In the Dominican town of Cabarete, bachata music is a way of life. But this life is far removed from the sleek dancehalls that bachata has occupied overseas. Through a snapshot of four musical children, each confronting an existential challenge, Bachata Academy shows that music can be a vehicle to overcome adversity. 

 

While the story is particular to Cabarete, it relates to troubled communities everywhere. The film offers an intimate view on young peoples' struggles with gender roles, refugee migration, intergenerational conflict, and cyclical poverty. The conclusion: that the arts can heal, provides a message of hope for troubled times. 

 

A pivotal feature of the story is La Academia de Bachata, a free music school that champions Bachata, an indigenous musical genre that has long been viewed as an expression of the backwardness of Dominican slums. But at the Academia, children take pride in studying their cultural heritage. Through music they discover themselves, their art, passion, and a hope for a better future.