I’ve a deep craving for uniting folks. I imagine that considered one of my functions on this life is to deliver folks 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 get together 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 linked to my roots and my group. El Teteo serves as an extension of what I used to be taught: to search out moments of pleasure via ache, troubles, and laborious work. For me, group is about gathering with the folks you like and take care of, irrespective of the place you’re — whether or not that is getting along with seashore chairs in entrance of a constructing or plastic chairs at a park underneath a bridge. Teteo, which is a Dominican slang phrase for partying and gathering wherever, means that in terms of group, 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 get together and membership I would been to in Los Angeles, folks stood round with a drink in hand as an alternative of getting on the dance flooring. By way of El Teteo, I needed to deliver the East Coast vibe to the West Coast, elevate 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. Transferring to LA made me aware of the dearth of illustration of Dominicans and Caribbean Latines. It was a tradition shock. Individuals had been typically shocked after I spoke in Spanish. Not many people in Los Angeles had been acquainted with the Dominican group or Dominican tradition general.
So I kicked off my first El Teteo get together on February 26, 2022, to have a good time 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. Individuals even traveled from New York to be a part of the unforgettable expertise.
These events have been greater than only a large enjoyable occasion; they’ve turn out to be 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 bring about. It is a area 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-about “different” or “not Latina sufficient” in Hollywood. However these occasions function Dominican music, artists, and cultural components like hookah, making a cultural hub in LA that showcases our wealthy heritage and fosters illustration in a metropolis that always 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 appear like us do not transfer to Hollywood typically, and for Latines, being engaged in group performs a giant half in terms of our psychological well being. I typically hear tales of Caribbean actors, administrators, producers, and screenwriters who depart Los Angeles as a result of they can not discover group. I needed to bridge that hole inside 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 always 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 can not take away from me is pleasure. That is why Teteo was born, out of a need to problem the narrative that we do not exist and to have a good time each side of who we’re, together with our humanity and the reward 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 missed within the bigger Latine dialog. Executives typically do not put money into us as a result of they do not imagine we exist. Nevertheless, 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 serious 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 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 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 help academic alternatives for Dominican youth. It was vital for us to create one thing that not solely brings pleasure but additionally 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 optimistic 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 got as we speak. My hope is to deliver this pleasure worldwide via my tradition, to raise and have a good time the group, and to create the illustration we’re not seeing — all via 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 corresponding to Goal and Bumble. She shares her Bronx roots and keenness for Latine tradition by being vocal about psychological well being and navigating comedy.
