El Teteo Is Creating Unity Amongst Latines — Across Cultures

I’ve a deep craving for uniting folks. I imagine that considered one of my functions on this life is to carry folks collectively in a approach that transcends standing, class, and occupation, creating an area the place everybody feels actually united and understood. That is why in 2022, I made a decision to launch my first El Teteo occasion in Los Angeles, pushed by a eager for one thing that jogged my memory of my house in NYC.

I used to be feeling homesick and wanted to really feel related to my roots and my group. El Teteo serves as an extension of what I used to be taught: to seek out moments of pleasure by means of ache, troubles, and onerous work. For me, group is about gathering with the folks you’re keen on and take care of, irrespective of the place you’re — whether or not that is getting along with seaside chairs in entrance of a constructing or plastic chairs at a park below a bridge. Teteo, which is a Dominican slang phrase for partying and gathering anyplace, means that relating to group, all you want is nice music, good firm, and a few beers — and, in some circumstances, meals. It is all about sharing moments that are not assured tomorrow, and it is one thing that is very a lot embedded in Latine tradition.

As a New Yorker, I discovered myself lacking my metropolis and its vibrant membership scenes and dance events. At nearly each occasion and membership I might been to in Los Angeles, folks stood round with a drink in hand as an alternative of getting on the dance ground. By El Teteo, I needed to carry the East Coast vibe to the West Coast, increase consciousness about Latine Caribbean tradition, and foster group. As New Yorkers, we expertise completely different cultures like a melting pot. Not solely do I get to share different folks’s cultures, however I additionally introduce others to mine.

As an unapologetically proud Dominican American, I yearned for our presence to be felt right here in Los Angeles, the place it felt like there weren’t many people. Shifting to LA made me conscious about the shortage of illustration of Dominicans and Caribbean Latines. It was a tradition shock. Folks had been typically shocked once I spoke in Spanish. Not many of us in Los Angeles had been acquainted with the Dominican group or Dominican tradition total.

So I kicked off my first El Teteo occasion on February 26, 2022, to rejoice Dominican Independence Day in Los Angeles. I partnered with Angela Carrasco, a Dominican American realtor in Los Angeles, and Dominican American actress and host Katherine Castro, who each had ties to a venue. Our occasion reached new heights of success as 600 folks gathered to take part. Folks even traveled from New York to be a part of the unforgettable expertise.

These events have been greater than only a massive enjoyable occasion; they’ve turn into a spot for Latine creatives, notably these in media and leisure, to community and construct group. The success of the events is measured by the enjoyment and connection they create. It is a house the place Latindad seems completely different from what the West Coast is used to.

As a Dominican American, I’ve confronted challenges in auditions as a result of Hollywood typically expects Latinas to be light-skinned mestizas with straight darkish hair, overlooking the range inside our group. Afro-Latina Caribbeans are nonetheless thought of “different” or “not Latina sufficient” in Hollywood. However these occasions function Dominican music, artists, and cultural parts like hookah, making a cultural hub in LA that showcases our wealthy heritage and fosters illustration in a metropolis that usually overlooks us.

On the first Teteo, we had Latines in leisure from TV reveals like “Insecure,” “On My Block,” “Gentefied,” “Station 19 “and “How I Met Your Father” attend. It was a dream come true as a result of individuals who appear like us do not transfer to Hollywood typically, and for Latines, being engaged in group performs a giant half relating to our psychological well being. I typically hear tales of Caribbean actors, administrators, producers, and screenwriters who go away Los Angeles as a result of they cannot discover group. I needed to bridge that hole throughout the Latine diaspora, from Mexicans to Dominicans. My objective was to foster the illustration missing in Hollywood, making our voices heard within the precise metropolis of Hollywood.

The ache of Hollywood has been consistently making an attempt to suit right into a mildew that asks you to erase components of your self, solely to be rejected. Regardless of this ache and uncertainty, one factor they cannot take away from me is pleasure. That is why Teteo was born, out of a want to problem the narrative that we do not exist and to rejoice each side of who we’re, together with our humanity and the reward of life. Dominican tradition is commonly celebrated with out correct recognition, from viral dembow songs to James Bond being impressed by Porfirio Rubirosa, to bachata being sung in numerous languages throughout the globe. But, regardless of these cultural contributions, we are sometimes neglected within the bigger Latine dialog. Executives typically do not put money into us as a result of they do not imagine we exist. Nonetheless, seeing numerous crowds at Juan Luis Guerra and Romeo Santos live shows made me query why we aren’t a part of the broader dialog.

I see El Teteo as a second and a motion that has impressed a brand new Caribbean ecosystem in LA. It places Caribbean and Afro-Latino tradition on the forefront with out counting on executives and traders who aren’t eager about us. I needed to create an area the place our presence and tradition is acknowledged and celebrated. El Teteo has carved its path by spreading pleasure and consciousness of our vibrant tradition, created by us for all to get pleasure from.

This summer season, I am impressed to carry El Teteo to NYC and make it a world occasion in an effort to raise Latine tradition and put Dominicans on the map worldwide. I additionally needed to make use of El Teteo as a chance to offer again to the Dominican group. We’re partnering with the Dream Challenge to assist academic alternatives for Dominican youth. It was necessary for us to create one thing that not solely brings pleasure but in addition provides again to folks in want.

The Dominican spirit is extra than simply NYC and my island. It is a lifestyle and a subculture celebrated by many. It is about taking the constructive components of my tradition and sharing them with the world. Like my father says, you by no means know when God will name you, so benefit from the life you’ve as we speak. My hope is to carry this pleasure worldwide by means of my tradition, to raise and rejoice the group, and to create the illustration we’re not seeing — all by means of group gatherings.

Sasha Merci is a first-generation Dominican American actor, comic, and viral digital creator. She showcases over a decade of numerous expertise in leisure with roles in movies like “Righteous Thieves” and “De Lo Mio,” together with collaborations with famend manufacturers akin to Goal and Bumble. She shares her Bronx roots and keenness for Latine tradition by being vocal about psychological well being and navigating comedy.