The Latin Vibes Story



Latin Vibes distinguishes itself with an emphasis on FUN, not competition.

We prefer our students to feel safe, happy and looked after as they learn, instead of favouring a few bright stars.

We teach consent and respect as one of the cornerstones of our philosophy.

How it began

Latin Vibes began in Swindon with a request in February 2024 from the Salsa community for Marcus to come and teach. He was teaching in Bristol at the time. But there was no bachata teaching in Swindon.

We arrived with a speaker and a plan, and delivered a free class for the existing community. Then we just kept growing!

We began with a simple belief: dancing should not be reserved for people who already feel confident.

It should be for the person standing outside the door wondering whether to come in.

For the person who thinks they have two left feet.

For the person who has never danced with a partner, does not know anybody in the room and is quietly worried that everyone else will be better than them.

We wanted to create the kind of dance class we would recommend to a friend: welcoming, relaxed and full of encouragement. A place where nobody needs to arrive with a partner, expensive shoes or any previous experience. You simply turn up, take your first few steps and let the vibes do the rest.

That idea grew into Latin Vibes.

We expanded to Bath in late 2024.  

Every week, people from different backgrounds and at different stages of life come together in Bath and Swindon to learn bachata. Some arrive with friends, some as couples and many come completely alone. At the start of the evening they may be strangers. By the end, they have danced together, laughed together and helped one another learn.

We teach proper foundations because we want people to become capable, confident social dancers. But Latin Vibes has never been about producing an elite group or making beginners feel that they need to catch up. Everyone progresses differently, and everybody deserves to feel that they belong.

That is why our teachers dance with the students, during the classes and afterwards. It is why we explain not only what to do, but why we do it. It is why respect, consent and dance etiquette are part of what we teach. Feeling safe and comfortable is not an optional extra at Latin Vibes; it is part of learning to dance well.

The jump to online

In 2026 we made the leap to an online e-learning platform.  It is not to replace our in-person classes, but to reflect them in a video library for our students who need to go over the material in more detail, and don't necessarily have a video of every class they've been to.

Students who provide us with an email address will get automatic access to the recordings of classes they've attended, and for a small extra charge, can get access to the whole Latin Vibes library.

This has been made possible only with help from teachers and students with countless recordings. 

What we love about Latin Vibes

The most rewarding moments are often the quiet ones.

It is seeing someone who was afraid to enter the room return the following week.

It is watching a nervous beginner stop counting every step and begin to hear the music.

It is seeing people who once stood at the edge of the social floor confidently ask someone else to dance.

It is seeing friendships grow between people whose paths might never otherwise have crossed.

Over time, Latin Vibes has become more than a weekly class. It has become a community of teachers, students and friends who celebrate one another’s progress and share some of the best nights of the week.

Bachata may be what brings us through the door, but the real Latin Vibes experience is the feeling that develops around it: music, movement, laughter, connection, community, and belonging.

You do not have to be a dancer before you arrive.

You just have to take the first step.

We will help you with the next one.