How to Count Bachata Timing (and Dance to The Music)
Free Bachata Lesson 2 of 3
This lesson is part of our online bachata program with Regan and Harold. If you enjoy it, try the bachata program free for a week.
Got the basic step from Lesson 1? Good. Now let’s add the count and music.
What you’ll learn: how bachata is counted, and how to put your basic step on the beat of a real song. Knowing the step is one thing. Doing it in time with the music is what makes it feel like dancing. We’ll explain the count, then practice it to music together.
Got the basic step from Lesson 1? Good. Now let’s make it musical.
How bachata is counted
Bachata is counted in eights, in two groups of four: 1-2-3-4, 5-6-7-8. Your feet move on every beat, and the tap lands on 4 and 8. That’s it. The whole dance rides on that count.
The map: step (1), step (2), step (3), tap (4) — step (5), step (6), step (7), tap (8)
The trick is finding the beat in the song. Bachata makes it easy: listen for the güira, the steady scraping sound that runs through the whole track like a metronome. Lock onto that, count “1-2-3-4” out loud, and you’ve found your timing.
Now let’s dance it to music
Hearing the beat in bachata isn’t too hard. Keeping it while a song is playing and your body’s moving is the real skill, and the only way to build it is reps. Put the basic on the beat, over and over, until you just feel it.
Follow along and dance the basic in time with a real bachata song.
This was lesson 2 of your first three, free.
The full step-by-step bachata program including how to connect with your partner, turns, patterns, and more is inside your free trial. No partner needed.
Quick questions
How do you count bachata?
Bachata is counted in eights, in two groups of four: 1-2-3-4, 5-6-7-8. Your feet step on every beat, and the tap with the hip pop happens on counts 4 and 8.
How do you find the beat in a bachata song?
Listen for the güira, the steady metal scraping sound that runs through the whole song. It keeps constant time, so counting 1-2-3-4 along with it is the easiest way to lock onto the beat.