Bachata, a form of music and dance that originated in the countryside and the rural neighborhoods of the Dominican Republic. Its subjects are often romantic; especially prevalent are tales of heartbreak and sadness. In fact, the original term used to name the genre was amargue ("bitterness," or "bitter music"), until the rather ambiguous (and mood-neutral) term bachata became popular. It has been compared to the blues, although in modern times it bears similarities to R&B.

Bachata was created primarily by servants, who played it after their work days ended. They made the music out of ordinary objects like those commonly found in a backyard such as trash cans and fences. In some rural areas of the Dominican Republic, bachata means trash, but most citizens also agree that it means a party. Others say that bachata is derived from the Italian ballata, which was a popular form of music in Italy centuries ago.[citation needed] Bachata did not begin as the popular dance music that it is today and it was not acceptable among higher society. Guitar (either electric or acoustic) whose sound has been doctored with a flanger, reverb, echo, or a combination of the three, is featured. The use of arpeggiated chords as the basis for the melody is almost standard. An additional guitar, called the segunda (rhythm guitar), is usually mixed at a lower volume and provides syncopation. An electric bass guitar and güira help anchor the rhythm, with the güira sounding a bit like a high-hat (in pre 1990s bachata, maracas were played instead of güira). The use of the bongo drum further solidifies the basic beat and provides percussive accents in transition points; for instance right before a chorus.

Bachata is a popular guitar music from the Dominican Republic. Now successful among Latinos in the United States, bachata took shape over a period of about 40 years in the bars and brothels of Santo Domingo, not gaining acceptance in its native land until the late 1990s. Young groups like Bronx-based Aventura have a similar relationship to original bachata as rock and rollers do to the blues, which has languished in the shadow of its more commercially viable descendant. In fact, the parallel between bachata and the blues is marked. Although bachata developed out of, and bachateros play, a variety of different rhythms, notably including merengue, the music which is specifically called bachata is a variant of the bolero. The bolero in Latin culture has traditionally been a romantic music, dealing with themes like deception and lost love. The bachatero, like the bluesman, sings about pain and trouble; one difference, though, is that while the bluesman hops on a southbound freight and keeps moving, the bachatero gets as far as the neighborhood bar and looks for solace in a bottle of rum in a dark corner!

The genre has passed through several phases since José Manuel Calderón recorded what is generally recognized as the first bachata single (“Borracho de amor” and “Que será de mi (Condena)”) in 1961. Indeed, long before Calderón, guitar music was the music of choice in the places of ill repute which became home to bachata. The guitar and guitar music like bolero and son were also the staples of the campo, the countryside, and with the death of dictator Rafael Trujillo in 1961 a number of musicians left the campo to record in the capital. The dictator’s family had virtually monopolized the music industry in the country, and when he was killed entrepreneurs began recording the first generation of bachateros. At this point the music was not yet referred to as bachata, but rather as “bolero campesino”. The word bachata originally denoted an informal party where guitar music was generally played; only later did it come to signify the music itself, and then in a denigrating manner.

When Calderón recorded, bachata was essentially a type of bolero, very little different from the Puerto Rican, Ecuadorian, Mexican and Peruvian music that inspired it. In subsequent years, the music began to define itself as a genre which, while still based principally on the bolero rhythm, is easily distinguishable from it. In order to understand these changes it is useful to divide the genre into the following categories, each of which roughly corresponds to a time period:
Bachata-bolero, Cabaret Bachata, Sexual Double Entendre Bachata, Tecno-bachata, Frontier Bachata, Romantic Bachata, Vallenato and Bachata, The New York School.

The bachata played today uses electric guitar and has phrasing which is more rhythmic and groove-like than in earlier styles. The evolution to electric has perhaps helped make bachata more accessible.
Some associate Juan Luis Guerra's Grammy winning 1992 release, Bachata Rosa, with bachata's rise in legitimacy and international recognition. Others argue that Guerra had very little to do with bachata's rise, and that, although he used the word bachata in an album title, he never actually even recorded a song in a typical bachata style.
In 2006, the Dominican group Aventura, based in New York City, was probably the best known bachata group worldwide, with its single "Obsesión" having dominated for a long time radio play both in Latin America, US Latino markets, and countries as distant as Italy and Sweden. While they are superseded at the international level by Aventura, for the Dominican audience, the most popular of the modern bachateros have been Antony Santos and Luis Vargas. Other artists of note include Raulin Rodriguez, Zacarias Ferreira, Frank Reyes, Monchy y Alexandra, Domenic Marte, Xtreme, Andy Andy, Elvis Martinez, Leonardo Paniagua, Los Toros Band, and Joe Veras.

The basic footwork is a series of simple steps that produce a back and forth or sideways motion. A schematic footwork would be as follows: starting with the right foot make a chasse to the right on counts 1,2. On 3, touch the left toe beside your right foot (alternatively, tapping the left toe in place, i.e., apart from the right foot, make an upwards jerk with the left hip). Then do the same from your left foot. The character of the dance is achieved through sensual hip and body movements. You can also add turns to spice it up a little or dance closer together or far apart depending on how comfortable you are with your dance partner. The more you dance with someone the more likely you will be able to lead them or be led. Usually the male leads and the female follows.