Who, what, or where am I? #49

Question

As WWW nears its 50th post, I think it's about time that we all put on our dancing shoes.
We are going to dance a .. oh, wait .. that is what you all have to guess this time : - )

I am an 8-beat dance. The 4th and 8th beat are silent beats. Traditionally I was danced in a square, and even though there are many styles and varieties, everybody that knows me will recognise me from the following description:

Start with your feet together. Put your weight on your right foot.
Step to the left with your left foot (1)
Bring your right foot to your left foot (2)
Step to the left with your left foot again (3)
Raise your right foot slightly off the ground and jut out your hips to the right (4)
Now step to the right with your right foot (5)
Bring your left foot to your right foot (6)
Step to the right with your right foot again (7)
Raise your left foot slightly off the ground and jut your hips to the left (8)
REPEAT

Instead of stepping to the left or right, you could also step forward and backward. Later you can mix things up with spins, pivots, turns, dips and other movements instead of jutting your hips.

I can be danced in closed and open position and I am also incorporated in zumba.

These 2 are famous for dancing me in world championships.

What dance am I?
If you do not know it, do NOT Google, but ask me yes/no-questions instead (questions to which I can answer either yes or no).

For those of you who recognize me right away: mcl spent over an hour compiling this picture ... have a little mercy on her. Don't guess it within 5 seconds ;-) - mcl020, Dec 4, 2012

:) - ian-hill, Dec 4, 2012

Lol, you're right, they don't last long enough. - rac1, Dec 4, 2012

Well done, Mc. :) - iana01, Dec 5, 2012

Answer 1

I am a bachata and I originated in the Dominican Republic.

The two dancers you see in the picture are Ataka Jorgie (Jorge Buros) and La Alemana (Tanja Kessinger). There are many, many clips of them to be found on YouTube, like this one: Te extraño by Extreme.

I like bachata music, so it is difficult to name just a few nice songs, but some of the best ones are:
- Aventura: almost all of their songs (it's not for nothing that they call themselves 'The Kings of Bachata'): Obsession/Por un beso/Lagrimas/Mi corazoncito
- Hector Acosta: Me voy
- Zacarias Ferreira: El amor es así
- Juan Luis Guerra: Burbujas de amor/Cuando te beso
- Luis Miguel del Amargue: De rodillas te pido
- Frank Reyes: Cuando se quiere, se puede
- Don Omar: Ella y yo
- Dominic Marte: Ven tú
- Prince Royce: Stand by me
- Xtreme: Vuelve
- Alex Bueno: Te amo/Un poco de ti
- Henry Castro: Intentalo
...

Great post, Mc. - iana01, Dec 5, 2012

Answer 2

The twist?

No. - mcl020, Dec 5, 2012

Answer 3

Could it be the bachata?

Could be ;-) No: it is indeed a bachata! - mcl020, Dec 4, 2012

Yay! - francobollo, Dec 5, 2012

Answer 4

The rumba

No, sorry ;-) - mcl020, Dec 4, 2012