Partner-work will also follow along similar themes.
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Course Content & Types:
Shines Updated 7-7-2023
• Bachata module 201 = 4 Weeks (Dominican Partner-work + Shines)
• Bachata module 202 = 4 Weeks (Moderna Partner-work + Shines)
• Bachata module 203 = 4 Weeks (Fusion Partner-work + Spining & Turns)
• Bachata module 204 = 4 Weeks (Sensual Partner-work + Shines)
• Bachata module 205 = 4 Weeks (Traditional Partner-work + Shines #1)
• Bachata module 206 = 4 Weeks (Dominican Partnerwork + Shines #2)
• Bachata module 207 = 4 Weeks (Sensual Partnerwork + Shines#2)
• Bachata module 208 = 4 Weeks (Traditional Partnerwork + Shines #2)
What are the Bachata Styles?
which includes; Moderna, Fusion, Dominican, Traditional & Sensual Bachata
find out the history of these styles ....read more on this article here >
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Bachata 301-316 Courses *NEW
Int-Advanced Level
- Modules: 301 - 316
- Duration: 1 hour, 8 Week Courses, once a week with endless content
- Start Dates above
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Requirements to join & Gradings
To join, you must complete all 8 of the previous '8 courses' from 201 through to 208 and feel confident at the Intermediate level or have been at the intermediate for at least a year pre 2023. Additionally, students should be comfortable with a double spin & bodymovement, body rolls and all the shines from the previous level. Grading is not required to join the course, but it is available for those who want direct feedback and potentially achieve higher markings with Platinum levels. Shines will be more complex and short shines combinations will be included.
Week#1 of the Bachata Int/Adv level is an excellent starting point as it introduces a new shine series. If you're unsure about your level, we recommend asking a teacher for guidance. Please see the level flow chart below
.. read more about gradings and how to book a private grading here >
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Int Advanced Bachata Course Details
The Bachata Intermediate Advanced course offers 16 module '8 week' courses and growing, numbered from 301 to 316, which can be completed in any order. These courses cover a diverse range of topics, providing over 3 years of content to learn and are regularly updated to keep up with the evolving global dance scene. This level emphasizes timing, leading skills, body movement, Rolls, slides, styling, variations of fundamentals, positioning, body isolation, and complex moves and combinations. Here, students learn to experiment with the structure and fundamentals taught in beginners and imp/int Bachata. Our syllabus includes over 200 shines to learn plus many shine combinations.
In 2023, we have redefined this level to cater to the Intermediate through Advanced levels. This course represents our highest level, providing ample opportunities for growth and learning. Once students reach our highest levels, we encourage them to go back and perfect their fundamentals rather than focusing solely on harder combinations. This is where true growth and development as a dancer occur.
Class Level:
• Courses are 8 Weeks
• No Repeated courses, So you can continually learn once at this level.
In this Intermediate Bachata dance level we place more emphasis on timing, leading skills, styling, variations of the fundamentals, positioning, body isolation with complex moves & combinations. This is where you get to learn how to play with the structure & fundamentals taught in beginners. For the more Advanced levels, tips will be given to take it to a higher level i.e. Advanced levels. More about the syllabus below...
Bachata Shines 301-316
These 16 Modules are in 8 Week Courses. The Bachata Shine series (footwork) has over 128 shines to learn over 128 weeks to date, a new shine every week for over 3 years. note partner-work is different every week, no repeats. At this level you are also required to know all the Beginner 101 & all 26 Imp-int 201-208 Bachata Shines.
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Bachata Performance
Int-Advanced Level
- NZ Bachata Champions 2022 & 2023
- Duration: 1 hour, once a week Wednesdays 8:35pm Starting February
A great way to take your dancing to new heights is to join one of our performance teams, if there are no teams & courses to join keep taking regular classes till these start up. You'll need to be at least up to intermediate level and above.
- See the performance couples page here >
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Bachata Dance Class Syllabus & Style:
Our System is based on the modern Bachata Fundamentals, known as the 'Salsa Latina Foundation System', which is unique in New Zealand. It's based on and very carefully constructed & refined from some of the best Bachata dancers in the world. We specialise in Modern Improvised Freestyle Street Styled Bachata in Sensual, Dominican & Traditional styles. good leading & following is the key. Many Latin dance schools do not know the difference on what is leadable & what isn't, if it can't be lead or followed, we don't teach it.
Bachata Styles you will learn:
You will learn a touch of all of these throughout the levels and even though there are many flavours it's all "Bachata" and all are evolving because Bachata is a Street Style dance, all these styles have value and learning a touch of them all is essential. We also teach many more styles than listed below, but these are the well known ones which include:
• Dominican styles of Bachata including dominican shines, this is the most authentic form of Bachata & influences from Bolero & other Caribbean dance styles including Merengue.
• Traditional Style Bachata is the most simple, great to start with. With easy turns, footwork & patterns. This is the style that popularised Bachata from the USA, Europe & Latin America.
• Modern Bachata (aka Moderna) & Bachata Tango (aka Bachatango) are style that came out around 2005. Both these styles have more fusion from Salsa & Tango influence with new fundamentals & comes from Spain, Italy & Europe.
• Sensual Bachata, speak for itself and includes body movement and connection & leads. More of this style taught in the Intermediate Level & comes from Spain. This is the newest and most modern form of Bachata with fusion from contemporary and other Latin & Caribbean dance styles, there are too many to list.
......find out the history of these styles ....read more on this article here >
The 'Salsa Latina' Bachata Foundation
At the start of our Bachata classes we start with a warmup & Bachata Footwork aka 'Shines' to learn the essentials in mastering the feet, then we partner ladies & guys up aka 'Partnerwork'.
#1 Bachata Partnerwork:
Learn from the ground up, a foundation that will build on itself, Think of it like a House foundation. Master these core moves known as Fundamentals and you will progress very quickly. You'll discover that all Bachata 'combinations & turn patterns' are simply 'variations' of 'fundmentals'. We don't teach a random move of the week, rather it is taught to you in a way that is specifically designed to be progressive which build on previously taught elements giving the best results.
#2 Bachata Footwork / Shines:
You will also Learn Shines (footwork solo dancing) Bachata Shines are essential for any balanced Bachata dancer to find their own balance 'literally' as well as flavour, skills & technique. There's hundreds to learn, there's no other Bachata school in NZ that has the same extensive system. New System added in Sept 2019 and New levels with many more modules added in Mid 2023.
You will Learn;
- Bachata Basic Timing & Counts for Bachata
- Bachata Partnerwork turn patterns moves & variations
- Latin Dance Partnering Technique
- Bachata Shines (Bachata Footwork)
- Unlimited Bachata Turn patterns, moves & combos
- Extra tricks
- Styling & Body Movement
- Advanced: Catering for Advanced level dancers as well.
- More advanced partnering techniques & dance technique
- How to dance the dance!
- Advanced Timing & understanding music & musicality better.
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FREE Bachata Practice Times
This is a chance to practice all those moves you've been learning in class. You can turn up to either of the practice times, and its FREE for current Salsa Latina Bachata students.
★ Monday 5:55pm (20mins)
★ Monday 7:15pm (15mins)
★ Monday 9:30pm (20mins)
★ Wednesday 5:55pm (20mins)​
★ Wednesday 7:15pm (15mins)
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The Ultimate Bachata Program:
Unlocking Rapid Progress in Your Dance Journey. This new program is designed to accelerate your learning process and take your Salsa and Bachata skills to new heights. We've incorporated special techniques & training methods that go beyond the traditional once-a-week class.
