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Bersy Cortez discovered Salsa in Caracas. She is based in Málaga, and she has danced with the king of Mambo — Eddie Torres. Between those two points lie a journey around the world, tears before the pyramids of Egypt, a marriage, and a championship won after a year and a half without dancing. She tells all of this herself, openly, in her interviews.

She introduces herself this way: « soy Bersy Cortés, de Venezuela y España » (I am Bersy Cortés, from Venezuela and Spain)^[1]. On posters and in festival videos, her name is spelled Cortez: that is the spelling used in this article. She grew up in the barrio of Pinto Salinas, in Caracas ^[2]. She discovers Salsa at high school and has never paid for a dance class: « yo nunca he pagado por clases de baile porque no tenía cómo pagar clases de baile » (I have never paid for dance classes because I could not afford dance classes)^[1]. At 19, she leaves for Spain, « sola, sin ayuda de nadie, sin dinero ninguno » (alone, with no help from anyone, with no money at all)^[1]. She later danced with Eddie Torres himself — « el sueño de cualquier bailarina que haga salsa o que haga mambo » (the dream of every dancer who dances Salsa or Mambo), in her own words ^[1].

Her story has been anything but an easy journey: « yo no diría para nada que ha sido fácil » (I would not say at all that it has been easy)^[1]. It is made up of classes she could not afford, leaving at 19, a blended style that some professionals did not accept, and a belief she expresses this way: « cada uno tiene que creer en sus raíces, en sus principios y apostar por uno mismo » (everyone must believe in their roots, their principles, and back themselves)^[1]. In the pages that follow, she tells her own story, step by step, from Caracas to her stage appearances in 2026.

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TV dancer, model, TikTok star? The SIX CLAIMS about Bersy Cortez, TRUE or FALSE

Before telling her story, a necessary stop. Six claims circulate about Bersy Cortez; some remain uncertain, and one contradiction conceals two truths. The verdict at a glance, followed by the details in the section indicated.

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CARACAS, from childhood to age 13: a high school mix-up and love at first sight with SALSA

Bersy Cortez grows up in Pinto Salinas, a working-class barrio in Caracas: « calles que tocas con una mano una pared y tocas la otra » (streets where you touch one wall with one hand and the other wall with the other), and a dangerous neighborhood where « se armaban balaceras » (there were shootouts)^[2]. She is raised there by her grandmother and her aunt, a seamstress. Her aunt invests the little she earns in the little girl’s private school so she can get a better education: « eso es una cosa que siempre le agradeceré » (that is something I will always be grateful to her for)^[2].

Before dance, there is music and noise. « Yo ya bailaba todo lo que sonaba » (I was already dancing to everything that played), she says of her first steps ^[2]: her aunt and grandmother sometimes send her to sit down because she cannot keep still. With her friends from the street, she puts together her orchestra: a cheese grater and a fork for one, a saucepan for another. « Yo formaba un desastre en mi casa » (I turned the house upside down). She wants to dance, always: « yo siempre he querido bailar, siempre me ha llamado la atención » (I have always wanted to dance, it has always appealed to me)^[2].

With no money for a dance class, her grandmother takes her by the arm and brings her to the country’s children’s choir — « la coral infantil de todo el país » (the youth choir for the whole country), which offers a free scholarship program for the poorest children. « Y la verdad, hoy en día lo agradezco muchísimo » (and honestly, today I am very grateful to her for it). For five or six years, she sings and plays percussion there: « allí tocabas instrumentos, tenías que ir cambiando de instrumento, tocaban salsa » (there, we played instruments, we had to change instruments, they played Salsa)^[2].

She herself counts this choir story among « una de las historias más patéticas que siempre puedo contar » (one of the most pathetic stories I can always tell)^[2]. When she starts secondary school, she has to sign up for a compulsory activity. Out of a hundred or so, she thinks she is choosing the one where you play an instrument. She opens the door in a tracksuit, soaking wet after a volleyball game, and finds herself facing girls in first position, « con sus cocos, sus mallas de ballet » (with their buns, their ballet tights). « Perdón, perdón, que me he equivocado » (sorry, sorry, I have made a mistake): she goes back out, checks, and it is indeed the right room. The school administration tells her she has to wait a month, until the trial period is over.

On the second day, the class prepares « un tributo a la salsa » (a tribute to Salsa) — and « yo iba a cumplir 11 años » (I was about to turn 11). Within a month, « yo me enamoré tanto, pero tanto de la salsa » (I fell so, so deeply in love with Salsa) that when she is offered the chance to swap places with another student, she says no: « que no y que no y que no » (no, and no, and no)^[2]. She later explains that the company in question « daba clases en mi insti » (taught classes at my high school), and that without it « yo no podría haber pagado para nada clases de baile » (I could not possibly have paid for dance classes)^[1]. She dates her beginnings to age 11: « yo llevo bailando salsa desde que tenía 11 años » (I have been dancing Salsa since I was 11)^[1][3].

At around 13 — « como 13 años o algo así » (around 13, something like that) —, her first “on two” class is taught by Jason Molina. In an hour, he explains the difference between “on one” and “on two,” then runs through his free steps; she has already understood everything, « era por tener mi oído adaptado a escuchar todos esos instrumentos » (it was because my ear was used to listening to all those instruments)^[2].

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CARACAS, ages 14-15: SALSA OPEN, a first congress, and MAYKEL’s academy

A young man sees her dancing at a family party, dances casino with her, and realizes she follows everything. He suggests she join an « agrupación amateur » (amateur troupe) — the Salsa Open group. « Yo tenía en ese momento 14 años » (I was 14 at the time), she says, then corrects herself: « menos de 14 podría ser » (it might have been under 14)^[2].

With this group, she discovers her first Salsa congress. She is sure the troupe will be a triumph: « Yo pensaba que nosotros nos comíamos el mundo » (I thought we were going to take on the world). Then Jason and Swing Latino arrive, the latter from Colombia. « Me sentí en plan diciendo, madre mía, no me queda nada por estudiar. Pero eso me abrió los ojos precisamente para eso » (I thought to myself: my God, I still have everything to learn. But that opened my eyes, precisely to that). In Caracas, she becomes « la típica pesada que estaba detrás de todo el mundo preguntándole de todo y pidiéndole que me enseñaran de todo » (the typical pest, following everyone around, asking questions about everything and asking them to teach her everything)^[2].

When it comes to classes, money is tight. In the 2024 interview, she explains that the first classes someone else paid for were covered by the director of a company who saw talent in her — “yo era su asistente en las clases y él pagaba por mis clases para que yo me siguiera formando” (I was his assistant in the classes, and he paid for my classes so I could keep training)^[1]. Around age 15, she knocks on the door of the company she dreams of dancing with, and they tell her: “pues tienes que pagar esto, esto y esto” (you have to pay for this, this, and this). “Vale, pues gracias” (okay, thank you): she leaves. Through hard work, she will eventually dance there, and it will be “una formación tremenda” (incredible training)^[1].

In the 2020 interview, she describes a similar arrangement with Maykel, an old-school Mambo dancer. He tells her: “tú te puedes venir a hacer de asistente en las clases de iniciales” (you can come and be the assistant in the beginner classes), then “yo te dejo que tomes gratis la formación del avanzado” (and I’ll let you take the advanced-level training for free). He is the first person she sees dancing this traditional, “más neoyorquino” (more New York-style) Mambo in her country ^[2]. “Lo rápido que avancé gracias a eso fue espectacular. Espectacular” (the speed at which I progressed thanks to that was spectacular. Spectacular). She stays with him for about a year and a half, and they then dance as a couple: “trabajábamos juntos y súper bien” (we worked together, and very well)^[2].

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IMAGEN LATINA: at 17, taking the stage without rehearsal clothes

At 17, Franco Rocha says, Bersy Cortez joins the company Imagen Latina, associated with Venezuela Ensamble Martín Mata, an Afro-Caribbean and Afro-Venezuelan troupe. In 2024, radio station Alba Ciudad presents the association “Venezuela Ensamble Martín Mata con Imagen Latina,” where Remmys Morillo leads Imagen Latina, and credits it with more than twenty-nine years of artistic activity ^[4]. In the 2020 interview, Franco Rocha tells her: “Tú con 17 años entras en Imagen Latina” (you join Imagen Latina at 17); she replies: “Cambió todo” (everything changed). She describes a company that is “acrobático, rápido, giros y de todo” (acrobatic, fast, with turns and everything else), at such a high level that she had never believed she could belong there: “yo nunca me sentí que podía formar parte de eso” (I never felt I could be part of that)^[2].

The story of how she joins the company is an anecdote in itself, which she tells in the 2020 interview ^[2]. The director, Arelis — “una mujer super dura y super estricta” (a super tough and super strict woman) —, is a judge alongside her at a “concurso amateur” (amateur competition): she greets her and tells her to stop by the company, without saying why. Bersy arrives without rehearsal clothes. “¿Y tu ropa de ensayo?” (and your rehearsal clothes?) Arelis is unfazed: “Bueno, vas a ensayar así” (well, you’ll rehearse like that). “En dos horas esa mujer montó una coreografía completa” (in two hours, that woman put together an entire choreography), with acrobatics and splits — even though Bersy had never done acrobatics.

That very evening, three girls and three boys will perform that choreography at a social. When Arelis announces the names, she thinks there might be another girl with the same name as her: “a ver si hay otra que se llame como yo” (let’s see if there’s another girl with the same name as me). There is no time for that: Arelis provides her with stockings, shoes, and a costume, and Bersy dances with the company ^[2].

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From Caracas to Málaga “SIN DINERO NINGUNO”: a competition, a stranger on Messenger, a ticket

At 18 — Franco Rocha says 19; she corrects him: “con 18” (at 18) —, Bersy Cortez enters her first couples competition. It is a Cuban “open,” nothing but casino, and she comes from “línea”: the other dancers protest. She goes back to studying what she had learned in the past, because mixing styles comes at a price: her casino teacher when she was 14 or 15, whom she “la amo y la adoro” (loves and adores), used to tap her hand whenever she extended her arm on the wrong side. There are “72 parejas si no me equivoco” (72 couples, if I’m not mistaken). She wins. “Yo no sé si era mejor que hubiese perdido o que lo haya ganado” (I don’t know whether it would have been better to lose or to win), she thinks, because everyone complains that a linear Salsa dancer has won. But they do not know that she had danced casino years earlier. It is “la primera vez que yo sentí que después de tanto trabajo tenía una recompensa así” (the first time I felt that, after so much work, I had a reward like that)^[2].

After the competition, a man approaches her. He speaks with a Spanish accent: “tú deberías venirte allí a España y probar” (you should come to Spain and give it a try). In Málaga, he tells her, no one dances like she does. He then writes to her on Messenger — at the time, there was no Facebook or anything like it. She does not know him. Whenever a new poster for his parties comes out, she goes to a locutorio, a small call center, and calls the printed number to check that the Salsa party really exists. She will not give his name — “no voy a decir tu nombre” (I’m not going to say your name) — but explains that he found her “trabajo directamente en una escuela” (work directly at a school) and a dance partner, Fadi Fusion, and that the two of them were “dispuestos como a pagar mi billete entre los dos” (willing to pay for my ticket between them)^[2].

At 19 — “con 19 años yo me vine a España” (at 19, I came to Spain) —, Bersy Cortez leaves Caracas for Spain. She arrives “sola, sin ayuda de nadie, sin dinero ninguno” (alone, without anyone’s help, without any money)^[1][3]. She sums up her first years in Europe in terms of work: “tuve que trabajar muchísimo y hacer muchas horas y bailar mucho y trabajar muchísimo” (I had to work incredibly hard, put in long hours, dance a lot, and work incredibly hard)^[1].

Her style is poorly received. In the 2024 interview, she explains: in Venezuela, “la gente estaba dividida como la línea y el cubano” (people were divided between linear and Cuban Salsa), but she has always danced both, “siempre he mezclado la línea con el afro y con la rumba y con todo” (I’ve always mixed linear Salsa with Afro, rumba, and everything else). In Europe, “eso era raro” (that was strange): “Las bailarinas me veían rara y decían “pues baila como un hombre porque hace movimientos que son demasiado fuertes”” (the female dancers thought I was strange and said, “she dances like a man, because her movements are too strong”). She adds that “mi estilo por parte de los profesionales no era aceptado en Europa” (my style was not accepted by professionals in Europe) and that she had to “lidiar con eso durante muchos años” (deal with that for many years)^[1]. Even so, she never doubted herself: “yo nunca pensé como “a lo mejor lo estoy haciendo mal”” (I never thought, “maybe I’m doing it wrong”)^[1].

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A Wednesday in Málaga: FADI FUSION, Luxembourg the next day, Milan the day after

Settled in Málaga with her classes and parties, Bersy has no desire to travel from congress to congress. One Wednesday, the phone rings: it is Fadi Fusion. He needs a partner at short notice. Can she come to Luxembourg “mañana” (tomorrow) to learn his routine, then dance the next day in Milan? She agrees to help out: “Yo te ayudo este fin de semana para que no quedes mal con el organizador” (I’ll help you this weekend so you don’t look bad in front of the organizer). The following week, he will find someone else. At least, that is what she believes ^[2].

Other organizers like what they see, and Fadi gets more work; he calls her back week after week — “Nos fuimos alargando” (we ended up carrying on) — until “le cogí el gusto” (I developed a taste for it). She is also asked to teach classes for girls, and she launches her own bootcamps, just as “comenzó el boom de los bootcamps” (the bootcamp boom began). What drives her to keep going? “llegar a sentirme cómoda en un escenario donde te estaban mirando 2.000 personas” (managing to feel comfortable on a stage where 2 000 people are watching you): “Me da igual si a alguien le gusta” (I don’t care whether someone likes it or not)^[2]. She dances with Fadi before 2011, then again after her 2013 title.

Finding a partner is not easy when you are 1,71 m tall. She embraces her height: “me encanta mi estatura y mis piernas larguísimas” (I love my height and my very long legs), she says, but “lo único en lo que sí me ha afectado muchísimo es encontrar una pareja de baile” (the only thing it has really affected is finding a dance partner). It takes someone taller, a style that fits, and “tiene que haber una armonía también en la relación con esa persona” (there also needs to be harmony in the relationship with that person). In heels, she saw herself as “mucho más alta que él” (much taller than him) next to Fadi ^[2].

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2011: MARRIAGE, dancing set aside, and a championship poster

In 2011, Bersy Cortez gets married: “Yo estoy casada desde el año 2011” (I’ve been married since 2011)^[2]. She makes her decision and sums it up in one sentence: “Ya está. Lo dejo todo por ti” (that’s it, I’m giving it all up for you)^[2]. She keeps just one class a week.

Before the 2013 victory, then, there is a break. In the 2020 interview, Bersy Cortez recalls spending “un año y medio casi dos años, sin bailar nada, solamente iba a esa clase un día a la semana” (a year and a half, almost two, without dancing at all, I only went to that class one day a week), watching “todos los vídeos del mundo mundial por YouTube” (all the videos in the whole wide world on YouTube)^[2].

Then comes the poster for La Negra‘s championship: “un concurso de solistas, que además era open” (a solo competition, open to everyone at that). Her husband is the one who shows it to her: “Hay un campeonato de pasos libres y a ti que te encantan los pasos libres, y ¿por qué no te presentas?” (there’s a free steps championship, and you love free steps, so why don’t you enter?) It is April, and the championship takes place every year in early May: she has three weeks left ^[2].

The first time, she goes “un poco como para ver” (just to see, really): “no monté ni una coreografía” (I didn’t put together any choreography), “yo estaba improvisando ahí con una canción de las alumnas” (I was improvising there to a song from my students). They have to dance on Friday, then on Saturday: a judge points out to her that the previous day’s choreography was different. “Fue un poco desastre” (it was a bit of a disaster)^[2].

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2013: CHAMPION at Pasos Libres, and a style the scene did not understand

The following year is the one: “el segundo año ya sí fui” (the second year, I really went for it). “Me preparé la coreo como en un mes” (I prepared the choreography in about a month), and “ese fue el año que gané” (that was the year I won)^[2]. Her recollection differs in the 2024 interview: “yo la primera vez que fui a la competencia de pasos libres en, de La Negra, yo gané” (the first time I went to La Negra’s free steps competition, I won)^[1].

In 2013, at the 4º Campeonato Internacional Pasos Libres La Negra in Spain, Bersy Cortez wins 1st place in the women’s category — CHAMPION ^[5]. And afterward? “Ese año a partir de ese año ya sí comenzó a salirme más trabajo” (that year, from that year on, I started getting more work): “Y ya me junté otra vez con Fadi y bueno, ya seguí trabajando” (and I teamed up with Fadi again, and well, I kept working)^[2].

After a win at La Negra, she recounts in 2024, “hubo alguien profesional y famoso, cuyo nombre no vamos a decir” (there was someone professional and famous whose name we won’t mention): “me felicitó por ganar” (he congratulated me on winning), but also told her, more harshly, that her choreography “era un poco basura” (it was a bit of garbage). His criticism: “estás bailando una canción cubana pero haces pasos de mambo y luego te pasas” (you’re dancing to a Cuban song, but you do Mambo steps and then you go overboard); “la gente no lo entendía” (people didn’t understand it)^[1].

Faced with this European reluctance, she stays her course. For a time, she considered adapting her style for the stage before giving up on the idea: “no funcionó” (it didn’t work) — “a la gente yo creo que le gustó cuando yo hice lo que hacía en el social, lo hice en el escenario” (I think people liked it when I did onstage what I did in social dancing)^[1].

One day, though, she lets go of everything: “hubo un día en el que por primera vez bailé sin importarme absolutamente nada” (there was a day when, for the first time, I danced without worrying about absolutely anything), neither her arm nor the tip of her foot. “Y ese día fue cuando a más gente le gustó y de verdad le emocionó lo que yo estaba haciendo” (and that day was when more people liked what I was doing and were truly moved by it). A competitive dancer? “Yo no soy una de ellas” (I’m not one of them)^[2].

The following year, in 2014, at the 5º Campeonato, she takes 2nd place in the women’s category ^[6]. Two editions, two different results.

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BERSYSTYLE: Bersy Style Almería, her first group, she says

Bersy Style is the name Bersy Cortez gives her dance groups, for which she creates new choreography: a video message from her students thanks her for “la paciencia que tienes cada vez que tienes que montarnos coreo nueva” (the patience you have every time you have to put together new choreography for us)^[7].

Bersy Style Almería is, she says in 2020, her first real group of her own — even though the name “Bersy Style” already appears in 2012, in Málaga ^[8]. In the second part of the 2020 interview, Franco Rocha shows her two video messages from her students, who speak of “cinco años” (five years) of working together. Bersy responds affectionately and teasingly: “ellas están locas todas, son desastrosas” (they’re all crazy, they’re disastrous), but “son el primer Bersy Style que he tenido en toda mi vida como grupo” (they’re the first Bersy Style I’ve ever had in my life as a group). “Siempre hay un problema a última hora para sacar la coreo nueva, para terminarla, el tiempo, el vestuario y todo” (there’s always a last-minute problem getting the new choreography out, finishing it, the time, the costumes and everything). And yet: “Son las primeras y si no hubiese sido por ellas yo no habría comenzado con esto” (they’re the first, and without them I wouldn’t have started all this)^[7].

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From 2014: EDDIE TORRES, the MAMBO KING

As early as 2014, Bersy Cortez dances with Eddie Torres, the Mambo King: at Salentunidos, they close Saturday night together, “salsa y pachanga” ^[9]. At Amsterdam’s international Salsa congress in 2015, Eddie Torres himself mentions, in the video “international salsa Congress Amsterdam.interview questions and answers EDDY TORRES & BERSY CORTEZ 1,” among “las chicas que han bailado conmigo este fin de semana” (the girls who danced with me this weekend), a dancer “de Venezuela” (from Venezuela) ^[9].

Later that year, at the Milano International Festival, she fills the stage all by herself. “Es un poco difícil bailar sola, ¿no? Porque no tienes el apoyo de nadie bailando contigo a tu lado” (it’s a little difficult to dance alone, isn’t it? Because you don’t have the support of anyone dancing beside you). But “nosotros bailamos para la gente que está sentada. Entonces si la gente disfruta, yo disfruto también” (we dance for the people who are sitting down. So if people enjoy it, I enjoy it too). She has been dancing solo since winning a free steps championship, she explains, but also works with “un chico fantástico que se llama Fadi Fusion” (a fantastic guy named Fadi Fusion), and in her filmed interview, she says: “hoy en día tengo la oportunidad, la magnífica oportunidad, de poder trabajar con el maestro de maestros, Eddie Torres, que es lo más grande del mundo” (today I have the opportunity, the magnificent opportunity, to work with the master of masters, Eddie Torres, who is the greatest in the world)^[10].

On January 23, 2016, she teaches a Pachanga class at Latin Studio in Paris (93): “Bersy Cortez Pachanga class latin studio (Paris93 ) 23/01/16” ^[9]. She appears with Eddie Torres in Hamburg and Copenhagen: “Eddie Torres & Bersy Cortez Hamburg Salsa Congress 2016” and “Eddie Torres & Bersy Cortez Copenhaguen salsa congress 2016” ^[9]. For her, dancing with him is “el sueño de cualquier bailarina que haga salsa o que haga mambo” (the dream of any female dancer who dances Salsa or Mambo)^[1].

Two videos from the 3rd World Stars Salsa Festival 2017 bring them together: “EDDIE TORRES & BERSY CORTEZ Salsa Show 3rd World Stars Salsa Festival 2017” and “Workshop EDDIE TORRES & BERSY CORTEZ Pachanga 3rd World Stars Salsa Festival 2017” ^[9]. Another workshop is also filmed: “Workshop 5 – Eddie Torres & Bersy Cortez – Boogaloo” ^[9].

In her 2024 interview, she puts those years in order: “con Fadi trabajé muchísimos años antes de bailar con Eddie” (I worked with Fadi for many, many years before dancing with Eddie), then “luego con Rodrigo” (then with Rodrigo)^[1].

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2018: RODRIGO CORTAZAR, six days of rehearsal and a duo that closes festivals

After Eddie Torres comes Rodrigo Cortazar. They meet while serving as judges: “ustedes estaban en un concurso de jurado, por separado” (you were at a competition as judges, separately), Franco Rocha recalls. Bersy is convinced he is short: “Literalmente, yo pensaba que era muy bajito” (literally, I thought he was very short). “Mi primer descubrimiento fue ver que no era bajito” (my first discovery was seeing that he wasn’t short), she says. That weekend, she feels as though she is constantly being watched: “parecía que me estaban observando todo el tiempo” (it seemed as though I was being watched all the time). Then, at the first rehearsal: “después de media hora de ensayo, estábamos seguros de que queríamos trabajar el uno con el otro” (after half an hour of rehearsal, we were sure we wanted to work with each other). They want to debut their show at a congress, but “solamente pudimos ensayar en total como 6 días” (we could only rehearse for about six days in total)^[7].

Their duo begins in 2018. Rodrigo himself dates its beginnings to “2019 or 18” (2019 or 18) ^[11]. In November 2017, in Warsaw, they appear on the same bill, but separately ^[12]. A video posted online on April 29, 2018, shows them teaching a Salsa history workshop together at the World Stars Salsa Festival in Varna, Bulgaria ^[11]. Scheveningen follows in May 2018, Munich that same year, then a new show in Paris in 2019 ^[9][11]. Rodrigo remembers it happily: “we were closing all the events like every weekend we were closing or we were the second last” (we closed all the events, every weekend we closed or were second to last)^[11].

She sums up what they build together this way: “si hubiese un libro de la salsa yo creo que él y yo hemos escrito una página” (if there were a book of Salsa, I think he and I have written a page). “O sea, hicimos algo bonito” (in short, we did something beautiful)^[1]. Asked in 2024 about the moment that defined her career, she first mentions having been able to dance with Eddie Torres (“tuve el honor y la suerte […] de estar en el lugar, en el momento perfecto y bailar con el maestro Eddie Torres” (I had the honor and good fortune […] to be in the right place, at the perfect moment, and to dance with the master Eddie Torres)), but adds: “Pero sinceramente yo creo que para mí lo que yo hice con Rodrigo Cortázar, yo creo que fue cuando yo realmente me sentí yo en un escenario” (but honestly, I think, for me, what I did with Rodrigo Cortázar was when I really felt like myself onstage). It was with him, she says, that “por primera vez sentí que estaba, que me lo estaba pasando bien” (for the first time I felt I was there, that I was having a good time) — and she broadens the point: “Cuando tú te montas en el escenario y de verdad te lo estás pasando bien, eso para mí es el antes y el después de cualquier bailarín” (when you get onstage and you’re really having fun, to me that’s the before and after for any dancer)^[1].

Each tells the story of how they worked in their own way. Bersy: “Nosotros no ensayábamos nunca y siempre nos sentíamos bien en el show” (we never rehearsed and always felt good in the show), because “yo sabía que durante todo el show él iba a estar con la misma energía que yo” (I knew that throughout the show he would have the same energy as me): “era fácil. Para mí era fácil” (it was easy. For me it was easy)^[1]. Above all, they wanted to “divertirnos en el escenario juntos” (have fun together onstage), without stress ^[7]. Rodrigo, for his part, describes spaced-out rehearsals — “even we were practicing, I think once per week, sometimes once every two weeks” (even rehearsing, I think, once a week, sometimes once every two weeks)^[11]. In another interview, he says that when he practices with her, “we work so fast” (we work so fast): “it’s like two hours for real totally focused with the energy on the top” (it’s like two real hours, totally focused, with our energy at its highest), and “every time that I’m in Spain practicing with her, we just have fun together” (every time I’m in Spain practicing with her, we just have fun together)^[11]. The two accounts agree on how easy it was to work together, but differ on the frequency of rehearsals.

Three Salsa history and musicality workshops with Rodrigo Cortazar and Bersy Cortez are filmed at WSSF 2018, SBBF 2018, and MSC 2018; Rodrigo does most of the talking ^[11]. In the MSC 2018 workshop, he responds to those who say Afro-Cuban dance does not mix with Mambo: “it wasn’t like that since the beginning. We have been mixing since long, long time ago” (it hasn’t always been that way. We’ve been mixing for a very, very long time)^[11].

Then the duo ends. Rodrigo gives his version directly: “there was a point when we were doing different stuff” (there was a point when we were doing different things), and she wanted to keep traveling: “she wanted to keep traveling because for her it was her moment” (she wanted to keep traveling because for her it was her moment). He had already been traveling for twenty years and had had enough: “I was traveling already for 20 years […] I was getting tired of that” (I had already been traveling for 20 years […] I’d had enough). He also says he had found stability in his personal life. In 2026, he gives another reason: when they were preparing a sequence for a class, “ya no encajábamos” (we no longer meshed), and “ya no había ese mismo clic” (that same click was no longer there) ^[11]. Bersy, for her part, does not discuss this ending in her interviews.

This is nothing new for him. Back in 2020, in another interview, he says that the endless travel had taken a toll on his body: “llegó un momento que ya me empezó a afectar muchísimo la salud, demasiado” (there came a point when it started affecting my health enormously, far too much), and that, before quarantine, “comencé a cancelar todos mis eventos internacionales por lo menos por dos años” (I started canceling all my international events for at least two years). Then the pandemic cancels the rest, and he catches COVID: “nos contagiamos del COVID” (we caught COVID). It takes him about two and a half months to recover physically ^[11].

Rodrigo also remembers a visit to Montreal when they were supposed to perform together: “last time we went to montreal we were to perform together” (the last time we went to Montreal, we were supposed to perform together)^[11]. At the time of their collaboration, he was living in Málaga (“i was living in malaga” (I was living in Málaga))^[11]. Bersy, for her part, speaks of the duo as a page written in the book of Salsa.

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2019-2020: family in Spain, COVID, AFROMAMBO, and online classes

In 2019, Bersy Cortez brings her family from Venezuela to Spain. For years, she had only gone back once a year: “me iba con dos maletas y volvía con una maleta metida dentro de la otra” (I would leave with two suitcases and come back with one suitcase tucked inside the other), filled with clothes and food to take there. Bringing her family over, she says, “era la única manera de ayudarlos” (was the only way to help them)^[2].

In 2020, she catches COVID. She tells SalsaInfo: “I don’t know where I got infected exactly, but it was a pretty rough road to recovery and I don’t even want to imagine how families without any resources are going through it” (I don’t know exactly where I caught it, but the road to recovery was quite rough, and I don’t even want to imagine what families with no resources are going through)^[13]. The interview’s title hints at what comes next: COVID fueled a new project.

She calls this project AfroMambo. Two of her videos also refer to “Afro-Mambo” and “African Mambo” ^[9].

She defines this style herself in the SalsaInfo.org interview:

“AfroMambo is the name I gave to a new style that I developed which combines Afro and Mambo. Within these styles we find a lot of history, tradition and some of the roots in Salsa dancing as we know it today.”

— Bersy Cortez, SalsaInfo.org Interview (~2020) ^[13]

(AfroMambo is the name I gave to a new style I developed that combines Afro and Mambo. In these styles, we find a lot of history, tradition, and some of the roots of Salsa as we dance it today.)

On May 6 and 7, 2020, she is invited by Franco Rocha. Online classes are her idea at the time: “he puesto unas clases súper baratas, de mucha teoría, mucha información, mucho de todo” (I’ve set up some super cheap classes, with lots of theory, lots of information, lots of everything), which she teaches “en inglés y en español” (in English and Spanish)^[7]. The e-dancer.com platform featured her online classes in February 2026 ^[14].

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2022: AIX-EN-PROVENCE, a film and a social dance with YOANDY VILLAURRUTIA

In April 2022, two episodes of Wepa TV’s One Day With… series are devoted to her in Aix-en-Provence: “[ One Day With … ] Bersy Cortez | Afro-Mambo Workshop ✨” and “[ One Day With … ] Bersy Cortez | Lady Styling Workshop ✨” ^[9].

At the World Stars Salsa Festival 2022, Bersy Cortez dances socially with Yoandy Villaurrutia: “Yoandy Villaurrutia & Bersy Cortez – Salsa Social Dance at World Stars Salsa Festival 2022” ^[9].

On November 2, 2022, filmmaker Erik Jacobs devotes a film to her, “A Cinematic Salsa Portrait.” In his note, he recalls: “When I first started dancing, Rodrigo and Bersy were kings” (when I started dancing, Rodrigo and Bersy were kings). And he adds: “Bersy, she WAS the music. Lyrical in her expression. Unmatched in her ability” (Bersy, she WAS the music. Lyrical in her expression. Unmatched in her talent)^[15].

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2023: MADRID with FERNANDO SOSA, a summer workshop in Málaga

In 2023, Bersy Cortez appears with Fernando Sosa in the video “Fernando Sosa & Bersy Cortez – Salsa Show | World Latin Congress 2023 (Madrid, Spain)” ^[9]. In Málaga, she teaches workshops at the school Dflow, among others, as videos from 2016 and 2023 show ^[3].

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November 1, 2024: MONTERREY, Mexico, the pyramids, and tears

On November 1, 2024, in Monterrey, Mexico, she answers questions from Mambolee ONE. How does Monterrey welcome her? She makes no secret of it: “si hay un lugar del mundo donde me tuviese que mudar, sería a México” (if there were a place in the world I had to move to, it would be Mexico). “Yo estoy enamorada de la gente y de la comida y de lo amable que son” (I’m in love with the people, the food, and their kindness)^[1]. The city where she would like to work? Tokyo (“Tokio” (Tokyo))^[1].

She says she isn’t very sentimental, and yet: “hay varios países que cuando he llegado he llorado” (there are several countries where I’ve cried upon arriving). “Haciendo algo que para mí es relativamente fácil porque es un hobby que he tenido desde niña” (doing something that is relatively easy for me because it’s a hobby I’ve had since I was little), how did she get there? Mexico, first. Egypt: “se me salieron las lágrimas cuando vi las pirámides” (tears came to my eyes when I saw the pyramids). China (Hong Kong) seems spectacular to her, and so does South Korea: “me encanta” (I love it)^[1].

Back in 2020, she told Franco Rocha that she had been moved to tears in China and Australia: “a mí se me han salido las lágrimas a llegar a un país como China, al ir a Australia y todo, y simplemente pensar, después de tantos años, mira dónde me veo por hacer un suzy q” (tears came to my eyes when I arrived in a country like China, when I went to Australia, and just thinking, after so many years: look where I’ve ended up from doing a Suzy-Q). “O sea, a mí eso me pone los pelos de punta, te lo prometo” (in short, it gives me goosebumps, I promise you)^[2].

Away from home, she thinks of her husband: “a mi marido evidentemente” (my husband, of course). “Estoy todo el rato en videollamada nada más que para […] contarle cómo me ha ido el día” (I’m on video calls all the time, just to […] tell him how my day went). Yet she loves these trips: “me encanta compartir con la gente, me encanta conocer gente nueva” (I love sharing with people, I love meeting new people), and “me encanta la fiesta, todo el mundo lo sabe” (I love partying, everyone knows it)^[1].

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2025-2026: VIETNAM, BULGARIA, TORONTO, ISTANBUL, ROVINJ — the tour continues

In 2025, the tour takes her to Vietnam for a show at the Vietnam International Latin Festival (7th Edition): “Bersy Cortez (Spain) @ SAT SHOW | Vietnam International Latin Festival 2025 (7th Edition)” ^[9]. She is also announced for the Croatian Summer Salsa Festival 2025 ^[3].

Then come Bulgaria and Canada: “Bersy Cortez – Salsa Workshop at World Stars Salsa Festival 2025, Albena/Bulgaria” and “Bersy Cortez Weekender 2025” (Toronto Salsa Fridays) ^[9].

In 2026, she is at the Istanbul Dance Congress on March 23 with Angelo Rito: “Istanbul Dance Congress | 23/03/2026 ~ Bersy Cortez & Angelo Rito” ^[9]. At SalsaRovinj, in Croatia, she explains elbow work in “Lady Style Explained: Bersy Cortez | SalsaRovinj 2026 (CSSF)!”: “I always say it’s like you’re a waiter” (I always say it’s as if you were a waiter)^[9].

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What Bersy Cortez loves: “SOCIAL FOREVER”

Asked what defines her as a dancer, Bersy Cortez replies: “Creo que soy una bailarina bien natural” (I think I’m a very natural dancer)^[1]. What does she like best about her job? Teaching: “del baile, de mi trabajo a mí lo que más me gusta es enseñar” (in dance, in my work, what I like best is teaching), with one guiding principle: “quiero que aprendan pero que se diviertan” (I want them to learn but to have fun)^[1].

Her absolute favorite: social dancing. To the question “¿Bailar social o competencia?,” she replies: “Social forever” (social forever)^[1]. She explains it this way: “disfruto mucho más del social que de hacer un espectáculo. Entonces lo que hice fue llevarme el social al espectáculo” (I enjoy social dancing much more than putting on a show. So what I did was bring social dancing into the show)^[1]. “El mismo sentimiento que tengo en el social lo tengo en el escenario” (I have the same feeling on stage that I have when social dancing)^[7].

On remote teaching, she says: “I never thought I could connect so much with my students and solve all their doubts through a screen. My students have become a virtual family, and I am loving it” (I never would have thought I could connect so much with my students and clear up all their doubts through a screen. My students have become a virtual family, and I love it)^[13].

Her definition of happiness? “Descansar en Málaga. Y comer” (resting in Málaga. And eating)^[1] If she weren’t a dancer, she would be a “Jugadora de pádel profesional” (professional padel player)^[1]; as of February 24, 2026, her Instagram account listed among her sponsors Babolat España ^[14].

The dancer she admires most? Franklin Díaz — mentioned twice in this 2024 interview: as the dancer she most admires (“Franklin Díaz” (Franklin Díaz)), then as someone she would like to collaborate with ^[1]. What would she like to leave behind, her legacy? She puts it this way: “Me gustaría que la gente me recordara por… primero porque la salsa es un ritmo, o sea es un baile que viene de la calle y me encantaría que la gente lo disfrutara sin pensar en verse bien a los ojos de los demás. Que la gente sea natural y sobre todo que la gente entienda […] que la salsa más que competir y todo eso es alegría” (I’d like people to remember me for… first because Salsa is a rhythm, a dance that comes from the street, and I’d like people to enjoy it without thinking about looking good in other people’s eyes. For people to be natural and above all to understand […] that Salsa, more than competing and all that, is joy). “Alegría y naturalidad y que todo el mundo se sienta bien cuando vaya a bailar salsa” (joy and naturalness, and for everyone to feel good when they go Salsa dancing)^[1].

Her favorite choreography? “Alianza de Generales – Tropical Gem” (Alianza de Generales – Tropical Gem)^[1] Rodrigo Cortazar, for his part, says he saw Tropical Gem dance this piece live ^[11].

She also has strong convictions. Competitions? “Para mí, personalmente, no me gustan los concursos” (for me, personally, I don’t like competitions). And judging panels: “hoy en día hay una cosa que me pasa con los jurados es que se llevan todo muy a lo personal, muy a su terreno” (today, what I see with judging panels is that they take everything very personally, on their own terms). For her, “el afro tiene una técnica, la rumba tiene una técnica, un suzy q tiene una técnica” (Afro has a technique, Rumba has a technique, a suzy q has a technique), and you don’t judge them by what you learned in classical ballet ^[2]. Today’s students, who get everything so quickly? “Deberían sacrificarse un poco más. Todo lo tienen como muy rápido, muy fácil” (they should make a few more sacrifices. They get everything very quickly, very easily)^[2].

Her message to dancers? “Let nothing stop you!” (let nothing stop you!)^[13] In 2024, she puts it another way: “que estudien, que confíen en lo que les gusta, en su instinto siempre, pero sobre todo que trabajen” (they should study, trust what they love, always trust their instincts, but above all, work). And: “por una vez que se caigan no va a pasar nada” (just because you fall once doesn’t mean something is going to happen), “siempre va a haber otra oportunidad” (there will always be another opportunity)^[1].

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TEACHING: theory, simplicity, and tears of joy

Her teaching makes room for theory: “In my classes you don’t just dance… you also study theory… (My students even take notes).” (in my classes, we don’t just dance… we also study theory… (my students even take notes).)^[13] And she states her goal with striking clarity:

“My main point is to teach a concept in a simple way, which is easy to understand for my students and applicable on the dancefloor, so you don’t need to think too much when dancing.”

— Bersy Cortez, SalsaInfo.org (~2020) ^[13]

(My main goal is to teach a concept simply, in a way that is easy for my students to understand and applicable on the dance floor, so there is no need to think too much while dancing.)

What she loves most is seeing her students progress: “verlas luego cómo la evolucionan en tan poco tiempo y todo y es que se me salen las lágrimas de ver eso” (seeing them develop afterward in so little time, and really, it brings tears to my eyes to see that)^[1]. Even with a foot injury in 2024, she doesn’t take it easy: “ahora mismo estoy lesionada y cuando doy las clases se supone que no debo exaltarme demasiado” (right now I’m injured and, when I teach classes, I’m supposed to avoid getting too excited), but “pongo la música, se me ponen los pelos de punta y empiezo a ver a la gente y veo la cara de alegría y es que llega un momento que me da igual y otra vez me hago daño en el pie” (I put on the music, I get goosebumps, I start looking at people, I see their joyful faces, and there comes a point when I don’t care and I hurt my foot again)^[1].

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Studio24’s artistic INFLUENCES

Bersy Cortez’s path crosses those of the masters who trained Xavier Colina. First, Eddie Torres — Bersy dances with him as early as 2014, then they appear in Hamburg and Copenhagen in 2016 and at the 3rd World Stars Salsa Festival 2017 ^[9]. Eddie Torres is also at the heart of the lineage Xavier passes on through the World Mastery program, rooted in the teaching of Adolfo Indacochea. At the Milano International Festival in 2015, Bersy describes herself and the other dancers as “privilegiados de poder trabajar con gente tan profesional como Fernando, Adolfo, Chiquito y Filippo” (privileged to be able to work with people as professional as Fernando, Adolfo, Chiquito, and Filippo)^[10]; the interview page also mentions Fernando Sosa and Adolfo Indacochea ^[10]. She also dances with Adolfo Indacochea: a video uploaded in July 2013 shows them social dancing at the Benidorm Salsa Congress 2013, and another video, uploaded in September 2017, features her with him and the company Profesores de Málaga at the Benidorm Salsacongress 2017 ^[16]. She also appears with Fernando Sosa in the video “Fernando Sosa & Bersy Cortez – Salsa Show | World Latin Congress 2023 (Madrid, Spain)” ^[9]. And there is an even more direct connection: Xavier Colina crossed paths with her on the dance floor.

All the blog’s profiles are collected on the page about the great names of Salsa, Mambo, and Bachata.

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Learn MAMBO ON2 in Liège and online

Bersy Cortez has danced with Eddie Torres, and New York Mambo On2 — the style codified by Eddie Torres and passed on by Adolfo Indacochea — is taught today at Studio24 by Xavier Colina. Whether you are in Liège or anywhere in the French-speaking world, you can begin that same progression.

Xavier social danced with Bersy Cortez at the Benidorm Summer Festival — in 2014, then again in 2017. Two encounters on the dance floor, three years apart, two different women. In 2014, what strikes you first: raw Afro-Cuban energy, natural soltura — and in her eyes, something that looks like questioning. As if she were still searching for her direction, her choices, her opportunities. In 2017, that questioning is gone. This is a different Bersy — still just as full of smiles, but with a more elaborate, more complex, and captivating flow. The result of a progression you can only see by dancing with her, not by watching her on a screen.

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FAQ: Everything about BERSY CORTEZ and AfroMambo

🌎 Who is BERSY CORTEZ — the real story?

Bersy Cortez is a Venezuelan dancer, choreographer, and instructor from Caracas. She gave the name AfroMambo to a style she developed that combines, she says, Afro and Mambo. She danced with Eddie Torres, the Mambo King, as early as 2014, then with Rodrigo Cortazar. She is based in Málaga, Spain.

🎂 How OLD is Bersy Cortez?

At the beginning of the 2024 interview, when asked her name, age, and country, Bersy Cortez refuses to give her age: “Tengo que decir mi edad, de verdad. No, no me hagas eso. ¿Es necesario?” (do I have to say my age, really? No, don’t do that to me. Is it necessary?) — then introduces herself: “soy Bersy Cortés, de Venezuela y España” (I am Bersy Cortés, from Venezuela and Spain)^[1]. The only reference points she gives are those of her career: she starts Salsa when she “iba a cumplir 11 años” (was about to turn 11)^[2], takes her first “on two” class around age 13, and leaves for Spain at 19 ^[1].

🎵 What is AFROMAMBO?

AfroMambo is the style Bersy Cortez describes this way: “AfroMambo is the name I gave to a new style that I developed which combines Afro and Mambo” (AfroMambo is the name I gave to a new style I developed that combines Afro and Mambo)^[13]. In her classes, “you also study theory… (My students even take notes)” (we also study theory… (my students even take notes)). Since her early days, she has mixed “la línea con el afro y con la rumba y con todo” (linear style with Afro, Rumba, and everything else). Two of her videos also mention “Afro-Mambo” and “African Mambo” ^[9]. According to the SalsaInfo.org interview, the style is called “AfroMambo”; “AFRICANMAMBO” is the name of her company.

💃 Does Bersy Cortez dance ON1 or ON2?

Festivals present her as a Mambo and Salsa On2 dancer ^[3]. She says her first “on two” class was around age 13 and that she has always mixed several styles: “siempre he mezclado la línea con el afro y con la rumba y con todo” (I have always mixed linear style with Afro, Rumba, and everything else). With Rodrigo Cortazar, she has also given talks on musicality and Salsa history, including the video “Rodrigo Cortazar & Bersy Cortez – Musicality & History of Salsa on1, on2, Contratiempo III” ^[11].

🥇 Did Bersy Cortez actually win — or just take part?

She won. Bersy Cortez took 1st place in the women’s category (CAMPEONA) at the 4º Campeonato Internacional Pasos Libres La Negra in Spain in 2013. The following year (2014), she takes 2nd place in the women’s category. In her 2024 interview, she recalls a famous professional, whom she does not name, congratulating her on her victory while calling her choreography “un poco basura”: she was criticized for mixing a Cuban song with Mambo steps ^[1].

💃 Who does she dance with on stage?

Over the years: Maykel in Caracas (Mambo, around age 15), then Fadi Fusion (before 2011, then again after her 2013 title), Eddie Torres (shows from 2014 to 2017), Rodrigo Cortazar (duo from 2018 onward), and Fernando Sosa (show in Madrid in 2023). With Yoandy Villaurrutia, it is a social dance, in 2022 ^{[2][9][10][11]}.

🤝 Which GREAT NAMES has Bersy Cortez danced with?

In the world of Mambo On2, Bersy Cortez first danced on stage with Fadi Fusion (“con Fadi trabajé muchísimos años” (I worked with Fadi for many, many years)), then with Eddie Torres, as early as 2014 (“el sueño de cualquier bailarina que haga salsa o que haga mambo” (the dream of every female dancer who dances Salsa or Mambo)), and finally with Rodrigo Cortazar (“si hubiese un libro de la salsa yo creo que él y yo hemos escrito una página” (if there were a book of Salsa, I think he and I have written a page)). These collaborations overlap for a while: in 2015, she mentions Fadi and Eddie together ^[10], and Fadi is still announced alongside her in Fulda in late 2017 ^[17]. She also appears in two videos: “Yoandy Villaurrutia & Bersy Cortez – Salsa Social Dance at World Stars Salsa Festival 2022” (Yoandy Villaurrutia) and “Fernando Sosa & Bersy Cortez – Salsa Show | World Latin Congress 2023 (Madrid, Spain)” (Fernando Sosa). The interview page from the Milano International Festival in 2015 also mentions Adolfo Indacochea ^[10].

📅 Where can you see BERSY CORTEZ at a FESTIVAL?

Videos show her at festivals: “Lady Style Explained: Bersy Cortez | SalsaRovinj 2026 (CSSF)!”, “Istanbul Dance Congress | 23/03/2026 ~ Bersy Cortez & Angelo Rito”, “Bersy Cortez (Spain) @ SAT SHOW | Vietnam International Latin Festival 2025 (7th Edition)”, “Bersy Cortez – Salsa Workshop at World Stars Salsa Festival 2025, Albena/Bulgaria”, and “Bersy Cortez Weekender 2025” (Toronto Salsa Fridays) ^[9]. She is also announced at the Croatian Summer Salsa Festival 2025 ^[3]. She is based in Málaga. Follow @bersycortez for announcements.

📱 Where to FOLLOW Bersy Cortez — official accounts and pitfalls to avoid

As of 24/02/2026 — Official Instagram: @bersycortez. Threads: @bersycortez. Online classes: e-dancer.com. Twitter/X: @bersystyle (inactive since 2013). Please note: she has no known official TikTok account; her website, bersycortez.com, now offers her online classes ^[14].

🎓 Want to dance MAMBO ON2 like Bersy? Where should you start?

With the foundations — that’s where it all happens. Xavier Colina teaches Mambo On2 at Studio24 Liège in the direct lineage of Eddie Torres → Adolfo Indacochea (World Mastery program). He himself social danced with Bersy Cortez at the Benidorm Summer Festival in 2014 and 2017. In Liège: first trial class for 10€, no reservation needed, Monday–Thursday 6:15 pm–9:30 pm. Just starting out? Come on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday at 6:30 pm: Thursday is the advanced level. Practice at the Puerto Rico Nights dance evenings. Anywhere in the world: Studio Live — +300 HD lessons, 7-day free trial.

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Sources & Bibliography

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