Getting Started with Bachata: Your First Steps
A beginner's guide to learning bachata basics, from basic timing to the fundamentals you need to feel confident on the dance floor. Perfect for adults starting from zero.
Read ArticleHow It All Started
A Personal Journey Into Dance Education
Finding Dance at 38
Siobhán wasn't a dancer growing up. She discovered social dancing by accident at 38, joining a local bachata class on a friend's invitation. Within weeks, she'd noticed something remarkable — not just the physical changes in her strength and posture, but the emotional shift. She felt more confident. More present. More alive. It wasn't about becoming a "good dancer." It was about discovering something she didn't know she needed.
Formal Training & Recognition
That personal experience sparked a deeper curiosity. She completed a diploma in Dance Education at the Irish National Dance Academy in Dublin, followed by specialist training in adult fitness and movement therapy. She wanted to understand not just how to dance, but how to teach people like herself — people who'd never danced before, who felt self-conscious, who weren't sure their bodies would cooperate. The formal training gave her the structure. But it was that initial moment of discovery that kept her driven.
Spotting the Gap
After working with mainstream dance studios in Dublin, Siobhán noticed something frustrating: there were virtually no beginner-friendly programmes designed specifically for adults over 45. Most classes either catered to teenagers and young professionals, or assumed mature learners wanted low-impact, simplified versions of dance. But that's not what people wanted. They wanted real instruction, proper technique, and environments where they felt welcome. Not talked down to. Not segregated. Just included.
Building Something Better (2015 Onwards)
In 2015, she founded her first dedicated programme in Waterford. It started small — just one beginner bachata class on Tuesday evenings in a community hall. Within a year, she'd added salsa fundamentals on Thursdays. Word spread. People brought friends. By 2018, she'd expanded to Kilkenny. Today, she's worked with hundreds of adults aged 45 to 75, many of whom'd never considered themselves "dancers" before walking into one of her classes. The results speak for themselves — not just improved dancing ability, but increased confidence, better cardiovascular fitness, stronger social connections, and a genuine sense of accomplishment.