Merrymeeting Adult Education

The Bachata is a playful Latin dance from the Dominican Republic. This style is danced with soft hip motions, turns and side-to-side footwork. The music of Bachata is very recognizable for its predominant use of the electric guitar combined with Caribbean and Latin musical influences. Salsa is a Latin dance, associated with the music genre of the same name, which was first popularized in the United States in the 1960s in New York City. Salsa is an amalgamation of Cuban dances, such as mambo, pachanga and rumba, as well as American dances such as swing and tap. The basic Salsa dance rhythm consists of taking three steps for every four beats of music. Merengue, the national dance of the Dominican Republic and Haiti is a fun, fast and easy dance made up of simple steps. Merengue is characterized by its marching rhythms and Cuban motion – strong side to side motion and ‘dragged leg’ with emphasis on counts 1 and 5. Instructor: Barbara McGranahan