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“el sabor, como el sabor se nace la técnica se estudia” (sabor, since sabor is innate, technique is learned) — Amneris Martinez, Sabor Latino Online TV interview, August 2020 ^[1]. That is how Amneris Martinez sums up her dancing.

She is from Ponce, in Puerto Rico. She has danced in Europe, in New York, in the world of Salsa and Mambo congresses. She has made a nickname her own: la Borinsura.

Festival program phrases circulate about her: lead dancer in a film, multiple world champion, Borinsura founded in 2015. We examine them next.

The thread running through her life is the stage: an academy in Ponce, companies, Milan, ten years as a duo with Juan Matos, shows with Adolfo Indacochea, then New York and her own companies.

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Dancer in the film, world champion, founder? The 6 MYTHS about AMNERIS MARTINEZ, TRUE or FALSE

Before telling her story, a necessary stop. Biographies of Amneris Martinez circulate on festival and news websites, copied from one another and sometimes contradicted by Amneris herself. Six claims keep coming up. Which ones hold up? The verdict at a glance, then the details in the sections indicated.

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PONCE, Puerto Rico: a childhood spent dancing at Yuli Mayoral’s academy

Amneris Martinez is from Ponce, in Puerto Rico ^[2]. She grows up in a dance academy run by Yuli Mayoral. She describes it plainly: “Pues mira, esto era una escuela grandísima donde han salido muchos bailarines que se llama Yuli Mayoral” (Well, it was a very large school that many dancers came out of, and it is called Yuli Mayoral) — Amneris, August 2020 interview ^[1].

Her website specifies that she learns ballet, jazz, and Puerto Rican folklore there ^[3]. She adds that she performed in many musicals ^[1]. The go&dance and Women’s Pride profiles spell it Julie Mayoral, a press article Julia; she says Yuli ^[1][2][6].

For her, dance filled her entire childhood: “Mi vida, mi infancia ha sido baile.” (My life, my childhood, was dance.) ^[1]

At the academy, a teacher, Evelyn Vega, brings in a little Salsa: “ella se llama Evelyn Vega nadie la conoce, ella fue la que empezó a traer un poquito de salsa” (her name is Evelyn Vega, no one knows her, she was the one who started bringing in a little Salsa) ^[1].

Her mother supports her from the start: “pero ella me dijo, eso es lo que tú quieres eso es lo que te va a hacer feliz, adelante” (but she told me: that’s what you want, that’s what will make you happy, go for it) ^[1]. She owes her a lot: “Si no fuera por el apoyo de mi mamá, de verdad yo no estuviera aquí” (Without my mother’s support, really, I wouldn’t be here) ^[1].

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PUERTO RICO, 1998-2004: Sabor Latino, Papa Tambor, and a film

A group is born at the academy: “y después pues creamos un grupo que de hecho se llama sabor latino” (and then we created a group called Sabor Latino) — Amneris, August 2020 interview ^[1]. Her go&dance profile dates Sabor Latino to 1998 through 2003, followed by the Danzarines de Papa Tambor ^[2].

She liked competing, at least back then: “de hecho me gustaba antes ahora no me gustaba mucho la competencia” (in fact, I used to like it, not anymore; I really liked competing) ^[1]. According to this profile, she wins Puerto Rico’s national Salsa couples championship in 2001, then takes second place in the ballroom dance championship in 2003 ^[2].

Then comes Papa Tambor. She dances for Jorge Santana, as part of the Danzarines: “fui bailarina de Jorge Santana, de Danzarines de Papa Tambor por dos o tres años” (I was a dancer for Jorge Santana, with the Danzarines de Papa Tambor, for two or three years) ^[1]. The traveling begins: “ahí fue donde empezó un poquito mi vida de la locura de viajadera” (that’s where my crazy life of traveling began a little) ^[1]. Her profile lists Palma de Mallorca, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, New York, and Germany ^[2].

In 2025, she links the real start of her career to her move to Italy, to Milan: “Que ahí fue donde empezó mi carrera, carrera de verdad” (That’s where my career began, a real career), then she mentions the Danzarines de Papa Tambor and Jorge Santana — Amneris, Diamond Talks, June 2025 ^[1].

During those years, she appears in Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights. She mentions it on her website as a fun detail: “Fun fact: […] I was featured in the movie, “Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights”” (Fun fact: […] I appeared in the film “Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights”) ^[3]. The film comes out in 2004 ^[5]. The go&dance profile, for its part, says “principal dancer” (lead dancer) ^[2]: Amneris’s wording is more modest.

Her website also says that she has won “multiple World Salsa Championships” (several Salsa world championships) ^[3], and her YouTube channel “World Champion: Puerto Rico, 2001 and Spain, 2010” (world champion: Puerto Rico, 2001, and Spain, 2010) ^[3]. No competition is named.

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MILAN, 2004: a school hires her for a year, and she stays

She arrives in Italy in 2004. In 2020, she sums up her years in Europe this way: “yo llegué a Italia en el 2004, viví siete años, me fui a España, viví siete años” (I arrived in Italy in 2004, I lived there for seven years, I went to Spain, I lived there for seven years) ^[1]. A school in Milan has hired her. She recounts that move in 2025: “Me fui a Milano porque una escuela me contrató […] Me contrató, pues supuestamente por un año. La cosa fue que me quedé.” (I went to Milan because a school hired me […] It hired me, supposedly for a year. The fact is, I stayed.) — Amneris, Diamond Talks, June 2025 ^[1]

She lives between Milan and Spain: “Estuve en Milano y también viví entre Milano y España, Barcelona.” (I was in Milan, and I also lived between Milan and Spain, Barcelona.) ^[1]. Her profile describes her as the head teacher at a school in Milan in 2005 ^[2]. After Spain, she returns to Italy: “de España me regresé a Italia” (from Spain, I went back to Italy) ^[1].

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APRIL 2006: JUAN MATOS and the Fogarate Dance Project, ten years as a duo

According to her go&dance profile, it was in April 2006 that she began dancing with Juan Matos and his group, the Fogarate Dance Project: “A partnership and a group that made a change in the dance world” (a partnership and a group that changed the dance world) ^[2].

She gives the duration herself: “Y después fue con Juan Matos. Que fue donde tuve la trayectoria más larga, 10 años” (And then it was with Juan Matos, with whom I had the longest run: ten years) — Amneris, Diamond Talks, June 2025 ^[1]. The event she presents also mentions those ten years ^[2].

With him, everything takes off: “con Juan, Juan fue donde mi carrera, boom, ahí fue” (with Juan, that’s where my career went boom, that’s it) ^[1]. In 2011, a Latin TV channel writes that they dance at almost every Salsa congress and festival in the world, and that the duo is considered one of the best in New York Style ^[7]. A Spanish blog describes her that same year as the women’s category champion of Barcelona’s first Salsa free steps competition ^[7].

What she takes away from it: “con Juan, que es el más que tuve, aprendí a superarme en mi baile, obviamente” (with Juan, the one I was with the longest, I learned to push myself further in my dancing, obviously) ^[1]. Juan has remained in her life, and she still asks him for help: “Juan, necesito inspirarme, no sé qué hacer, Juan, todavía, y me inspira todavía” (Juan, I need inspiration, I don’t know what to do. Juan, still, and he still inspires me) ^[1].

Their strength also lay in their choice of music: “cuando bailaba con Juan siempre teníamos, por eso éramos muy fuertes los dos, porque siempre me gusta buscar una música bien salsera, pero también me gusta buscar una música que sea bien particular” (when I danced with Juan, we always had — that is why we were both so strong — because I always like to look for really salsera music, but also very distinctive music) — Amneris, August 2020 interview ^[1].

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MAY 2015: FRANK SANTOS and Dominican Fusion

In May 2015, according to her profile, she begins collaborating with Frank Santos. Together, they create and run a Bachata company, Dominican Fusion ^[2].

On her website, she sums up her partnerships: she has collaborated “for many years with Juan Matos, Frank Santos, Falco Benalcazar” (for many years with Juan Matos, Frank Santos, Falco Benalcazar) ^[3].

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CHICAGO, March 2019: ADOLFO INDACOCHEA, a stage duo

Amneris also performs onstage with Adolfo Indacochea. One of their performances is filmed at the Chicago Salsa & Bachata Festival, March 22–25, 2019 ^[4]. Her website, in 2023, describes her as “currently partnering with Adolfo Indacochea” (currently Adolfo Indacochea’s dance partner) ^[3].

In 2020, she says of Adolfo’s work: “es una persona súper trabajadora súper dedicada quiere siempre llegar a más es una inspiración para muchas personas” (he is a very hardworking, very dedicated person who always wants to go further, an inspiration to many people) — Amneris, August 2020 interview ^[1]. And she explains that they have known each other for a long time: “Adolfo y yo nos conocemos hace 14 años.” (Adolfo and I have known each other for 14 years.) ^[1]. She also speaks of them as a couple: “no es fácil ser pareja y hacer el mismo trabajo” (it is not easy to be a couple and do the same work) ^[1]. When she gets together with him, the school has just started: “Cuando me metí con Adolfo, justamente empezó la escuela” (when I got together with Adolfo, the school had just started) ^[1].

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NEW YORK, 2020: starting from scratch, an online school, la Borinsura

At the start of the pandemic, she leaves Italy for the United States ^[1]. Adolfo tells her to come: “Adolfo me dijo, coge la tarjeta y te vienes ya” (Adolfo told me: take the card and come right away) ^[1]. She describes that departure this way in August 2020: “sin nada, es como empezar otra vez de cero” (with nothing, it is like starting from scratch again) — Amneris, August 2020 interview ^[1].

She then introduces the Mambo Virtual Academy: “la escuela virtual que se llama mambo virtual academy” (the virtual school called Mambo Virtual Academy) ^[1]. She announces the continuation of the academy’s virtual festival, September 11–13, 2020 ^[1].

It is also during the pandemic that she creates her company: “Sí, Borinsura, bueno, esta compañía la he creado en la pandemia hace casi cinco años.” (Yes, Borinsura, I created this company during the pandemic, almost five years ago.) — Amneris, Diamond Talks, June 2025 ^[1]. Her online school has the same name: “De hecho, a mi escuela online le puse Borinsura Dance Movement.” (In fact, I named my online school Borinsura Dance Movement.) ^[1]. She then creates her women’s groups ^[1].

She also ventures into clothing design: she designs five styles and opens a shop ^[1].

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NEW YORK, today: WOMEN’S PRIDE and the BORINSURA companies

Women’s Pride is the event she presents in New York: workshops, a bootcamp, and parties, with a mission “to empower and uplift the industry” (to empower the industry and lift it up) through the women of Latin dance ^[2].

She describes it in her own words: “quisiera hacer algo para mujeres” (I would like to do something for women) — Amneris, Diamond Talks, June 2025 ^[1]. That is how Women’s Pride is born. A congress? She rejects the word: “Yo no lo llamo un congreso. Yo lo llamo algo más. Un evento familiar.” (I do not call it a congress. I call it something more: a family event.) ^[1]. The next edition, she says in June 2025, takes place March 27–29 ^[1].

Her companies are growing. In June 2025, she leads Borinsura Pro and Borinsura Amateur, and speaks of a third, Borinsura Project, made up of men and women ^[1]. A Salsa performance under that name, at Nova Fest, was posted in October 2024 ^[6]. She also announces a new show, Kiss ^[1].

In New York, she teaches: “saben que doy clases en Empire Dance Studio en el estudio de Adolfo” (you know I teach at Empire Dance Studio, in Adolfo’s studio) ^[1]. The festivals continue: go&dance announces her appearance at El Sol Festival, in Poland, November 12–16, 2026, then at Quien Manda Festival, in Bouches-du-Rhône, January 29–February 1, 2027 ^[2].

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The BORINSURA style: Puerto Rico meets New York

Borinsura comes from Boricua and sabrosura. Her website puts it this way: “the perfect blend of Puerto Rico (Boricua) and that New York “Sabor” (Sabrosura)” (the perfect blend of Puerto Rico (Boricua) and that New York “Sabor” (Sabrosura)) ^[3]. The event she presents describes her “fusion between Puerto Rican style, New York style and Afro-Cuban body movement” (fusion between Puerto Rican style, New York style, and Afro-Cuban body movement) ^[2].

Her classes cover Salsa technique, women’s styling, Mambo fusion, body movement, Borinsura style, Latin Jazz fusion, and choreography ^[3].

The name has a story. “de hecho me lo puso un gran amigo mío que se llama falco” (in fact, a great friend of mine gave it to me; his name is Falco) — Amneris, Diamond Talks, June 2025 ^[1]. It was in Spain, at a rehearsal. She explains it through a play on words: “como él se llama Falco Sura yo me llamaba Borinsura entonces el nombre salió así” (since his name is Falco Sura, I was called Borinsura, and that is how the name came about) ^[1]. And she adds, affectionately: “ese niño tiene un corazón de oro” (that boy has a heart of gold) ^[1].

In 2020, the nickname already existed. She connects it to what is most personal to her, sabor: “por eso me llaman la [Borinsura]” (that is why they call me la Borinsura) — Amneris, August 2020 interview ^[1]. On her website, she opens her page with a shout: “La Borinsura me llaman!” (They call me la Borinsura!) and “Puro Sabor Boricua!” (Pure Puerto Rican flavor!) ^[3].

Her dancing follows what she feels. “Pues yo creo que mi baile, aparte, va con mi personalidad y con lo que siento en el momento” (I think my dancing also goes with my personality and with what I feel in the moment) — Amneris, August 2020 interview ^[1]. Hence this promise: “te puedo hacer un show 20 mil veces y 20 mil veces te voy a hacer una muestra diferente” (I can perform a show for you 20 000 times, and 20 000 times I will give you a different version) ^[1].

The audience remembers the person, not the list of steps: “eso es lo que la gente recuerda de Amneris no recuerda los 20 mil pasos que hace” (that is what people remember about Amneris: they do not remember the 20 000 steps she does) ^[1]. She considers sabor a gift that is difficult to teach (“se puede aprender,” it can be learned, she qualifies, but it is “imposible muchas veces enseñarla,” often impossible to teach): “con eso se nace, eso no se estudia eso es un don” (you are born with it, it is not something you study, it is a gift) ^[1]. Yet she seeks out technique: “siempre lo busco el lado de la técnica porque sin técnica pues mucha gente no lo entiende” (I always look for the technical side, because without technique many people do not understand) ^[1].

She prefers performing to social dancing: “Pero si te digo la verdad, prefiero el show.” (But to tell you the truth, I prefer the show.) ^[1]. Her philosophy comes down to a sentence on her website: “I believe dancing is about expressing your emotions and personality and not about fitting a specific dance pattern, technique or level of experience.” (I believe dancing is about expressing your emotions and personality, not fitting into a dance pattern, technique, or level of experience.) ^[3].

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What she says about HERSELF: sabor, technique, humility

Onstage, she changes: people always tell her so. “cuando estás en el escenario eres otra completamente” (when you are onstage, you are someone else entirely) — Amneris, August 2020 interview ^[1]. Dance is her outlet: “me desahogo en el baile” (I let it all out through dance) ^[1].

She describes herself as a professional above all, and knows how to adapt to any floor: “Porque yo soy una profesional Y te tienes que adaptar a lo que hay” (Because I am a professional, and you have to adapt to what is there) ^[1]. Her worst experience was once in Puerto Rico, dancing bomba and plena, dances with long skirts: she falls flat on her face, gets up, and carries on as if nothing had happened ^[1]. Her lesson: “es fácil perderse, pero es difícil recuperar” (it is easy to lose your way, but hard to recover) ^[1].

Her advice comes down to a few words: “y mucha humildad cuando tú tienes humildad llega lejos” (and plenty of humility; with humility, you go far) — Amneris, August 2020 interview ^[1]. Five years later, the same message: “mi consejo es humilde, constancia sigue luchando” (my advice: humble, consistency, keep fighting) — Amneris, Diamond Talks, June 2025 ^[1].

She loves what she does: “porque yo amo mi trabajo. Alguien que ama su trabajo va a estar.” (because I love my work. Someone who loves their work will always be there.) ^[1]. With her students, she can be very demanding: “a veces soy muy exigente, pero es parte del proceso” (sometimes I am very demanding, but it is part of the process) ^[1]. In 2025, she returns to the basics: “para mí lo más importante son los fundamentos” (for me, the most important thing is the fundamentals) ^[1]. And now she dances for herself: “ahora yo bailo para mí, no para lo que le gusta a la gente” (now I dance for myself, not for what people like) ^[1].

She knows the dance world has its downsides. She says it in one sentence, without naming anyone: “siempre va a estar la envidia, siempre va a estar” (there will always be envy, always) ^[1]. To the women who follow her, she says: “sigan sus sueños sus meta no se rindan no importa lo que estén pasando en su vida” (follow your dreams, your goals, do not give up, whatever you are going through) ^[1].

On her website, she writes that she has taken her art to “over 100 countries for the past 20 years” (to more than one hundred countries in twenty years) ^[3]. That is her own count.

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Her TEACHERS and inspirations

She names her teachers without ranking them: Yuli Mayoral and Evelyn Vega in Ponce, Jorge Santana at Papa Tambor, Juan Matos for ten years, Adolfo Indacochea onstage.

Today, one of her sources of inspiration is Franklin Diaz: “una de las personas que ahora actualmente yo me identifico mucho es con Franklin Diaz” (one of the people I identify with most today is Franklin Diaz) — Amneris, August 2020 interview ^[1]. She has taken classes with him: “cuando cogí clases con él me abrió la mente, ¿sabes?” (when I took classes with him, he opened my mind, you know?) ^[1].

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In SUMMARY: Amneris Martinez’s journey

Eight milestones mark her life as a dancer.

• Who: a dancer from Ponce, Puerto Rico, based in New York.
• Her beginnings: Yuli Mayoral’s academy, then Sabor Latino and the Danzarines de Papa Tambor ^[2].
• 2004: she leaves for Milan, hired by a school for one year ^[1].
• April 2006: she starts with Juan Matos, ten years as a duo ^[2].
• May 2015: she collaborates with Frank Santos, Dominican Fusion ^[2].
• March 2019: performance with Adolfo Indacochea in Chicago ^[4].
• Since the pandemic: New York, Borinsura, and Women’s Pride ^[1].
• Two versions: Borinsura was created during the pandemic according to her, in 2015 according to The Dancer Scene. Regarding the film, she writes that she appeared in it; the go&dance profile says “principal dancer.”

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Learning MAMBO On2 in Liège and online

The New York Style, with which Amneris Martinez’s name is associated, is the Mambo On2 family, that of Adolfo Indacochea. This is the approach taught by Xavier Colina at Studio24, trained in the lineage of Eddie Torres → Adolfo Indacochea.

In Liège, Mambo On2 is danced on Mondays: Introductory at 6:30 pm, Basics+ at 7:30 pm, Intermediate at 8:30 pm. After about a year of practice, it is time for the Advanced level on Thursdays, at 6:30 pm. Everywhere else, Studio Live offers video classes for you to follow at your own pace.

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FAQ: all about AMNERIS MARTINEZ

🌎 Who is AMNERIS MARTINEZ?

Amneris Martinez is a dancer from Ponce, Puerto Rico, based in New York. She dances Salsa and Mambo, danced for ten years with Juan Matos and performs on stage with Adolfo Indacochea. She runs the Borinsura companies and the Women’s Pride event ^[1][2].

✍️ Amneris Martinez or Amneris Martínez?

Both spellings are used: Amneris Martinez without an accent (her website, festival profiles) and Amneris Martínez with an accent (her YouTube channel, the Spanish press). We have also seen Ammeris Martínez ^[3][7].

🥇 Is she a world champion?

She writes it herself: “multiple World Salsa Championships” on her website, “World Champion: Puerto Rico, 2001 and Spain, 2010” on her channel. No competition is named. Her festival profile dates a first prize at Puerto Rico’s national couples Salsa championship to 2001 ^[2][3].

🎬 Was she in Dirty Dancing?

She writes that she appeared in the film Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, released in 2004. The film’s Wikipedia page does not list her in the cast; her go&dance profile says “principal dancer” ^[2][3][5].

🎶 What is BORINSURA?

It is her nickname, her style, and the name of her companies: a blend of Puerto Rico (Boricua) and New York “Sabor” (sabrosura). Her friend Falco gave her the nickname in Spain; the company dates back to the pandemic ^[1][3].

🤝 Who does she dance with on stage?

With Juan Matos for ten years, starting in April 2006; with Frank Santos, with whom she begins collaborating in May 2015 for Dominican Fusion; with Falco Benalcazar; and with Adolfo Indacochea (Chicago show, March 2019; “currently partnering” on her website in 2023) ^[2][3][4].

🗽 How long has she lived in New York?

Since the pandemic. She leaves Italy, where she arrived in 2004, for the United States ^[1].

👩 What is WOMEN’S PRIDE?

It is the event she hosts in New York: workshops, a bootcamp, and parties featuring female Latin dance artists. To her, it is not a congress but a family event ^[1][2].

📍 Where can you find her?

In New York, she teaches at Empire Dance Studio, in Adolfo Indacochea’s studio. For festivals, go&dance lists El Sol Festival (Poland, November 12-16, 2026) and Quien Manda Festival (Bouches-du-Rhône, January 29-February 1, 2027) ^[1][2].

🎓 Want to dance MAMBO On2? Where should you start?

With the foundations — that is where it all happens. Xavier Colina teaches Mambo On2 at Studio24 Liège. In Liège: first trial class for 10€, no reservation required. Just starting out? Come on Monday at 6:30 pm for Introductory. Then, Basics+ at 7:30 pm and Intermediate at 8:30 pm. On Thursday, the Advanced level includes Mambo On2 at 6:30 pm. Practice in the evening at Puerto Rico Nights. Anywhere in the world: Studio Live — +300 HD lessons, 7-day free trial.

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