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The Full Story

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This wasn’t the plan. But it’s the path.

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I grew up in a Dominican household — Bronx born, Yonkers raised — with music always in the background. But like most of us, we weren’t dancers. Bachata wasn’t taught. It was just life.

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After COVID, the clubs felt empty. The drinks, the late nights, the hangovers — they stopped being worth it. I wanted something more. And one night, I found it. Not at a lounge or bar, but at a Dominican party where people danced bachata and merengue all night. No drinks needed. Just joy. Just flow. People connecting, moving, laughing — no pressure, no pretense.

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I wanted more of that.

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But when I looked around New York — the city with the largest Dominican community outside the island — all I found was bachata that didn’t sound like what I grew up with. All I saw was sensual, modern, commercial.

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I didn’t even know there was a difference. Most Dominicans don’t. We think bachata is just something you know, something in your blood. Nobody told us there was more to learn. That there were classes. Or socials. Or festivals. That this could be a path.

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So I started learning — five nights a week. Salsa, bachata, anything I could find. Eventually I found my first real Dominican bachata teachers. Which led me to my first festivals. To Europe. To DR. And back home with a mission.

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I took a teacher training without even planning to be a teacher. I just knew I wanted to help grow the space. To reclaim something that was already ours.

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Now, I’m starting to host. Starting to teach. Starting to build what I wish had existed when I was searching. I’m not here to be famous. I’m here to build with intention. With consistency. With love for the music and culture that raised me.

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That’s what Tres Golpes is.

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There’s nothing more Dominican than mangú con los tres golpes — salchichón, queso frito, huevo frito, maybe a little cebolla. That’s the breakfast I grew up on. That’s what stuck.

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I chose Tres Golpes because it represents where I come from — and where we’re going. Three genres: merengue, bachata, dembow. Three values: culture, connection, community. All grounded in something real.

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Like the mangú on the plate or the arroz in la bandera — the roots are what hold it all together. This music, this movement, this culture deserves space to grow.

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If you feel that too, let’s build.

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