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By Lookout Staff

July 24 – Legendary performers of the Bachata, a romantic genre from the countryside and rural neighborhoods of the Dominican Republic, will take to the stage Thursday at a free Twilight Dance Series concert on the Santa Monica Pier.

The classic Dominican Bachata stars from the ‘60s to the ‘80s will perform songs they recorded in the recent iASO Records release “Bachata Roja – Acoustic Bachata from the Cabaret Era.”

Considered venerable and enduring legends, the musicians -- who are making their California debut -- charted the course of Bachata’s rise to international popularity.

Unsung heroes, they struggled to create one of the greatest Afro-Caribbean dance styles under the three-decade-long Trujillo dictatorship and decades of censorship that suppressed artistic and musical expression.

Taking the stage will be some of the early icons that pioneered romantic, guitar-driven ballads and irresistible dance rhythms – singers Ramon Cordero, Augusto Santos, “El Chivo Sin Ley” (The Lawless Goat) and guitar giant Edilio Paredes.

Also performing will be emerging bachatero star, singer-guitarist Joan Soriano a.k.a. “El Duque” (The Duke), who has carried the tradition into a younger generation.

This concert will open with a special performance by the spry, 80-something Dominican sonero Puerto Plata whose iASO “Mujer de Cabaret” has received wide international acclaim.

For those taking to the dance stage, the basic footwork is a series of simple steps that produce a back and forth or sideways motion, according to the bachata entry in Wikipedia.

“A schematic footwork would be as follows: starting with the right foot make a chasse to the right on counts 1,2. On 3, touch the left toe beside your right foot (alternatively, tapping the left toe in place, i.e., apart from the right foot, make an upwards jerk with the left hip).

“Then do the same from your left foot. The character of the dance is achieved through sensual hip and body movements. You can also add turns to spice it up a little or dance closer together or far apart depending on how comfortable you are with your dance partner.”

As David Bowie would say, “Let’s Dance.”