The Bachata is a Latin dance with simple footwork and strong hip movement. The original Bachata from the Dominican Republic uses a square or box-step. The Western version popularized in the late 1990's, uses a straight side-to-side pattern instead. The signature of this dance is Cuban motion followed by a hip accent and tap of the foot on the 4th beat.

The sensual hip movement is very important, and most of the dancer's movement is in the lower body, with much less in the upper body. Unlike Salsa, Bachata does not usually include many turn patterns.

Bachata music is romantic and often tells the story of love and sadness. It can be considered Latin "blues" music.