bachata

American  

[bah-chah-tah] / bɑˈtʃɑ tɑ /

noun

1. a contemporary genre of Latin American popular music, in the style of a ballad, featuring guitars, percussion, and singing.

   On Thursdays, they have a band that plays nothing but bachata.

2. a song performed in the musical style of bachata.

   The lyrics to this bachata are from a traditional hymn.

3. a partnered dance of Dominican origin, performed to the music of bachata, traditionally danced in eight-count box steps with a sequence of three steps and a tap, with modern variations that include steps from other Latin ballroom dances.

   Part of the ballroom competition is a six-minute bachata.

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Etymology

Origin of bachata

First recorded in 1955–60; from Caribbean Spanish; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

“Salsa just wasn’t as popular anymore, and people would walk over to the other side of the restaurant to take the bachata lessons.”

From Los Angeles Times

Yet by the 2010s it was apparent that another genre was taking hold of the Latin dance scene: bachata, ushered in by smooth-singing New York stars like Prince Royce and Romeo Santos.

From Los Angeles Times

“Tumbos” is a warbling electronic love song intercepted at times by plinking bachata strings.

From Los Angeles Times

To your point about movement, there’s so much of it here: bachata, cumbia, electronic music … so much to dance to.

From Los Angeles Times

The record opens with the synthy bachata “Superdeli” and “Wacha, Checa,” which features a guitar riff straight out of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ catalog — two songs in which the singer implores a romantic partner to live in the moment.

From Los Angeles Times