You've finally attended enough classes that you're feeling confident to take the next step and try social dancing bachata out in public! The next question is... where?
In years gone by, you may have encountered the classic silo problem. Each school would obviously heavily promote events within its own student base, but students from other schools may never hear of them, or even worse - been actively discouraged from intermingling with "the enemy"!
Nowadays, the Perth Latin scene is vibrantly mixed and there are many events to choose from to dance Salsa, Bachata or Kizomba (sometimes referred to as SBK to save typing). Of course, it can be hard to tell how much bachata you'll actually get at any given SBK night.
Your best place to search for SBK events to attend is the Facebook group Where to dance Salsa Bachata Kizomba tonight in Perth. The group is well moderated to limit spammers, and events from any school or organiser are welcome.
There are also regular weekly social dancing options available in Perth, the below are our favourites for bachata!
Sunday:
Scarborough Beach Amphitheatre (The Esplanade, Scarborough WA 6019)
Social dancing from 5:00pm, run by WAZouk
Featured in the New York Times' 2019 list of 52 places to go, the 'Sandpit' is the best way to start (or finish, depending how you count) your week!
Watch the sun set over the Indian Ocean as you dance. A mix of 2x Salsa 2x Bachata and 2x Kizomba will give you plenty of opportunities to practice, and meet people from all the different Latin dance schools in Perth! $5 entry
Tuesday:
Leederville Hotel (742 Newcastle St, Leedervile WA 6007)Social dancing from 9:00pm, run by Ritmo Caliente Dance Academy
A true SBK night playing a mix of 2x Salsa and 2x Bachata. $10 entry
Mustang Bar
(46 Lake St, Northbridge WA 6003)
Social dancing from 9:45pm, run by Danza Loca
Mainly a Cuban salsa night, you can get a few bachatas sprinkled throughout the night and even a Kizomba if you're lucky. Free entry
"But I just want to dance bachata..."
Unfortunately, unlike other cities Perth doesn't yet have a regular weekly social night with bachata as the core focus.
Because of this, every Thursday after class we run our Bachata Pura practica to help our students (and everyone else who wants to attend!) enjoy a whole night of bachata.
As you may have guessed from the name, it's a 100% bachata social practice session, starting at 8:30pm right after level 2! We play bachata of all styles, from classic bachata artists, modern up and comers, and sensual remix sensations like DJ Tronky.