The True Story 

During the early 1970s, gang violence was at an all-time high, and life was stressful as a result of our toxic environment. We had to find ways to entertain ourselves and overcome the extreme oppression our government inflicted upon us, as fires and gang warfare raged throughout the South Bronx.

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Going to school was challenging for most high school students, and by that, I mean that unless you were in a gang, you were a victim of circumstances beyond your control, and the danger was real. Most gangs used fear tactics to impose violence in their own neighborhoods and ruled with senseless and cruel intentions. The one thing that always seemed to calm things down was music and dance, in most cases, though there were exceptions.

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Although our elders did not like us grinding with the girls as we slow danced and did the 500, they gave us the formula for acceptance. As a result of their influence, Puerto Rican teenagers, many of whom were gang members, began developing a simple five-step dance with no turns that resembled Bachata, long before the Genre was established. That simple dance soon evolved into the Push-and-Pull Hustle, followed by the Rope Hustle. By 1974, it had evolved into a six-step dance with turns derived from Mambo and Salsa turn patterns, and it became known as the Hustle, later called the Latin Hustle.

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That was the spark that created the idea of using music and dance to host parties at St. Mary’s Recreation Center during the summer of 1974, in one of the most densely populated sections of the Bronx. We called that area Bachelor Nation, and there was finally a hint of hope. Most people are unaware that there were fourteen divisions of the Bachelors gang in the area surrounding St. Mary’s, and most of these divisions were violent. Then there was the 1st Division of the Imperial Bachelors, who were a different breed of soldier, primarily due to strong leadership and strong family ties. They were more like peacemakers, who protected their neighborhood and patrolled St. Mary's Park at night to discourage robberies, rapes, and murders. 

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Henry DeSosa was originally the President of the 1st Division Imperial Bachelors, who, in 1973, Black Tony turned over the Supreme Presidency to him before going to prison. Tony mandated the 1st Division to help bring peace to our territory, and alongside his Vice President, Tato Sadeyes, and Warlord Willie Estrada, they helped bring peace to that notorious area by convincing the other 13 divisions in Bachelors Nation to follow suit and by facilitating peace through music and dance during the summer of 1974. The plan formulated by Black Tony and the 1st Division was approved by Rita Pasquelagua, Manager of St. Mary’s Recreation Center,  and Henry became the DJ for the  Hustle and Rock events that the Bachelors Hosted at the Center. Using two phonographs to blend the music so everyone could dance nonstop, teens came from other boroughs to learn the Hustle and dance the Latin Hustle. Later in 1976, he finally got his turntables and the sound mixer and became a real DJ. 

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Phase one of the plan included a meeting with several other divisions that Black Tony had already spoken to before his imprisonment, as well as the appointment of Henry DeSosa as Supreme President in his absence. The mandate from Tony was for us to make peace within our territory, where the Bachelors had ruled with violence for too long. That would soon change. Black Tony regarded the violence against our own people as foolish and unacceptable behavior. He declared that he had seen enough bloodshed for one lifetime, as had we all, and wanted us to spearhead the peace process from St. Mary’s Recreation Center.

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That was the catalyst needed to implement the peace incentive, prompting all the other divisions to provide security throughout the neighborhood. Teenagers from the different boroughs came in large numbers to St. Mary’s to dance the Hustle. Even the notorious Cypress Bachelors started protecting the neighborhood. 

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The Imperial Bachelors never received credit for taking such extreme measures to ensure the safety of everyone visiting St. Mary’s, nor did they ask for anything in return. Keeping our neighborhood safe was our mission, our responsibility, and our legacy. That is how teens from other boroughs were able to come to St. Mary's and dance in peace, as they also learned the Hustle and helped spread it around New York City like wildfire from Borough to Borough during the summer of 1974. 

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This is the untold true story of how the Latin Hustle was born in a nutshell... respect it, as we honor our history.