Bachata
Hesitation / Pause
Also known as: Suspensión / hold (teaching term, not fixed folk name — flag)
Catch the held note. A deliberate non-step that suspends the basic to mark a musical accent.
Coach's notes — the how & why
What This Move Is
A deliberate suspension where, instead of taking a step, the couple holds the frame to catch a sustained note, a breakdown, or an accent in the music. A musical device layered onto any base.
Key Points
- Lead: Suspend the frame and withhold the step to signal the hold, then resume together.
- Follow: Hold with the lead, suspend your weight, and resume on the same beat he does.
- Timing: Skips or delays a step — e.g. hold through 3-4, resume on 5 — placing a pause where a step would be.
- Common mistake: Hesitating with no musical reason, or one partner pausing while the other keeps stepping (broken connection).
Style Notes
A bridge between footwork and musicality. The simplest way to start 'playing with the music' without any fancy vocabulary.
Quick notes, not instruction — always learn moves in person with a qualified teacher.
- Musical use
- Level
- Intermediate
- Frame
- Style
Chains into
After this, you can flow into…
Learn these first
One way to flow
Go deeper with your coach
Own Hesitation / Pause, then make it yours
This page is free, always. Your online coach goes further on every move you own — styling that makes it look like you, variations to keep it fresh, and how to hit it on the music.
- Styling
- Variations
- Musicality