“Taina” aired on Nickelodeon for simply two seasons, but it surely made relatively the impact. Following a Nuyorican woman named after the island’s local folks, the display introduced an city Latinx revel in as customary, if now not aspirational. Taina is going to the Ny Prime College of the Appearing Arts, drifting off into daydreams the place she stars in her personal song movies. She at the side of her mostly-of-color classmates exist in a “Repute”-type universe, the place every has unbelievable ability and is making an attempt to make it within the arts.
Even though the display ran from 2001 to 2002, there is nonetheless one thing fashionable in regards to the now 20-year-old display. In all probability it is how Taina and her perfect buddy Renée so without problems soak up the display as younger ladies of coloration. Their identities aren’t a detriment or a superpower however fairly simply part of who they’re. Or perhaps it is the triple-threat blueprint of the display. We now have develop into familiar with kid stars like Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez doing all of it, however that wasn’t the norm again in 2002.
The display used to be foundational for a technology of Latinas, as it used to be the primary time such a lot of folks noticed ourselves on display. Taina is a good instance of a tender girl certain of herself and pleased with the place she comes from (despite the fact that her Spanish wishes some paintings). So let’s take a minute to peer the place the solid of “Taina” is now and experience all the ones adolescence reminiscences.