Bachata & Merengue Video Reviews

Daniela Di Francesco

Bachata Ladies styling

Level: Beg/Advanced

Style: Bachata

Content: Styling for ladies

General Comment: Daniela Di Francesco is the most popular female image of Bachata internationally and many lady dancers have modelled their own dancing on her style. If you also want to do this, this DVD will make it very easy. Daniela dances some basic Bachata moves together with Tony Lara and shows you how you can decorate and embellish them. She takes each element, breaks it down solo and provides you with all the secrets to perfect and 'sexify' the movement. You will learn shoulder movements, hip movements, body rolls, turns.. the works basically, with the emphasis on looking sexy which Daniela and Tony have popularised in modern Bachata.

Reviewed by Fabio - OK

Grégory & Nanda: Granda Dance Project

Rueda de Bachata Vol 1

Level: Beg-Int

Style: Bachata

Content: Basic elements, turn patterns and rueda technique.

General Comment: The idea behind this DVD is quite simple: we can take the concept of the rueda de casino, so popular in Cuban salsa, and adapt it to be danced in Bachata style with Bachata music. There are a few details to work out before doing that, mostly related to differences in the basic steps and in the music. Grégory and Nanda cover this at the beginning of the DVD, when they also refresh the basic elements of Bachata and then progress to show some moves and different ways to swap partner during the dance. All steps are broken down first, shown in partnerwork and then in a full rueda of 4 couples. Useful to get going with your rueda team.

Reviewed by Fabio - OK

Dominican Fusion Vol 1

Level: Beg-Intermediate

Style: Bachata

Content: Basic elements, turn patterns.

General Comment: Grégory & Nanda offer yet another way to learn Bachata from scratch. They assume you have never danced Bachata before, they show a number of variations on the basic steps, some slightly more advanced foorwork and a number of turn patterns. They are simple, but some of them are cute and unusual.. something you could also use in your salsa. Their dancing is nice: simple, but a convincing compromise between the original Dominican style and the more modern one you often see in clubs.. just what the title promises.

Reviewed by Fabio - OK