Welcome to New York!

Hey!

We got Ma.

Yeah, Ma, what's up?

Telly, telly, telly, hey!

Mickela Mallozzi: I'm a dancer, and I'm a traveler, and wherever I go, I experience the world one dance at a time.

I'm Mickela Mallozzi, and this is "Bare Feet."

"Bare Feet" is supported in part by... Announcer: Bloomberg Connects gives you a way to experience the arts from your mobile phone.

You can explore hundreds of cultural organizations from around the world anytime, anywhere.

Learn more at bloombergconnects.org or wherever you find your apps.

Announcer: Road Scholar, offering educational travel adventures for adults since 1975.

Announcer: Additional funding was provided by Koo and Patricia Yuen through the Yuen Foundation, committed to bridging cultural differences in our communities.

Mallozzi: These generous supporters.... Announcer: And by the Ann H. Symington Foundation.

Mallozzi: Here in New York City, the Hispanic and Latinx community is the fastest-growing demographic, with almost a third of New Yorkers claiming Latin heritage.

The term Latinx is a gender neutral identifier, versus saying Latina or Latino.

It includes Hispanic-American, Latin-American, and Brazilian cultures and ethnicities.

On this "Bare Feet" in NYC adventure, we discover what it truly means to identify as Latinx through its diverse rhythms, food, and of course, its dances.

My first stop is to Astoria, Queens for the grand re-opening of the Astoria Tango Club, a monthly milonga or tango party hosted by singer and true porteño and Buenos Aires native, Pablo Pereyra.

[Singing in Spanish] Pereyra: We're at the Astoria Tango Club.

We call this a milonga in my country.

A milonga is a gathering of people to dance tango.

And it is the most authentic milonga in the U.S.A. Mallozzi: I mean, I have goosebumps right now because immediately I felt transported back to Buenos Aires.

I was reminded why I fell in love with tango, with the music, with the dancing.

It's a magical night.

It's like being in Buenos Aires, except that you don't need your passport and you save a couple thousand dollars in a ticket.

Mallozzi, voice-over: Similar to milongas in Buenos Aires, Argentina, tonight's milonga starts with a beginner tango lesson.

Man: To dance tango, 80% is just walking.

If we reduce tango to the minimum expression, it's walking in embrace, walking together.

1, 2.

1, 2, 3.

1, 2 in place.

1, 2, 3.

Mallozzi, voice-over: Tango was born from the melting pot of immigrant communities in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

With influences from Africa, Europe, and the local indigenous communities in Argentina and Uruguay, this popular dance has since grown from the barrios of Buenos Aires to main stages worldwide.

Mallozzi: I forgot how much I love tango.

It is this conversation you're having with another person, with their body, and it just wakes up something inside of you.

And I feel like I'm right back into Buenos Aires, and I'm reminded why I fell in love with that place, this dance, this music.

I am so happy to be here.

[Tango music playing] Mallozzi, voice-over: Tango music is also known for its unique instrumentation.

Feeling very percussive without drums, the orchestration includes piano, bass, violin, and of course, the bandoneon, which is part of the concertina family of instruments.

And tonight came with a very special surprise for me.

Hugo.

Mickela.

I cannot believe that we are in New York City right now together.

Hugo was in our very second episode of "Bare Feet" in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

And I walked in, and my jaw dropped to the floor.

I mean, I think it's destiny, because dance has really connected me with so many wonderful people in the world.

It feels like the world is reopening again.

Yeah.

I hope.

[Tango music playing] [Applause] Hey, welcome, guys.

I also want to see my friends, and I also want to see dancers dancing, because they've been for over a year without the job.

All right?

So we should have dancers, we should have musicians everywhere.

All right?

[Tango music playing] Mallozzi, voice-over: Tango was born from the working class of the poorer neighborhoods of Buenos Aires, but it exploded in popularity once exported to major cities like Paris and New York in the early 1900s.

From there, it evolved into a high-brow style of dance that has continued to captivate audiences everywhere.

[Tango music playing] Pereyra: Well, lots of places, mostly studios, where they have, like, tango gatherings, but a big part of it is the social aspect.

People have fun.

People, they like getting together.

So I wanted to have a place that you don't just come to dance tango or to take a lesson.

You can come, you can listen to music, you can see people dance, you can eat.

You can make friends.

That's the whole concept.

Mallozzi: Yeah.

An Argentinian night.

To the grand reopening of the Astoria Tango Club here in Queens.

Cheers.

Thank you.

Cheers.

Cheers.

Cheers to you.

Salud.

[Tango music playing] [Cheers and applause] Mallozzi, voice-over: Queens is one of the most diverse boroughs in the world.

From Astoria, I make my way to Jackson Heights, a Queens neighborhood that is a true melting pot of New York.

I meet with Nikki Padilla, local tour guide and Queens native.

She's taking me to some of her favorite places to eat traditional dishes from Central and South America.

Nikki brings me first to La Gran Uraguaya Bakery on 37th Avenue and 85th Street to start the morning with a sweet breakfast treat.

So this is a chaja.

Mm-hmm.

Or a postre chaja.

And it's basically a meringue cake.

And there's layers.

And it'll have layers of sponge cake, and then in between, whipped cream.

Oh, my gosh.

Sometimes dulce de leche, depending on the recipe.

And then it's usually coated in meringue, and then peaches is the most traditional.

Wow.

So it looks really, really heavy, but it's actually super, super light.

Mmm.

Mmm.

That is light.

Oh, wow, that's really light.

Mm-hmm.

It kind of just like melts into nothing in your mouth.

I have to say, when I got off the train, you get this whiff of delicious food from the elevated train... Mm-hmm.

and you're like, "I'm in Jackson Heights.

I'm gonna eat really well."

When you come here to the Uruguayan bakery, like, yes, you can find things from other cultures, but you're going to have people coming here who are from Uruguay, and they want something from home.

And that's I think what's special about Queens in general, but especially this area.

Yeah.

I mean, I only eat out in Queens.

I never go into the city.

Like, why would I?

Don't say that.

You don't want to say that.

We're not--we're not pitting borough against borough.

Mallozzi, voice-over: Next stop, Nikki takes me to the famous Arepa Lady, just 7 blocks down 37th Avenue at 78th Street.

We're here to try the legendary Colombian arepas.

Brandon, your grandmother started Arepa Lady.

Yes, I think a little bit over 30 years ago.

She started it on Roosevelt Avenue with a little cart.

She would be out there from, like, 9 or 10 p.m. all the way till 5 a.m. by herself.

So she would prepare it during the day at home.

Uh-huh.

Yeah.

Then spend all night on the street-- Yeah.

selling it on the street.

Exactly.

So it was a full-- almost like a 24-hour job pretty much.

Basically for her, yeah, it was.

Wow.

Mallozzi, voice-over: With the help of her sons in 2014, Maria Cano, the legendary Arepa Lady, opened her first brick and mortar restaurant almost 25 years after she started with her little cart on Roosevelt Avenue.

There are now 3 locations in New York City, including this one here in Jackson Heights, Queens.

Maria has since retired, but the restaurants are still run by her family.

Today, we're trying empanadas, chicharron, and of course, arepas.

[Woman singing in Spanish] Brandon: So this is arepa de queso.

Inside has mozzarella cheese.

Outside is queso blanco, which is like a white farmer's cheese.

Then arepa de choclo is made out of fresh corn.

That's why it's yellow.

They fold it over and it has cheese inside, also the queso blanco.

Wow.

Those are the original two arepas.

So she used to make these and sell these on the street.

Yeah, that's it.

Yeah.

Just cutting into this is so dense.

Brandon: That is the cheesy one.

Mmm!

Padilla: I don't know which I like better.

They're very different, those two.

Yeah, they are.

That's why I think people love them, 'cause you get the best of both worlds.

Mallozzi: Mm-hmm.

This is phenomenal.

Mallozzi, voice-over: For our last stop, Nikki takes me to one of the most famous food trucks in all of New York, Birria-Landia, just a few blocks away from the busy Jackson Heights- Roosevelt Avenue train stop.

We meet with Chef José Moreno and his brother Jesus to understand why their Mexican birria has become so popular here in Queens and in all of New York City.

Mallozzi: So this is Birria Land, basically in English.

What is birria?

Birria is a beef stew.

We boil it in the water for 3 1/2, 4 hours, depend on the size of the meat, how you cut it into pieces.

The best way to eat this is like this.

You--so you try to use this like as a spoon.

Oh!

Oh.

You dip... You dip, you put it like this, and you get to this absorbent.

Oh, my gosh.

Padilla: Oh, my gosh.

Ahh!

OK. All right.

So in there.

In there like a spoon.

There you go.

Like a scoop, yeah?

Yes, exactly, like a scoop.

I'm sorry, Mickela.

Mmm!

Oh, my gosh.

You like it?

It's delicious.

Look at this juice dripping off of my hands.

And then you drink it?

Moreno: Yeah.

Mallozzi, voiceover: José is a classically-trained chef, who worked for years in fine-dining restaurants.

He decided to start the Birria-Landia food truck in 2019, offering the food that he loved so much to his community.

With only 4 items on the menu, Birria-Landia has become an institution here in New York, Moreno: Somebody asked me this question, what do you think when you bring the birria to the United States?

I say, "I don't think nothing at that moment."

I don't know what I was doing.

My friends tell me, "Hey, the American bring you a new in.

Take this."

I say, "What?"

That's changed my life.

Yeah.

That's changed our life.

[Indistinct] But it's how you feel the passion for the food.

Mallozzi, voice-over: My next stop is to the Loisaida Center in the heart of Alphabet City, homebase for New York City's all-women Afro-Brazilian percussion ensemble Batalá New York.

Nice to meet you.

Thanks for coming.

Thanks for having me.

Mallozzi, voice-over: And I'm here to make some beautiful music with these incredible women.

Batalá stands for two things.

One is hit there.

As in bate in Portuguese.

Lá.

Ah.

Batala.

Right.

Hit there.

Hit there.

But then also representing peace and unity.

[Drums beating] Oh, it's so light.

It's deceivingly large and-- It's huge.

It's huge.

But it is very light.

Hours later you may have a different story.

But yes, that's why they're made of aluminum... Yeah.

and not steel is because, you know, they're made to be worn on the body as, like--as an extension of the body.

Right.

We have axes for Chango, cowrie shells for, you know, richness of African heritage.

And then we have this really cool pattern here, right?

So this symbolizes our clave, which is a dot... dot...dot...dot...dot... dot...dot...dot dot dot.

Whoa.

Yeah.

So everything's coded.

Mallozzi, voice-over: The Loisaida Center works hand-in-hand with other community organizations, including only a few blocks away, Plaza Cultural de Armando Perez Community Garden.

[Drumming] I love this neighborhood.

Mallozzi, voice-over: The Plaza Cultural was founded in 1978.

It was a former vacant lot filled with rubble that was transformed by the local Hispanic community into a community garden and open space for art.

OK. Now hit it real hard once.

OK.

So you're a part of the one.

You follow her.

There you go.

That's it.

Whatever she does you want to do.

OK. Phenix: We've had Batalá here since 2012.

And over the years, we realized this music is the product of Black resistance in Brazil.

These drums are played all over, but, you know, as a form of protest, a form of showing pride in African heritage.

So we embrace that full on right here.

Mallozzi, voice-over: Batalá's musical samba reggae roots hail from Bahia, Brazil, the epicenter of Afro Brazilian culture.

And as the name suggests, samba reggae was born out of a blend of rhythms from Bahia and Jamaica in the late 1980s.

Mallozzi: You're all women.

Is that specific to New York?

Well, one of those guys in Brazil was like, "I'm gonna start an all-women's batalá."

This was his idea.

His.

No.

His.

Interesting.

Right.

So then there's this all-women batalá group.

One person moved from there to Washington D.C. We saw them, and we thought, "OK, let's start our own all-women's group, but we're gonna be women-led."

And so whenever there's, like, a Black women's march or a rally for culturally-relevant education or anything like that, we show up.

Yeah.

All: Hey!

Whoo!

[Cheering and applause] Mallozzi, voice-over: From Alphabet City, I make my way to the Upper West Side to Ballet Hispánico, a dance institution here in New York that has celebrated over 50 years of bringing Latinx voices to stages around the world through dance.

[Classical music playing] I meet with Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director of Ballet Hispánico.

Vilaro: Ballet Hispánico is one of America's cultural treasures.

It is the largest and oldest Latinx dance company in the nation.

And it's an international touring company that goes throughout the world bringing narratives of Latinx voices to everyone.

[Latin music playing] But we're also a training center.

We have a school of dance.

We have community engagement programs to learn about Latinx cultures.

You have to realize that for oppressed and marginalized people to be able to have a space to walk in and hear their language and see themselves reflected is so powerful.

It's that whole idea of belonging.

It's what makes me get up in the morning.

Right now we're building this new work about the life of Evita Perón.

It's a female choreographer making a commentary.

Now, we're not saying she was a hero for everyone.

We're just looking at an iconic representation and taking that narrative away from the male gaze.

Mallozzi:, voice-over: Commissioned choreographer of the "Doña Perón" ballet is Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, prolific Latina artist who has choreographed a number of ballets for the company and considers working with Ballet Hispánico as a homecoming.

Lopez Ochoa: I discovered choreography when I was 11 years old, and I never stopped.

Any opportunity, meaning like a free studio, free dancers, I would just choreograph.

And I knew at 11 years old if I could do that every day, being in a studio with dancers, I would be the happiest woman in the world.

From the relevé, you fouette, and you envelopé.

Yes.

It's going to work when we're together.

Once again.

5, 6, 7, 8.

And 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, 6, 7, 8.

I prepare 6 months in advance.

Then I forget everything about my preparation.

I come into the studio and I improvise with the dancers, knowing what we're going to talk about, because the magic of preparation happens in the studio, not at home on a piece of paper.

[Dance music playing] Lopez Ochoa: Sometimes, you know, art is, well, it's a lot.

It's entertaining.

It's poetry.

It's beauty.

And sometimes it is a social commentary.

[Latin music playing] Lopez Ochoa: There's so many stories that are being told in Hollywood and, you know, in literature.

But in dance, I think we have to take risks.

We have to invest, because not every new work will be well received.

And I think that our audiences deserve it.

[Latin music playing] Vilaro: You're taking class with our Pa'lante students, which is a new program that we just started.

It's a program that is for students after high school that are still struggling to find their way in this career.

And they get this on totally free tuition.

Wow.

Mallozzi, voice-over: Pa'lante translates to moving forward in sort of a street slang.

And this program does exactly that for its recipients.

Ballet Hispánico was founded in 1970 by Latina dance visionary Tina Ramirez.

The 3 pillars of her mission were growing the professional company, the school, and community engagement.

The Pa'lante program is a way to encompass all 3 aspects of her vision for Ballet Hispánico overall.

So we're just gonna start learning... Yeah.

the first couple of steps, yeah?

You're reaching right arm.

Back.

Around.

Piqué up.

And you're gonna step on the left foot behind your chair.

Behind your chair.

And go fourth position.

And arms are gonna go up.

And a 1 and a 2 and a 3.

4.

And a 1... 2... 2 and feet 4.

Woman: For me to be part of this program, I feel like it really gives me an insight on what it would be like to be in a company.

It's a really different dynamic from teacher to student versus, like, being a professional and what is expected of you.

I think the most valuable thing is just, like, being able to see all the other artists in the room that I'm with, and how different we all are but how we can come together.

Instead of the elbow, let the back swing the arm.

Yeah, so that you're feeling this swing, and then it comes-- it pulls you back to the other side.

Yeah.

[Dance music playing] Man: I was really drawn to the work because it was rooted in Latinx community and sharing the stories of Latinx people and just communities who have had a history of marginalization in the U.S. and whose stories aren't always told on the stage.

I don't identify as Latinx, but I'm coming at it as a person who wants to share and be a part of the mission.

So how do I bring myself into this work?

So I share a piece of myself, but also receive what's being shared with me.

[Dance music playing] Vilaro: I think it's interesting to have people that come from different places instead of a certain uniformity.

It adds to the richness.

I tell dancers I'm looking for artists that can move beyond the proscenium right into here.

So when people see them, they go, "Ohh!"

When you see a vulnerable person giving their all, it's magic.

[Classical music playing] [Cheers and applause] Thank you, guys.

Mallozzi, voice-over: My last stop brings me to Bethesda Terrace in Central Park to meet with Stephanie Nuñez, a New York native who grew up in the Washington Heights neighborhood in Manhattan, also known as Little Dominican Republic.

Growing up in New York and growing up in Washington Heights, specifically, I am first-generation American, and I just always was so connected to my roots.

I walk out of my home on Sunday mornings, and there's, like, old men playing dominoes on the corner and, you know, listening to meringue and bachata at 10:00 in the morning on a Sunday.

Mallozzi: Right.

Right.

Mallozzi:, voice-over: We're here for today's outdoor bachata and salsa dance party, hosted by DJ John John.

What inspired you to start this party?

Uh, actually it came about from the pandemic.

Most of the venues that were having the events obviously closed, and we just kept it going.

Yeah, so can't beat Central Park.

No, you can't.

It's beautiful.

[Bachata music playing, woman singing in Spanish] What do you feel when you're deejaying... Oh, my God.

and you see all these dancers?

It's, uh, it's a natural high.

What's wonderful is that you see you deejaying, and then all the sudden, I see you on the dance floor.

Yeah.

And that's when you know it's a party.

I love to dance.

I love to dance.

I could tell.

1, 2, 3, tap.

Yes.

And then we're going to start with that same foot over.

1, 2, 3, tap.

1, 2, 3, tap.

Yeah.

1, 2, 3, tap.

So you do a little hip bump.

Tap.

1, 2.

Mm-hmm.

Bachata was like brothel music in the Dominican Republic.

So it was only really played at, you know, these, like, very dingy places.

And in the nineties, I think is when things started to shift a little bit because a lot of the artists that were making bachata music started to become known overseas, and so then it became something a little bit more widespread.

[Bachata music playing, woman singing in Spanish] Yes.

Girl, I feel it in my hips.

Yeah.

It is a workout.

It is definitely a workout.

Nuñez: All bachata music talks about heartbreak and, like, "I love you so much."

That's a universal feeling.

Yeah.

Everyone can relate to that.

Even if you can't understand the lyrics to a song, you can feel that feeling in the music and the way the singer sings that.

Absolutely.

Yeah.

And everyone's felt that pining for that long-lost lover.

Like, "No, you're breaking my heart."

"Come back to me, Valentina.

Come back."

[Bachata music playing, man singing in Spanish] Nuñez: Bachata, incredibly so, comes from this tiny little island of Dominican Republic, yet it's all over the world.

I mean, I've been in, like, random little towns in Vietnam and, like, people know how to dance bachata.

Or I tell them I'm Dominican--I know, right?

I'm getting goosebumps.

Oh, my gosh.

I tell them I'm Dominican, they're like, "Oh, my god, I know how to dance bachata."

I don't have words to describe the feeling of just feeling seen and just feeling like we've contributed something so valuable and so beautiful to the world.

[Bachata music playing] Mallozzi, voice-over: Whether you identify as Latina, Latino, or Latinx, the Latin-American culture here in New York City is a diverse representation of so many beautiful cultures.

From South America's Brazilian samba reggae rhythms and Argentina's seductive tango to Central America's Mexican dishes to the Caribbean's Dominican dances, the Latinidad or Latin-ness of New Yorkers is a powerful and omnipresent ingredient to the melting pot that is New York.

Whoo!

And I'll see you on my next "Bare Feet" adventure...

The best!

wherever it may take me.

Whoo!

La mejor!

Whoo!

Mallozzi: You can stay connected with us at travelbarefeet.com, where you'll find extra bonus videos, join our "Bare Feet" series conversations through social media, and stay updated with our newsletter.

The drum will hit you here and also here and oof.

Oh, my gosh.

Not on the waist.

'Cause that will cause you some organ discomfort.

Oh, OK. Dainya, you're scaring me now that I... of what to expect.

If you see below us, juice just dripping.

So if you come here, you better now wear some fancy clothes.

"Bare Feet" is supported in part by... Announcer: Bloomberg Connects gives you a way to experience the arts from your mobile phone.

You can explore hundreds of cultural organizations from around the world anytime, anywhere.

Learn more at bloombergconnects.org or wherever you find your apps.

Announcer: Road Scholar, offering educational travel adventures for adults since 1975.

Announcer: Additional funding was provided by Koo and Patricia Yuen through the Yuen Foundation, committed to bridging cultural differences in our communities.

Mallozzi: These generous supporters.... Announcer: And by the Ann H. Symington Foundation.

[Child babbling]