The most famous person in the Dominican Republic today is not Predro Martinez, Josefina Baez or the Alou brothers. This is Juan Luis Guerra, singer, songwriter and producer whose music is internationally recognized. His music consists of the popular music style of merengue, bachata and the fusion of other musical rhythms. Guerra's success further exposed Dominican culture to the world. Merengue and bachata are among the most popular musical genres in the Dominican Republic. Merengue became a pan-Caribbean genre in the 19th century. Until the 20th century, merengue was considered a national symbol and then spread throughout Latin America. Dominican merengue reflects a fusion of African and European elements. The dance movements are of African origin. While the melodies and ballroom dances are due to the European influences encountered by the Dominican Republic (3). Bachata, on the other hand, is a ballad-style musical genre (2). Bachata has been given many other names, such as musica de amargue, musica de guardia and cachivache. The word bachata ...