Puerto Rican Roots. Bronx Legacy. Global Impact
The Culture Before Disco and Hip-Hop
Born in the South Bronx in the early 1970s, the Latin Hustle was more than just a dance. It became an alternative to gang violence in our territory. The Imperial Bachelors took a stand against the chaos in the South Bronx, at our home base, St. Mary’s Recreation Center. Puerto Rican teenagers used Salsa and Mambo spins and turn patterns, and we fused them into a new partner dance that became a peace movement. The spark we lit in the summer of 1974 echoed across New York, bringing teens from every borough to St. Mary’s Recreation Center. That movement helped fuel the Disco Explosion a few years later, and Saturday Night Fever carried our creation to the four corners of the earth. We lit the fuse of creation, not the fires meant to eradicate us.
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This film tells the untold story of that summer in 1974, when one gang traded colors for dance, and the Hustle became our weapon for peace. Told by those who were there, it shows how our defiance, in the face of the fires, revealed the resilience of our people. It is a powerful story of our desire for peace and unity, driven by our culture, even as the Bronx burned around us.
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The Latin Hustle remains the last original partner dance created in New York City, and it now spans the planet, bringing joy to people of every background, ethnicity, race, creed, and color.
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Our generation was raised on concrete, carved from chaos and crowned by the rhythm of the night, and we didn’t walk in shadows; we brought the light with us.
We didn’t just survive the storm; we danced through it, and with every step, we wrote our story, until the world heard our rhythm and followed in our steps.
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- Willie Estrada
Explore the rich history of the Latin Hustle origins through genuine storytelling by those who were there, and through my father's historical archives and visual collections.
Immerse yourself in the real story of how Puerto Rican youth brought peace to the most violent part of the South Bronx through music, dance, and community activism.
Discover the hidden truths that have been redacted from the pages of history in this documentary project that honors the truth and revives the roots of a forgotten history.
Credit for helping to orchestrate the dances that helped bring peace into our territory must go to the center manager, Rita Pasquelagua, who granted our request. This was facilitated by our gang, which hosted parties led by President Henry DeSosa, Vice President Tato Sadeyes, and Warlord Willie Estrada.
