When I first started going to bachata socials, I wasn't hearing much of the music I knew. I also wasn't finding the Dominican presence I had expected. It took me a while to understand why these nights felt so different from the bachata I had grown up with.

I liked the social dancing I was getting used to, especially through salsa. You could show up and dance with people you hadn't met. I wanted that with the music and Dominican feeling I knew, too. There were people creating those nights, but the options I found still felt few and far between. In a city with so many Dominicans, I thought there was room for more.

There could also be different kinds of nights for different people. I'm usually quieter and sometimes need a break off to the side. I wanted to create a social where I could enjoy dancing and feel comfortable taking that time, too. That gave me a place to start with Tres Golpes: something I would want to come back to, shaped by the parts of Dominican life I wanted to share.

Learning through Dominican life

The teaching ideas began before the brand had a name. When I was asked what I would teach, I had to think about how to explain something I hadn't really learned through explanations.

I hadn't started by counting. I thought about being little and being carried while someone moved to music. There were Saturday mornings with music playing while the house was being cleaned, or while my parents cooked. At birthdays and family gatherings, you joined in because other people were dancing. I had years around it before I ever thought about taking a class.

Looking back, I could see a progression in those experiences. You get used to moving, then sharing that movement with somebody else. As you become more comfortable, you start playing with what you know and responding to each other. Eventually, a few movements can give you plenty to work with because you know the song and feel at ease with yourself. I wanted to help someone develop that relationship with bachata in the studio.

Our four learning levels are named La Cocina, El Patio, La Calle and La Sala. They came from picturing where that growth happened: around the kitchen, at family gatherings, going out with friends and spending an evening in the living room. Somebody else's memories might take them to a park or a basement. These were the places that came to mind for me. In How We Teach, I explain how those experiences became the framework we use in class.

When it came time to name the brand, I wanted that same recognition. Tres Golpes brings to mind a familiar Dominican breakfast: mangú con salchichón, queso de freír y huevo frito. It was something I grew up eating, and a name other Dominicans could bring their own memories to. The first idea was Bailando con los Tres Golpes, with bachata, merengue and dembow as the three golpes. As I got clearer about what I was building, those three became Cultura, Conexión y Comunidad.

The first Foundation Series became El Mangú, the base. Los Tres Golpes was originally the next series I hoped to offer. It would build on those basics by exploring how the music and your partner could change what you did with a movement, and giving you room to try your own ideas. The classes later became complementary ways to work on those things, but that relationship still fits what I want students to experience.

The images throughout Tres Golpes draw from those memories too. They might suggest a gathering or a moment in everyday life, rather than show a dance class directly. They're a way to share how I picture the feeling behind what we're doing.

Something you can keep coming back to

Alongside teaching, I wanted somewhere to social dance regularly. I had hoped for a weekly gathering before I knew what to call it. Once Tres Golpes had its name, La Bandera felt right for what I had in mind.

La bandera is arroz, habichuelas y carne, a familiar lunch or dinner. That everyday quality is part of why I chose it. I wanted the social to be something you could return to because you enjoy being there, without every visit needing to be a big occasion.

I think about the house parties I used to host, and the late nights with cousins, aunts and uncles. People would come over and we'd stay up talking, playing games or just hanging out with music on. It was a way to spend time with family and friends. You could show up as yourself, settle in and find your own way to be part of the evening. That's the ease I want to bring into La Bandera Social, with people who want to dance together.

Bachata was part of the background to so much of that life. A song could be telling a painful story while we were smiling and singing along. The music held its own memories, and we were making others around it. Those are some of the things I want to share as I keep learning from the people and music that brought me here.

Food gives me a way to connect these ideas because so much of being together, for me, happens around a meal. Bringing a dish means adding something to a gathering that other people are helping make, too. After everything I've received from the dance community, Tres Golpes is what I'm bringing to the table.

I want to keep building it with patience, alongside the people who show up. If something here reminds you of a Friday night at your cousin's or your aunt's house, then some of what I hoped to share has come through. And if it's new to you, I hope you can get comfortable, get to know people and make it part of your own life. That's what I'd like to offer: somewhere to enjoy Dominican bachata together and feel welcome coming back as yourself.