We all get a little offended when we don't see someone like us being represented in movies, television shows, musicals, and other things, but lately, a lot of minority groups are being represented and that makes us happy. In my case, I get excited whenever I see someone from Puerto Rico or of Latin American background in a TV show, who isn't a cleaning lady but actually has an important role.
I grew up in a family that loves Broadway musicals. West Side Story has been my favorite musical since the first time I saw it when I was a little girl. I would always ask my parents to play "America" multiple times because it's my favorite song in the entire musical. For many years, West Side Story was the only thing that had multiple characters that represented the Latino culture, specifically the Puerto Rican culture. (Yay, Sharks! Jets suck.)
But does West Side Story do a good job representing Puerto Ricans or other Hispanic cultures? Eh. Not really. Not every Hispanic person is in a gang. If you have to paint your actors brown playing Puerto Ricans in a movie, you're really not doing a great job.
Let's fast forward to the 2000s. Things changed for the Latino community.
The genius, Lin-Manuel Miranda (Puerto Rican! Wepa!) wrote the music and lyrics for In The Heights, a musical about the Dominican-American neighborhood of Washington Heights in New York City. The music from this show makes my heart happy and the whole story is awesome. It's very realistic and brought back memories from home. I really miss getting piraguas when it was hot outside. Go see it if you get the chance. I watched a bootleg version of it, so you can probably find that too on YouTube. I do not recommend recording a show because that is illegal (but thank you to everyone who does because I watch shows online). The show won multiple Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Choreography, Best Orchestrations, and was nominated for many others. The original soundtrack won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album. Really, the music is fantastic.
Here's a clip of their fantastic performance at the Tony Awards in 2008:
So that was a big deal. Now what? I'll tell you what. There's a brand new musical on its way to premiering on Broadway this coming October about the story of two very influential people: Gloria and Emilio Estefan. I got the chance to see On Your Feet! which is a musical about "her voice, his vision, and their story". The musical literally had me on my feet by the end of the show. Everything about the musical was fantastic. The music is fun to dance and singalong to and the story is very inspiring. I laughed and cried. I felt everything. Ana Villafañe and Josh Segarra, the actors that play Gloria and Emilio Estefan, are excellent playing them and also very good looking.
Just in case you didn't know, Gloria and Emilio have done a lot for the Latin American community and our music. They were a big deal because they were the first ones to get our sound in the United States. They helped many people become famous, for example, Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, Juanes, and many others.
C'MON, SHAKE YOUR BODY, BABY, DO THE CONGA.
Great. Now, I'll have that song stuck in my head for a week. 
Like I said before, Gloria's story is very inspiring. She's a great role model for us Latina women because she has always worked hard and fought to get what she deserves. For example, she was determined to get back to work after her tragic accident that almost left her paralyzed in 1989. What a lady! Side note: Gloria and Emilio Estefan=relationship goals.
I am so grateful for Gloria, Emilio, and everyone involved in On Your Feet! for bringing this show to life. I'm also grateful for Lin-Manuel for being an awesome human being. These people make me feel proud of my heritage and blood.
I was pretty geeked when Gloria replied to my tweet.
P.S. I hear Lin-Manuel Miranda's new show (Hamilton) is really cool. Even Obama thinks it's awesome. If you get the chance to see it, you probably should. The show features a multi-racial cast playing George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Aaron Burr, and Lin-Manuel Miranda plays Alexander Hamilton.
