Learn Bachata Shines Online

Shines are pieces of fancy footwork that will take your Bachata dancing to the next level. They can be used to shine independently in the context of a partner dance (similar to Salsa Shines), but they can also be used to add style to your footwork when dancing with your partner.

Given that shines can be danced solo or while maintaining social distancing, they're the perfect way to keep dancing (or start dancing) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this comprehensive online course, you will learn more than 50 different shine steps that you can use to spice up your social Bachata dancing. In addition, you will learn how satisfying shines are structured so that you can confidently improvise your own on the dance floor.

The shines in this course will primarily be taught in the Lead's timing, starting on the left foot, but we'll also show you how you can easily convert each of these steps into the Follow's timing.

What You Will Learn

    1. Welcome to Bachata Shines!

    2. How We Teach

    3. Course Overview

    1. Intro to Bachata Music

    1. Basic

    2. Basic with Cross in Front

    3. Basic with Cross Behind

    4. Basic with Touch in Front

    5. Basic with Touch Behind

    6. Basic with Touch to the Side

    7. Basic in "1-2-3-4-and" Timing

    8. Basic with Fallaway "4-and"

    9. Basic with Crossover "4-and"

    10. Basic in "1-and-3-4" Timing

    11. Forward and Back Basics

    12. Box Step

    13. Corner Step

    1. Left Turn

    2. Right Turn

    3. Left and Right Turns

    4. Right and Left Turns

    5. Backing Right Turn

    6. Backing Left Turn

    7. Double Right Turn

    8. Double Left Turn

    9. Away and Re-Turn

    10. Bounced Right Turn

    11. Bounced Left Turn

    12. Continuous Bounced Turns

    13. Instant Left Turn

    14. Instant Right Turn

    15. Quick Double Left Turn

    16. Quick Double Right Turn

    1. Step Touches

    2. L Touches

    3. Crossover Step Touches

    4. Fallaway Step Touches

    5. Interrupted Left and Right Turns

    6. Triple Taps

    7. Heel-Toe Step

    8. Touch Steps

    9. Touch Step Heel-Toe Combo

    10. Break Steps

    11. Touch and Go

    1. Side and Cross

    2. Reverse Basic

    3. Reverse Basic with Sweeps

    4. Cross Touch (Flare)

About this course

  • $49.00
  • 59 lessons

The Music

Here's a preview of some of the music this course will teach you to dance to:

Your Instructors

Nick & Melissa Enge

Nick & Melissa Enge are social dance instructors at the University of Texas, where they teach hundreds of students how to dance every semester. They are known for their relaxed, fun-loving approach to dancing, which puts even the most terrified students at ease. Given that their in-person classes are always full, with a waitlist, they created this site so that anyone, anywhere can learn from them at any time, and experience the joy of dancing!

Misty Enge

Misty, Nick and Melissa's Siberian Forest Cat, is named after the early 20th century dancer Mistinguette, inventor of the Apache dance. Whenever she graces a lesson with her presence, she is always sure to steal the show.

FAQ

  • What will I learn in this course?

    In this course, you'll learn more than 50 different Bachata shine steps through more than three hours of step-by-step instruction. While each shine will initially be taught in the Lead's timing, you'll also learn how to convert each shine into the Follow's. In addition, you will learn how to incorporate shines into your social dancing, how to improvise new shines and dance more musically, and how to incorporate body styling.

  • Why should I learn Bachata shines online?

    In our online classes, everyone gets the best view, instead of having to crane their neck to see what the teacher is doing. In addition, when learning online, you can watch the lessons over and over again (now, and any time in the future), as well as rewinding or slowing down the video if you need more help with a particular step.

  • Why should I learn Bachata shines from you?

    In developing this course, we evaluated hundreds of shine steps we could teach you, then picked only the very best ones: the ones that we see the most often on the dance floor, the ones that our students most enjoy dancing, and the ones that will most useful for you to know in the future. Then, once we had a list of the very best shines, we thought long and hard about the most effective ways we could help you learn each one. As opposed to many other online sources of shines where you might only get a quick demonstration of the step, in the 3 hours of instruction you will receive in this course, you'll actually get a step-by-step breakdown of each individual shine as well as many specific tips about the finer points of dancing them.