Bachata
Side Wave (4-Count)
The wave, at speed. The same head-to-hip ripple as the body wave, but folded into four counts — quick, sharp, made for a busy passage in the music.
Also known as: fast side wave (the 4-count cousin of the 8-count Body Wave family)
This move builds: Consent & Floor Etiquette …on the always-on five — Connection, Frame, Comfort, Posture, Consent.
- Entry
- closed embrace
- Exit
- closed embrace
- Tempo
- medium
- Musical use
- accent
- Connector
- No
- Level
- Intermediate
- Cluster
- sensual-bodywork
- Style
- Sensual
What This Move Is
A wave that travels down one side of the body — head, then shoulder, then rib cage, then hip — but compressed into four counts instead of eight. It's the version you reach for when the music moves fast and a slow wave would lag behind it.
Key Points
- Lead/Follow: Send the ripple in sequence, top to bottom, but keep each segment crisp so the speed doesn't smear it into a wobble.
- The cue: Tilt the head to start, and let each segment "catch" the one above it — a falling domino, not a shudder.
- Timing: Head on 1, shoulder 2, ribs 3, hip 4 — one segment per count.
- Common mistake: Rushing it into a single blur. Even fast, the wave is sequential — you should be able to see each piece fire.
Style Notes
Built on the Rib-Cage Isolation (the control) and the Body Wave family (the shape). Use it on driving passages — the Mambo section of a song — where the slow wave would feel behind the beat. Flag for students: 4-count and 8-count are both correct, just different speeds.
Chains into
After this, you can flow into…