As a growing bachata dancer who is also a full-time nomad traveling around the world, I now arrange my itineraries according to dance scenes and the digital nomad community. Miami is one of my bases in the United States where I tend to spend a few months of the year. As a major city with over 70% Latino population, Miami is arguably one of the best places to dance in the US and the world. Recently, I spent several months there focusing on my work and bachata dance training, and I found myself feeling attached to a lovely bachata dance community there. In this article, I will discuss the best places to dance bachata in Miami.
I have ranked them in order of my favorites, with the first one being my top favorite. This is one of my “best places to dance bachata in the world” series, where you can find detailed guides to personally tested salsa bachata socials around the world.
1. Bachata Overdose
Bachata Overdose is a weekly Friday night bachata social located in Hallandale Beach, FL. It is north of the city limit of Miami. Because it’s so up north and I was staying all the way down in South Miami without a car, I didn’t go there until the later half of my stay in Miami when I made great friends in the dance community. The lovely women I met agreed to give me a ride if I meet them half way.
Bachata Overdose is my favorite social in Miami because of several reasons:
- The community is very welcoming to people of all levels. I started dancing immediately after I got there – no breaking of the ice needed, which was amazing.
- The venue is modern and spacious. There are several rooms for dancers who prefer different styles. There is a sensual bachata room, which attracts the largest attendance. There is also a room for other dance styles in rotation each week.
- There is a mix of dancers of different levels but there are enough advanced dancers to keep everyone challenged, which is always important.
Their classes attract large attendance every Friday night. You can choose to take only one class or both classes for the same price. Asking the organizer for his direct payment method (if you have a US bank account) is better because you save in fees.
Class Schedules
Classes are open level at Bachata Overdose.
Every Friday 9:00 pm – 1st class; 9:45 pm – 2nd class (they always change the type of classes and have guest instructors from all over the country and the world, which is amazing); 10:45 pm social to 3:00 am
Location
VK Dance Arena in Hallandale Beach, FL.
3129 W Hallandale Beach Blvd, Hallandale Beach, FL 33009, United States
2. Ball and Chain
Ball and Chain is a famous venue on Calle Ocho in Little Havana in Miami. Every Tuesday, there is BachaTuesday hosted by the same organizer at Bachata Overdose. This venue is always popping with live music and lots of diners because it is a restaurant technically.
I must say Ball and Chain and I got off on the wrong foot. The first time I went was on a Sunday and it was salsa night. Perhaps it was due to my limited interest in salsa and the size of small dance areas, I wasn’t impressed by the vibe, so I never went back.
However, later I heard from my bachata-dancing friends that BachaTuesday isn’t as bad as I thought. Some of my dancing friends actually really enjoy it. So I’d say if you don’t mind limited dancing space, there are some quality dancers who frequent their Tuesday night socials.
Schedule
Every Tuesday night, 9-10 pm open-level bachata class, followed by social
Location
Ball and Chain, 1513 SW 8th St, Miami, FL 33135, United States
3. Bachata Tardeo by Bachata Overdose
Bachata Overdose has expanded its social offerings from the classic Friday night time slot to also include Sunday late afternoon! This time, it’s in a more convenient location for those who are coming from Miami proper. It is located in Wynwood – the city’s art and design district.
This social is new, but I’m looking forward to how it may evolve to fill the Sunday evening time slot nicely, which currently has no other socials.
To find out more about the current announcement and changes of this social, follow Bachata Overdose on Instagram.
Class Schedule
Every Sunday evening at 6:00 pm – open level classes; social 7:00pm – 10:30 pm (so that you can have a good night’s sleep before starting work on Monday again,
Location
Sable (a coffee bar in Wynwood), 2219 NW 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33127
4. Amor Bachata by SOFLO Latin Dance Group
Amor Bachata is a new social series that occurs weekly on Wednesday night created by SOFLO Latin Dance Group. It starts with 3 classes followed by a social. The venue for the social used to be rented by Miami Sensual Bachata, which used to be very popular but came to a close for unknown reasons.
The cost of class and social is higher than Bachata Overdose ($10 more) for drop-ins, but you can save by joining their monthly memberships if you are in Miami for longer term.
The studio is chic and spacious to dance in.
Class Schedule
Class 1 – 7:00pm – 8:00pm; Class 2 – 8:00pm – 9:00pm; Class 3 – 9:00pm – 10:00pm
Location
Blackbox Media, 12355 NE 13th Ave Unit #403-404, North Miami, FL 33161
5. Popup Socials by Miami Dance Center
Once in a while, Miami Dance Center, which is a great studio to learn bachata and salsa (I personally signed up for class membership there), has pop-up socials on the weekend. You will have to join their WhatsApp group (only available for scanning in studio) or stay connected on Instagram to be updated on their next one.
Class Schedule
TBD depending on announcements
Location
Miami Dance Center, 2165 NE 163rd St, North Miami Beach, FL 33162
6. Sensual Movement Miami
Sensual Movement is a large bachata brand across the US. The Miami chapter attracts some very high-quality instructors and dancers. I have attended several of their Friday night classes and socials. It is a direct competition to Bachata Overdose because of the coveted Friday night slot.
There are pros and cons to this social in Miami:
Pros
- High-quality instructors – I was very happy to learn from some of the top traveling bachata artists who taught at Sensual Movement
- Sleek and modern venues – like Bachata Dreams, the venues chosen by Sensual Movement is usually very good
- High-quality dancers – I was able to dance with some advanced dancers.
Cons
- Unfortunately, Sensual Movement Miami did not feel as welcoming as Bachata Overdose. Although I was able to dance moderately at their events, there were usually long gaps before I could dance again because dancers tend to rotate among themselves immediately after a song.
- During the reopening of Sensual Movement recently, several of my dancing friends and I experienced the same dilemma – no one asked us to dance for a good hour before we felt discouraged and left to join Bachata Overdose. We certainly tried to ask as well but the venue is big and leaders immediately rotate among followers they already knew so we couldn’t really get a dance.
Regardless, I still recommend checking them out and deciding for yourself if you like the vibe.
Class Schedule
Every Friday night 9 pm – 10 pm; 10 pm – 2:30 am, social
Location
TBD – Sensual Movement has been having issues with securing a new location for its socials so it currently doesn’t have a set place – only pop-ups. The best way to stay updated is to follow them on Instagram.
8. Learn at Studios without socials
If you live farther away from the north side of Miami, and don’t want to make the drive, take Uber or buses (in my case), you have 2 options:
- Take salsa classes and dance salsa instead if you like it. There are way more salsa dancing down south than up north.
- Learn at several studios that do offer bachata classes near South Miami, like Studio 1890. It is great for beginners to take more classes, especially leads, before starting social dancing.
Since I am a bachata enthusiast, I have learned that next time I return to Miami, I need to stay closer to the north side to take advantage of all the classes and socials.
That is a wrap for the best places to dance bachata in Miami. What socials are your favorites in Miami?
