To grow and protect Dominican bachata culture in New York by helping people find connection through the dance.

Dance gave me something to look forward to at a time when I needed it. Salsa classes were my way into that community, and what I found there led me further into bachata. Classes introduced me to friends. Socials gave us somewhere to spend time together. As I started traveling to festivals, I found more people to learn from and more reasons to keep going.

Tres Golpes Bachata is my way of giving some of that back. You might come because you want to dance to the music you grew up with. You might be hearing it for the first time. Either way, I want you to have somewhere to start and something you can take with you.

Dominican bachata is at the heart of what we do. Sharing it means continuing to learn about it and thinking about how we treat the people who come through. These six values guide those decisions. They explain what matters to me and what I'm trying to build with everyone who takes part.

The Values That Guide Us

1. Care for the Culture

Bachata has a life beyond the classroom or the social floor. When we teach it, that life should be part of what we're sharing. Getting to know the music helps us understand the dance. Learning about the people behind it helps us see where it comes from and who we have to thank for it.

I grew up Dominican, but that doesn't mean I know everything about bachata. There's still plenty to ask about and learn. I bring my own experience while learning from others, and I give credit to the people who have helped me understand what I teach.

2. Connection Comes First

Connection starts with paying attention. How does a step feel in your body? What do you hear in the song? When you're dancing with someone, what are they giving you to work with? Knowing more about the culture behind the dance helps you understand what you're sharing, too.

Those are things we can keep getting better at, and they matter beyond the steps. We come into a room with different experiences and different reasons for being there. Taking a little time to get to know the person beside you can be part of what makes you glad you came.

3. Safety, Respect and Presence

Everyone gets a say in how they take part. Saying yes to a dance doesn't mean saying yes to every move or how close someone wants to get. You can ask for more space, change something or stop. Respecting that is part of knowing how to dance with another person.

If someone seems uncomfortable, pay attention. Ask how they're doing or give them room to tell you. Be willing to change what you're doing. That care belongs everywhere in our community. Nobody owes you a dance or an explanation for sitting out. Knowing someone well doesn't change their right to say no.

4. Be Yourself and Make Room for Others

People who know me know I have different sides. I can be quiet and watch what's happening around me. When I'm comfortable, I can play too much. I also pick up on the person I'm with. Sometimes there's room to joke around; sometimes they need a quieter version of me.

You don't have to put on a personality to be here, either. If you're still getting comfortable, that's okay. If you don't know something, ask. There's plenty I don't know, too. We can be patient with each other and leave room to figure things out without pretending we've already got it.

5. The Community Helps Build It

I can put together a class or plan an event, but everyone who comes brings something to it. I respond to who's in the room, and that helps shape what we do. As people get to know each other, they give the space a feeling I couldn't create by myself.

When someone recommends me or Tres Golpes, I'm grateful they found something worth sharing. When they return, it tells me there's something here they want more of. I take that trust seriously. I want to keep listening to the people who show up and give them good reasons to be glad they did.

6. Patience and Consistency

I've had to keep showing up for a lot of things that didn't come easily. Losing weight took that. Learning to dance still does. Some days you feel yourself getting better. Other days, you just show up and do what you can. That counts, too, even when it doesn't feel like much.

I bring that same patience to Tres Golpes. For this to get better, I have to keep getting better as a person as well. That means putting in the time and being honest when something needs to change. I can adjust how I do things while staying true to why I'm doing them.

What We're Building Toward

You're going to see parts of me in Tres Golpes because I'm the one making those decisions. But I want it to be yours as well. What you bring matters, and over time, I hope more people can help carry it forward without everything depending on me.

Whatever its size, I want to be proud of what we offer and how we treat each other. I don't dance much salsa anymore, but I still have friends from that part of my life. Across the wider dance community, there are people I haven't seen in years who I can still catch up with when we cross paths. Those connections stay with you, even when where you dance or what you need has changed.

If Tres Golpes can be a starting point like that for someone else, that means something to me. You might stay for a while or outgrow what I can teach you. I'd still be glad to have been part of how you got there. This dance community gave me a lot when I needed it, and this is how I'm trying to pass some of that on.