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PORNCHATA: Some Scum for Everyone
By Grace Badillo, President
Dancing With Grace Productions, Inc.
I had been stalling the completion of my book, “Is Dancing A Sin?” because I felt God was trying to show me more before its release. So I ventured out in support of a friend who had planned a pretty big weekend for dancers. I was excited, because so far, I had seen good things from this dance leader: he was always on time, tried to keep his word, and was professional and inclusive of many schools. The event was very well organized; I was very impressed and applaud his efforts. The shows were on and were a mixture of good to gross with a drag queen in tote. Some of the people left the room because they felt uncomfortable with it, as did I. I finally went back inside for the social dancing. Let me set the scene for you:
 Girls were wearing underwear as outer gear, some with tights, some without showing bare legs, bare stomachs, cleavage popping, and booties abounded as far as the eye could see. For men looking for a one night stand or date rape, this would seem to be the perfect spot to find a victim. After all, most of the women here were not demanding respect so why would they offer it up? One Bachata song after another came on; 8 in a row to be exact which seemed a bit extreme for any social. I gazed on as my friend asked a lovely lady dressed elegantly to the floor; they didn’t all look like prostitutes. They danced Bachata respectfully and it looked very nice. As I gazed across the floor, I noticed something worse than usual. I noticed more than 50 women literally humping or being humped by men on the floor to Bachata music. After almost 15 years in the business I have to say it was the most disgusting thing I had ever seen. I think the worst part of it was that it wasn’t just an isolated couple acting this way but most of the couples acting this way. I remember my eyes going towards this gorgeous woman, almost naked, dancing with a man; their dance level was quite high. They were dancing so provocatively that I felt that I should look away because it was almost, well, PORN-like. I know this sounds crazy but it seemed like Bachata-PORN or, shall we call it, PORNCHATA? I was so grossed out, I looked in another direction and yet again, same scene, but this time even worse. Over and over again, I turned to look elsewhere and it was very hard for me to find anyone really DANCING Bachata. I decided to walk over to the DJ and ask for some salsa. After the salsa, a Kizomba was played that left me nauseous; people everywhere were in full stance grinding their private parts down to a nub. Next 2 cha-cha’s and finally they played a Salsa. People danced to this one! Miracle! I didn’t see anyone getting gross! Afterwards another 7 Bachatas were played and I had to leave for fear that some man would expect me to “pretend to dance” like some of the girls there.
My friend tried to get me to go back to the social that lasted till the wee hours of the morning. I wouldn’t go back. I didn’t want to see it anymore. I felt like I needed a shower and that I wanted to wash the memories of scum away but nothing can take those images out of my head now. I came home saddened and worried for some of my female students there. What had teachers been teaching that day during the workshops that made people do and act in such a way? Where had common respectability gone in Bachata?
I remember the first time I went to the Dominican Republic with my husband. We went dancing at the local places and saw incredible dancing. No one was violating anyone. It was beautiful and respectfully done. I teach Bachata and when I teach it, I try to remember what I experienced in The Dominican Republic because that is what Bachata should be, a respectfully done dance that is enjoyable for everyone that does not violate the dancers OR the watcher.
The reason I entitled this article “PORNCHATA: Scum For Everyone” was because this is what many dance schools are selling, “Scum For Everyone” and every dollar someone spends on dancing this way is a seed that wont bear anything but, broken hearts, unwanted pregnancy, date rape, abortions, promiscuity, divorce, loneliness and ultimately depression. I can’t tell you how sad it makes me to write this article; the mere fact that I feel the need to unburden myself should let everyone know how deeply concerned I am for the disturbing trend I am now seeing in Bachata: PORNCHATA! As a company, we try to always support all of the dance studios because we want to create a community of dancers who work together; I support by sending them work, advising them when I see issues that will hurt them, creating community events and inviting them to teach, posting their links on my newsletter etc, but now I wonder if what I am doing is wrong. I am no angel. I am no saint, but I know that creative people everywhere who love to dance deserve more than to learn to be objectified and treated like common whores on the dance floor and this includes you men too!
So I challenge each and every person reading this to stop using dance as a means to express sexual desire, and strive for the highest levels of respectability and propriety. You are more than a good dancer in the scene, but you aren’t worth watching until you make respectability a foundation of your dance hobby. You are more than a body part to be caressed by a stranger, but a child of God who should expect more from your dance socials, dance event, dance partner, and dance instructor. You are more, so much more……..so the next time you feel uncomfortable in a class or event because of what’s going on around you, don't just linger and become one of the masses, but stand out, be a light and shine by not doing what everyone else is doing. Stand out by refusing to lower your standards! Find friends that think the same way you do so that you will not be alone and find places to dance that don't support PORNCHATA/Bachata-PORN behavior. Thank you for reading this and may God Bless Your Dancing!
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