I’ve a deep craving for uniting individuals. I imagine that one among my functions on this life is to deliver individuals collectively in a method 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 social gathering in Los Angeles, pushed by a eager for one thing that jogged my memory of my dwelling in NYC.
I used to be feeling homesick and wanted to really feel related to my roots and my neighborhood. El Teteo serves as an extension of what I used to be taught: to seek out moments of pleasure via ache, troubles, and arduous work. For me, neighborhood is about gathering with the individuals you’re keen on and look after, regardless of the place you might be — whether or not that is getting along with seashore chairs in entrance of a constructing or plastic chairs at a park beneath a bridge. Teteo, which is a Dominican slang phrase for partying and gathering anyplace, means that in relation to neighborhood, all you want is sweet 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 social gathering and membership I might been to in Los Angeles, individuals stood round with a drink in hand as an alternative of getting on the dance ground. Via El Teteo, I wished to deliver the East Coast vibe to the West Coast, increase consciousness about Latine Caribbean tradition, and foster neighborhood. As New Yorkers, we expertise completely different cultures like a melting pot. Not solely do I get to share different individuals’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. Transferring to LA made me aware of the shortage of illustration of Dominicans and Caribbean Latines. It was a tradition shock. Individuals had been usually shocked once I spoke in Spanish. Not many of us in Los Angeles had been aware of the Dominican neighborhood or Dominican tradition total.
So I kicked off my first El Teteo social gathering on February 26, 2022, to have fun 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 individuals gathered to take part. Individuals 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 out to be a spot for Latine creatives, significantly these in media and leisure, to community and construct neighborhood. The success of the events is measured by the enjoyment and connection they create. It is a area the place Latindad appears to be like 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 usually expects Latinas to be light-skinned mestizas with straight darkish hair, overlooking the range inside our neighborhood. Afro-Latina Caribbeans are nonetheless thought of “different” or “not Latina sufficient” in Hollywood. However these occasions characteristic 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 exhibits 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 seem like us do not transfer to Hollywood usually, and for Latines, being engaged in neighborhood performs a giant half in relation to our psychological well being. I usually hear tales of Caribbean actors, administrators, producers, and screenwriters who go away Los Angeles as a result of they cannot discover neighborhood. I wished to bridge that hole inside the Latine diaspora, from Mexicans to Dominicans. My purpose was to foster the illustration missing in Hollywood, making our voices heard within the precise metropolis of Hollywood.
The ache of Hollywood has been always making an attempt to suit right into a mould that asks you to erase elements 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 have fun each aspect of who we’re, together with our humanity and the present of life. Dominican tradition is usually 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 ignored within the bigger Latine dialog. Executives usually do not spend money on us as a result of they do not imagine we exist. Nonetheless, seeing numerous crowds at Juan Luis Guerra and Romeo Santos concert events 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 keen on us. I wished 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 take pleasure in.
This summer time, I am impressed to deliver El Teteo to NYC and make it a worldwide occasion in an effort to raise Latine tradition and put Dominicans on the map worldwide. I additionally wished to make use of El Teteo as a chance to offer again to the Dominican neighborhood. We’re partnering with the Dream Mission to assist instructional alternatives for Dominican youth. It was necessary for us to create one thing that not solely brings pleasure but additionally provides again to individuals 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 elements 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 will have at this time. My hope is to deliver this pleasure worldwide via my tradition, to raise and have fun the neighborhood, and to create the illustration we’re not seeing — all via neighborhood 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 fervour for Latine tradition by being vocal about psychological well being and navigating comedy.
