Bachata: What to Wear?

This audio was recorded by Danny Kalman, the Director of Movers and Shakers Salsa and Bachata Dance Academy. The following text is an unedited transcript of his audio and headers have been added for clarity.

🤔 "What should you wear when dancing bachata?

We're going to answer this question, both for our ladies and for our guys 💃🏽 🕺🏻

Best Shoes for Bachata Dancing

Let's start with shoes 👞

These days, people are dancing bachata in pretty much any type of shoe. There's not a lot of spinning in bachata so you can get away with most shoes. People like to wear something comfortable, but if you wear shoes that are ✅ more slippery on the bottom, you'll have a better dancing experience because there's a little bit of turning.

📍 Slippery soles will allow easier movement in any direction 

Why Invest in Dance Shoes for Bachata?

If you decide to buy dance shoes, your experience will be even better ✅ Dance shoes are slightly tighter on the foot, giving you more control 🎯when moving. They have suede bottoms, making it easy to turn and making the whole experience easier.

✅ So, if you're getting into bachata and want to dance a lot, we highly recommend getting dance shoes 

Choosing the Perfect Dance Shoes for Bachata

🤔 What type of dance shoes should you get?

These days, most people are wearing 👟 flats, but you can certainly wear 👠 Latin heels.

💃 For the ladies, heels are nice and elegant  for bachata, but flats are quite popular among casual social dancers.

Many dance shoe companies are making 👟 sneaker-style dance shoes. Some offer indoor/outdoor soles — a hard rubber designed to spin on cement and wood floors indoors.

✅ So basically, any flat dance shoe is perfectly fine for bachata, and there are many fashionable, stylish options 

Bachata Dance Attire for Ladies and Gents

Men's Style Guide for Bachata Dancing

✅ For the rest of your attire, anything you're comfortable in is great!

When you go out, just 🕺 dance to your style. If you like to wear slacks, wear slacks. If you like to wear 👖 jeans? Wear jeans. Some people like their 👔 button-down shirts, while others go for 👕 t-shirts.

Some dancers wear 🤵 suits when they go out social dancing, but it will be more casual if you're in a class. Some guys even wear 🩳 shorts, I've seen a lot of athletic pants.

✅ So it’s pretty much up to you and your style.

Women's Style Guide for Bachata Dancing

💃 For ladies, if you're in class, make sure the teacher can see your feet — so ❌ avoid big, flowing dresses. It's the same thing when you go out social dancing, wear whatever fits your personality and what you’re comfortable in 💃 ✅

Some clothing can be ❌ restrictive, which is best avoided. For instance, ❌ long, tight dresses 👗 aren’t ideal for social dancing. If they 🚫 limit the movement of your legs side to side, they’re not a good choice for bachata. Even skirts — if you’re wearing a short skirt, just know that your skirt will end up hiking up a lot 🔺

Tips to Feel Comfortable in Your Bachata Dance Attire

When dancing bachata, partners can be very close 🤝, especially in a social dance setting, so make sure you're wearing something ✅ comfortable underneath that you're comfortable in.  A lot of girls, for example, will wear a skirt but with some sort of athletic tight shorts underneath that, recognizing that their skirt will probably end up hiking up a lot.

For your shirt, 👚 wear something that stays on your body well . So if you're dancing and the straps of your top are falling off your shoulders, that becomes annoying so you have to keep pulling it up; and if the strap is kind of loose, it will definitely slip and start to fall off while you're dancing so it's better if your top fits your body a little more tightly.

Some ladies wear these big one-piece bodysuits that feel painted onto your skin— hat's really nice but just for people who are ✅ comfortable with that style. You can wear any top you like, as long as it’s fitted and stays on while going through all sorts of crazy dance moves 🔥

Conclusion

The biggest takeaway is that ✅ dance shoes make a huge difference for both ladies and guys. Heels are elegant 👠 for ladies, but flat dance shoes are very popular 👟 these days for bachata. Wear clothing that suits your style and what you’re comfortable in — that's the most important thing .

Bachata Classes in Los Angeles

This audio was created by Danny Kalman, the creator and director of Movers and Shakers Salsa and Bachata Dance Academy in 📌 Los Angeles, California.

If you're in 📌Los Angeles, reach out for bachata classes. We'll teach you everything from scratch with proper structure  to build rock-solid foundations.

Come experience the Movers and Shakers programs, performance team, parties, amazing community, and much more.

👉 See Bachata Dance Class Schedule.