Bachata is a style of dance that originated in the Dominican Republic. It is danced widely all over the world but not identically. The basics to the dance are three-step with a Cuban hip motion, followed by a tap including a hip movement on the 4th beat.
From about 1970 to about 1990,bachata was thoroughly unique among Latin American musical genres in its free expression of the underground life of a nation. … After Durán’s innovation bachata’s popularity began to soar, as Anthony Santos and other bachateros used the new style to record more acceptable, romantic songs.
Erasmus Life 