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“And I didn’t like salsa. My dream, it was to be a soccer player.” (And I didn’t like Salsa. My dream was to be a soccer player.) That is what Johnny Vazquez himself says during a panel discussion at the Los Angeles Salsa Festival in 2018 ^[1].

How did a boy from Guadalajara who dreamed of soccer become one of the faces of LA Style? Through humiliation on a dance floor, three brothers, a nickname received in Puerto Rico and a major move to Europe. He bears the nickname El Príncipe de la Salsa. He has danced in Los Angeles, Puerto Rico, Spain and Italy, and he runs a school near Milan ^[1][5].

But his story is full of dates that change from one account to another, and titles that biographies have inflated. First come the nine misconceptions to untangle, then his life in order, with his own words at every stage.

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Prince, champion, creator of LA Style? The 9 MYTHS about Johnny Vazquez, TRUE or FALSE

Before telling his story, a necessary stop. Biographies of Johnny Vazquez circulate on festival, store and directory websites — copied, amplified, sometimes contradictory. Nine claims keep coming up. Which ones hold up? The verdict at a glance, followed by the details in the sections indicated.

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From GUADALAJARA to Los Angeles: the boy who wanted to be a soccer player

Johnny Vazquez was born in Guadalajara, in the state of Jalisco, Mexico ^[1][2]. He calls himself Mexican and is proud of it ^[1]. Contrary to what some web pages say, he was not born in the United States: a 2004 interview and press reports from 2000 describe him as coming from Guadalajara ^[2][3]. His brother Luis says he is Mexican ^[6].

From the age of six, he says, he dances the popular dances of Mexico: norteño, cumbia, banda, quebradita ^[3][7]. But his dream lies elsewhere: he wants to become a soccer player, and he plays on youth teams in Guadalajara ^[1]. He puts it simply: “me gustaba mucho el fútbol, jugar el fútbol, quería ser futbolista” (I really liked soccer, playing soccer, I wanted to be a soccer player) — Johnny Vazquez, interview with Franco Rocha, May 2020 ^[7].

Then money runs short. Training sessions are very far from home: three buses there, three back, three times a week, not counting Sunday’s game. His family can no longer afford these trips, and he has to stop: “desgraciadamente la fortuna no me ayudó” (unfortunately, luck did not help me) ^[7].

At eleven or twelve, he leaves his parents. He first goes to Texas, where he spends about a year and a half with an older sister. There, in junior high, he misbehaves: “mal comportamiento” (bad behavior), as he sums it up. He returns to Mexico, where he falls into what he calls, in English, “bad company” (the wrong crowd). He is then sent to Los Angeles, where his brother Francisco takes him in hand: “Mi hermano mayor, mi maestro, Francisco Vázquez” (my older brother, my master, Francisco Vázquez) ^[7].

He arrives in Los Angeles as a teenager, between 1994 and 1996, depending on the account ^[1][2][6]. He first lives in Long Beach, moving between his brothers’ homes, until his first winnings at the Mayan Club: “Mis hermanos siempre me trataron bien y fueron los que me aceptaron” (my brothers always treated me well, and they were the ones who accepted me) ^[7]. According to his account, his first year there is split between high school, soccer training and a cashier job at a Taco Bell restaurant ^[1].

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LOS ANGELES, around 1996: the night he decides to learn

Then comes the evening that changes everything. It is the birthday of one of his brothers’ students, at a club. A circle forms around the birthday girl, and each man takes a turn dancing with her. She chooses Johnny: he is their teacher’s brother, so he must know how to dance. But he does not. He only knows the little cumbia step from Mexico, and the dancer leaves him stranded in the middle of the floor ^[1][3].

Humiliated, he decides to learn. That evening, he says, he cries in a corner: “me sentí tan humillado en un país extranjero” (I felt so humiliated in a foreign country). Then comes the decision: “¿sabes una cosa? tengo que aprender a bailar” (you know what? I have to learn to dance) — Johnny Vazquez, public speech, 2017 ^[1].

The next day, at noon, he is in the front row of his brother Luis’s beginner class: “Yo voy a aprender a bailar, coño” (I’m going to learn to dance, damn it). Luis teaches him his first basic step ^[1][3].

He felt offended, but he owes his dancing to that girl: “En este caso a mí la chica me lo cambió para bien” (in my case, the girl changed it for the better for me) ^[1].

Johnny tells this story the same way in interviews published from 2003 to 2021 ^[1][3]. The year and his age vary depending on the account: he starts Salsa between 1994 and 1998. The Los Angeles Times writes in 2000 that he starts in 1996 with Francisco, and Johnny himself says in 2018 that he started dancing in 1996; in other interviews, he mentions 1994-1995, or 1996-1997 with Francisco ^[1][2][3].

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LUIS, FRANCISCO and Johnny: the three brothers and the Los Angeles scene (1990s)

Johnny is not the first of his brothers to dance. According to him, Luis and Francisco, the order is the same: Francisco started first, Luis next, Johnny last ^[1][6]. Francisco’s and Luis’s beginnings fall between 1983 and 1993, according to the accounts ^[6].

Three brothers, three different dancers. Luis says so himself: they are not alike ^[6]. Joby, a Salsa Brava dancer, describes them this way: Francisco, an uncompromising performer; Luis, the essence of smoothness; Johnny, dynamic and precise, with an innate ability to captivate an audience ^[8].

Who trained Johnny? The accounts agree on the essentials. Luis gives him his first basics at the Dance Factory studio in Long Beach: “But Luis teach me my first basics” (but Luis taught me my first basics), Johnny says in 2021. Francisco teaches him the rest. And his development, he says, comes from himself ^[1][6]. In 2018, he tells Salsa.it again: “Tutto quello che so è merito del mio grande Maestro, Francisco Vazquez” (Everything I know, I owe to my great master, Francisco Vazquez) ^[3].

He owes everything to his two older brothers, and he repeats it: “Johnny Vázquez no existiera si no fuera por mis hermanos. […] Gracias a ellos, yo existo” (Johnny Vázquez would not exist without my brothers. […] Thanks to them, I exist) — Johnny Vazquez, Picante y Diferente, March 2023 ^[1]. Back in 2021, he ended a tribute to his group with these words: “And thanks to my brothers, Francisco and Luis. I am a salsero” (and thank you to my brothers, Francisco and Luis. I am a salsero) ^[1].

Another student of Luis follows the same path: Ramón Morales, also Mexican. He starts alongside Johnny in Luis’s beginner classes, and everyone takes him for the three brothers’ sibling. He is not, but, Luis says, he might as well be: he grew up with them ^[6][9].

According to scholar Juliet McMains, Francisco and Johnny are the cofounders of Los Rumberos, the third Salsa company in Los Angeles (her book also calls it Rumba Brava) ^[10]. Johnny, Francisco, and Luis also place him in this troupe before his own career, and the Los Angeles Times writes as early as 2000 that Francisco and Johnny have a company called Los Rumberos ^[1][2][6]. Accounts date its founding to between 1993 and 1997 ^{[1][6][10][11]}.

Luis’s company, Salsa Brava, existed from 1994 to 2004; McMains calls it the first Salsa company in Los Angeles, and Johnny is not part of it ^[6][10][12]. In August 1999, the Los Angeles Times writes that Johnny performs with Olivia, independently of his brothers’ companies, while Luis and Joby run Salsa Brava and Francisco runs Los Rumberos; the list of teams selected for the May 2003 Los Angeles congress groups them the same way, with Johnny listed with his Imperio Azteca ^[2].

In Los Angeles, promoter Albert Torres organizes events where Johnny gives his first public performances ^[1]. Years later, Johnny would say that without a springboard like Albert Torres, many dancers would never have made it to where they are ^[1].

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PUERTO RICO, MAYAN CLUB, BACARDÍ: taking flight (1997–2000)

In 1997, the Vazquez brothers leave Los Angeles for the first time, heading to the first world Salsa congress in Puerto Rico ^[1][6]. Johnny says he went with his brothers, and Luis confirms it ^[1][6]. There they discover other ways of dancing, those of New York and Puerto Rico, and even the existence of a 1 and a 2. Until then, they say, they simply counted 1-2-3-4-5-6 ^[1][6]. “Nuestro primer viaje de Los Ángeles fue 97, Puerto Rico, creyendo que éramos los únicos que bailaban” (our first trip outside Los Angeles was in 97, to Puerto Rico, believing we were the only ones dancing) — Johnny Vazquez, Sispodanca de Figueira da Foz, 2011 ^[1].

In 1998, in Los Angeles, Johnny wins the Mayan Club’s professional competition, facing figures such as Rogelio Moreno and Alex da Silva. That is what Johnny and Francisco say ^[1][6]. His partner at the time is Claudia, according to Francisco, and Johnny also names her among his partners ^[1][6][11]. The victory changes his life, he says: “Ahí cambió mi vida” (that’s when my life changed) ^[7]. The episode became the basis of his reputation as a champion.

His defining partner during those years is Olivia Dasso, from around 1998 to 2000 ^[2][11]. Johnny and Francisco tell different stories about entering the Mayan. Johnny says he asked to enter the amateur category: “Le digo, sí, pero méteme en el amateur” (I tell him yes, but put me in with the amateurs), and that he was entered in the professional category ^[1]. Francisco says the opposite: he wanted to enter Johnny in the amateur category, and Johnny refused: “I want to put it in the amateur. He said, no, I’m professional” (I wanted to enter him in the amateur category. He said: no, I’m a professional) ^[1]. They also tell different stories about a competition in 2000. Francisco says he won the grand prize at the Hollywood Bowl with Monica Gonzalez: “So when she names my name, Francisco Vasquez and Monica Gonzalez” (when she announced my name, Francisco Vazquez and Monica Gonzalez) ^[1]. Johnny, speaking in front of him, responds about the competition where Francisco wants the car, which he also places at the Hollywood Bowl: “I won that competition” (I’m the one who won that competition). Yet he acknowledges that the judges gave Francisco first prize ^[1]. Francisco, for his part, had earlier described winning a car at Universal CityWalk, where Johnny reportedly came second: it is unclear whether the two brothers are talking about the same competition ^[1]. Johnny also mentions a Coca-Cola commercial ^[1].

He has known this stage fright since the competitions, and it has never left him: “No es fácil, yo lo digo, ya hasta el día de hoy a mí me tiemblan las piernas antes de subirme a un escenario, me tiemblan, rezo […] Podría haber estado jugando fútbol o trabajando en el taco, tomando órdenes” (it’s not easy, I say it: even today, my legs shake before I go onstage, they shake, I pray […] I could have played soccer or worked at the taco place, taking orders) — Johnny Vazquez, interview with Franco Rocha, May 2020 ^[1].

How many times has he won? Johnny and his brother Francisco credit him with three consecutive victories at the Mayan Club; Johnny dates them from 1998 to 2000, while some biographies date them from 1999 to 2001 ^[1][6][13]. No known official results confirm these titles. In 2002, the Mayan’s professional title goes to Alex da Silva and Liz Lira ^[10][11]. What the press establishes about Johnny is simpler: in November 2000, the Los Angeles Times describes him as a reigning Salsa champion and writes that he has been winning championships with his partner Olivia Dasso for two years ^[2].

The phrase five-time world champion is read out by a host during a livestream and appears on web pages; Johnny does not repeat it. He speaks of the Mayan’s world competition; but no known records document these titles, and it is not a world title in the sense of a federation ^[1][13]. McMains calls this competition the Mayan World Salsa Competition, and in 2004 Johnny says he won the “Campeón Mundial” ^[3][10].

In the late 1990s, he joins the Bacardí tour after winning a competition in front of Tito Puente; his accounts vary between 1998 and 1999 ^[1]. The Los Angeles Times does mention a Bacardí world tour in 2000 ^[2]. The tour takes him to Italy: he says he first went there in 1999, just to dance and work, before returning to Los Angeles ^[1][14]. He also says he shared the stage with Tito Puente on several occasions, from three to six times depending on his accounts ^[1].

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EL PRÍNCIPE DE LA SALSA: the nickname Eddie Torres gives him (around 2000)

Johnny Vazquez did not give himself his nickname. It comes from Eddie Torres, the Mambo King, during a congress in Puerto Rico. Eddie Torres says so himself: “the title El Principe de la Salsa in the year 2000 in Puerto Rico” (the title of El Príncipe de la Salsa, in the year 2000, in Puerto Rico) — Eddie Torres, video message shown during the tribute to the Vazquez brothers, Los Angeles Salsa Festival, 2018 ^[8][15]. Johnny says so too, with gratitude: “El Príncipe de la Salsa nace por el maestro de maestros que todos conocemos, el señor Eddy Torres” (the Prince of Salsa comes into being thanks to the master of masters we all know, Mr. Eddie Torres) — Johnny Vazquez, interview with Franco Rocha, May 2020 ^[1].

In an English version posted online in 2020, Eddie Torres speaks of Mambo Prince. He dates his meeting with the brothers in Puerto Rico to 1999, and the naming to the following year ^[15].

Johnny tells the story his own way: Eddie Torres reportedly told him he could not call him king, since he was still alive, but that he would name him prince ^[1]. That is how he remembers it. The day before, Eddie Torres had invited him to dance with Olivia Dasso in his tribute to Tito Puente, even though he is from Los Angeles rather than New York ^[1]. On the night of the naming, according to Johnny, he opens his act by singing a mariachi tune, then dances with his partner Olivia Dasso. Salsa.it describes a twelve-minute act combining singing and dancing ^[1][3].

The year remains disputed: Eddie Torres says 2000, and Johnny most often does too; other accounts suggest 1997, 1999, or 2001. Johnny does dance with Olivia Dasso at the Bacardí congress in San Juan on July 29, 2000, and the press already calls him “Prince of Salsa” in September 2002; he himself credits Eddie Torres with the nickname as early as 2003 ^[3][11]. The date of 1997, repeated online, fits poorly with Eddie Torres’s account of meeting the brothers in 1999 ^[1][13][15]. The nickname thus comes from Eddie Torres, in Puerto Rico, around 2000.

Johnny has never wanted to give himself this title. In three interviews posted online in 2020, he repeats that he never named himself, and notes that today many people proclaim themselves king or prince of something ^[1]. Yet he introduces himself this way in a message posted online in 2019, his school uses the title on its website, and his official, verified Instagram account currently displays “Prince of Salsa” and “LA Style Pioneer” (LA Style pioneer): using a title you have received is not the same as giving it to yourself ^[1][4][5].

King of Salsa? Some promotional texts say so. It is false: Eddie Torres’s nickname is Mambo King, and Johnny’s is Prince ^[1][13].

For the brothers, Eddie Torres is also the one who taught them to count the music. Before that, they say, they counted 1-2-3-4-5-6. Johnny, Francisco, Luis, and Eddie Torres himself recount this lesson ^[1][6][15]. But they do not give the same year—1998, 1999, or 2000—and Luis also mentions Nelson Flores, from the New York group Descarga Latina ^[6]. Johnny, for his part, says he followed the master’s advice to the letter: “Todos los consejos que yo he seguido de él, que me ha dado y todo, los he seguido al pie de la letra” (all the advice of his that I have followed, the advice he gave me, I have followed to the letter) — Johnny Vazquez, message to Eddie Torres, November 2020 ^[15].

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LOS ANGELES, 2001-2002: CAROLINA CERISOLA and Marc Anthony’s music video

After Olivia Dasso, another partner leaves her mark on those years: Carolina Cerisola. They dance together for about five months, in 2001-2002 ^[11]. On her official website, Carolina links her name to Johnny’s and to an international tour for Bacardí ^[11].

Marc Anthony’s music video I Need to Know (1999) does exist: the Los Angeles Times writes in 2002 that Carolina Cerisola dances in it, and Carolina’s official biography links Johnny to it ^[11]. Then, in 2002, Johnny leaves Los Angeles for Europe.

The years pass, and partners change too. In 2020, he would speak of all of them, without placing any one above the others: “if it then ended, for whatever reason, in any case, for me, I consider them and will consider them, at this moment, always the best” (if it then ended, for whatever reason, for me, I consider them and will always consider them the best) — Johnny Vazquez, Modena Balla livestream, March 2020 ^[1].

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From MADRID to VALENCIA (2002–2006): Europe and IMPERIO AZTECA

In 2002, Johnny leaves Los Angeles for Europe ^[1][6][16]. After the September 11, 2001 attacks, every trip outside the United States becomes more complicated for him: he is a resident but was not born there ^[16]. He leaves with Ramón Morales: one year in Madrid, then four years in Valencia ^[9][16].

In Valencia, he dances with Carmen Lorente, whom he names among his partners ^[1][17]. Fermín Olaya, organizer of Valencia’s Congreso Mundial de la Salsa and introduced as Johnny Vázquez’s manager, recalls meeting him on his first visit to the city, then seeing him settle there ^[17].

In Madrid, Simposium organizer Félix García chooses him in 2001 for a week of LA Style workshops: “Fue la Johnnymanía” (It was Johnnymanía), he recalls — Félix García, Relatos Salseros, 2020 ^[18]. He had already seen him a year earlier, at the Bacardí world tour congress in Valencia ^[17][18]. Johnny returns to his Simposium in 2003, in 2004, and in 2006, then on an alternating basis ^[18].

Johnny says he founded his company, Imperio Azteca, in Valencia. It exists under that name in early 2003: “Johnny Vazquez Y Su Imperio Azteca” appears on the list of teams selected for the May 2003 Los Angeles congress ^[2]. For years, Ramón Morales is one of its principal dancers ^[6][9]. Johnny runs everything: “I love to entertain, to act, not only to dance” (I like to entertain, to act, not just to dance), he says in December 2004; he has his own group and does everything in it, choreography and costumes ^[3]. Imperio Azteca thus comes into being in Spain, in the early 2000s.

In Italy, the stage awaits him. Several witnesses date the arrival of LA Style to around 1999-2000 ^[14]. Between 2000 and 2002, Johnny makes a lasting impression there with themed choreography—Star Wars, Elvis Presley—and characters ^[1][14].

Dancer Fernando Sosa recalls that in late 1999 or early 2000, Johnny made the case for him to an organizer and invited him to Los Angeles; Sosa launches Tropical Jam in 2000 ^[14]. The influence of LA Style on Sosa is established. Sosa does not present himself as Johnny’s student, although, according to Rafael Gonzalez, he took classes with him ^[6][14].

According to the website of Tropical Gem, Sosa’s company, Tropical Gem and Imperio Azteca, Johnny’s company, begin an artistic collaboration in November 2003: they perform in several cities in Italy and Europe ^[19]. In the interview Sosa devotes to him, posted online in March 2023, Johnny says of him: “Él es mi inspiración” (he is my inspiration) ^[1].

In Valencia, Johnny also learns Bachata with his partner Carmen Lorente during the Bacardí tour, in 1999 according to him: “I learned it in Valencia, España with Carmen Lorente” (I learned it in Valencia, Spain, with Carmen Lorente). He describes himself as the first to have brought it to Los Angeles ^[1][17].

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ITALY (2006–2009): a contract, LILIANA, and a school in Milan

Around 2006-2007, he settles in Italy. It is not a plan to start a school, he explains, but an employment contract: two people running a school in Bergamo, Academia Latina, offer him the chance to become the third partner and rename it Academia Latina by Johnny Vasquez Dance School. When he arrives, everything is ready: an apartment, a car ^[1][16].

Before Liliana, he lived with a French woman for four years ^[20].

Then he meets Liliana, who will become his wife, in London, at the UK congress. They talk on the phone for three months, and then she invites him to an event she is organizing in Australia. He goes and asks her to come live with him in Italy. She replies: “I am not leaving my home unless I get married” (I am not leaving my home unless I get married). They get married in Portugal in 2007. In June 2020, he says: “we have been married for 13 years” (we have been married for thirteen years) ^[20].

Liliana was born in Portugal. Her parents, a Brazilian father and a Portuguese mother, took her to Australia when she was little, Johnny says ^[20].

He admits he has become a little more sensible since then: he is still “always crazy” (always crazy), but “now I think twice about what I do, now before I speak” (now I think twice about what I do, now before I speak). In 2023, he pays tribute to her in public: “El más grande agradecimiento a la persona que cambió mi vida terrenalmente. Liliana, mi esposa” (the greatest thanks go to the person who changed my life on earth. Liliana, my wife) — Johnny Vazquez, Picante y Diferente, March 2023 ^[20].

He is also a father, and he talks about it in his own words, without saying anything more. “I try to be a good father […] I am still learning” (I try to be a good father […] I am still learning), he says, and: “I live for them” (I live for them). In English, he sums it up like this: “I love my kids” (I love my little ones) ^[20].

He calls himself Milanese and says he has lived there longer than in Los Angeles or Mexico ^[1]. His Johnny Vazquez Dance School is founded in Milan in 2009; today it is located in Cinisello Balsamo, in the Milan area ^[5].

How many congresses has he attended? Johnny only says he has traveled across all five continents and has stopped counting his congresses. The figure of more than 70 congresses circulates online, but it does not come from him ^[1][13].

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Johnny the SINGER: Baila Rumbero, Azafata, Paparrin

Johnny Vazquez dances, but he also sings. Yet he does not call himself a singer: in 2018, he tells Salsa.it that he has never considered himself a singer and that he uses singing to move his dancing forward ^[3]. He sees himself more as a showman ^[1].

His first CD is called Baila Rumbero. It is released by Euro Zeta around 2006: ten tracks, including seven Salsa, two Bachata, and one reggaeton ^[1][21]. The song Baila Rumbero is his own: he wrote it, and he says he dedicated it to his brother Francisco ^[1]. The years 2009 and 2014, found elsewhere, do not match its release. In a video posted online in September 2008, he announces a second record for the following month, Escándalo ^[1], whose release date varies across catalogs: January 2008 on Qobuz, August 2010 on Apple Music and at a retailer ^[21].

Later come songs with the band La Máxima 79 and Fabrizio Zoro: Azafata in 2013, Paparrin in 2015 (Johnny on lead vocals, Fabrizio Zoro producing, Tony Velardi on piano and arrangements), followed by Loco in 2018 ^[21].

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From 2017 to TODAY: Hall of Fame, online classes, and school

In September 2017, Johnny returns to a Los Angeles stage, at LABKS in Anaheim, in front of the city’s Salsa community. He says: “después de diez años que regreso a Los Ángeles, ustedes, mi casa, porque yo crecí aquí, yo tengo casa aquí, yo tengo familia aquí, yo aprendí a bailar aquí” (after ten years, I am coming back to Los Angeles, you are my home, because I grew up here, I have a home here, I have family here, I learned to dance here) ^[1]. There he calls for respect: dancing everything, not arguing over numbers. Dance, he says in essence, is not about numbers ^[1].

In March 2018, he tells Salsa.it how much the departure of Ramón Morales, his companion since Luis’s classes, cost him: it was “the hardest blow I have ever suffered” (the hardest blow I have ever suffered), “as if they had cut off my arm” (as if they had cut off my arm) ^[9]. A few months later, it is Ramón who speaks, in a video message sent from Rome to the tribute at the Los Angeles Salsa Festival: he thanks the brothers for motivating him, helping him grow, and being by his side through good times and bad ^[9].

In 2018, the three Vazquez brothers are among the first to be inducted into the Los Angeles Salsa Festival Hall of Fame, onstage in Los Angeles. The exact date of the ceremony has not been found; the tribute video was posted online on July 19, 2018 ^[8].

In March 2020, lockdown hits Italy. Johnny says his school did not operate for at least nine months, with only one reopening lasting a month. Shortly before the live interview on June 20, which has to be postponed, he is hospitalized with pneumonia caused by Covid; he later reassures his hosts: “I am fine, I have tested negative” (I am fine, I have tested negative) ^[22]. He is then teaching online classes to students around the world: “I have more students now around the world than what I have here inside in Italy” (I now have more students around the world than here in Italy) ^[1][6]. Also in 2020, he launches an online solo dance competition, open to dancers from around the world ^[1][6].

In 2023, speaking with Fernando Sosa, Johnny recounts what he had long kept hidden. He had lied about his leg injury, saying it had happened while skiing: “me daba vergüenza decir lo que yo había hecho” (I was ashamed to say what I had done). The truth: “En realidad, la verdad, yo me quise suicidar” (in reality, the truth is that I wanted to kill myself). He clarifies: “Lo que quise hacerme era hacerme daño” (what I wanted was to hurt myself) ^[23].

It all starts with a first tour in Argentina. The day before departure, his dancer pulls out. People are waiting for him; he arrives alone, under pressure, because he cannot abandon the job. His brother Ramón has been dead for a week: “se mató en un accidente con cinco amigos” (he died in an accident with five friends). That brother, he says, “me creció mucho” (helped me grow): he was the one who had given him his first bicycle. His family tells him nothing. He finds out almost a month later, when he returns, during a call with his father, who is in tears: “no me habían dicho que estaba muerto” (I had not been told he was dead). To him, “una puñalada de mi propia familia” (a stab from my own family): his loved ones did not want him to leave the tour ^[23].

That night, he says, he loses his mind. He drinks alcohol, but “no hacía drogas” (I was not taking drugs). He goes to bed around 5 am. When he wakes up, he sees his brother: “Vi a mi hermano que estaba muerto. Lo vi en la puerta” (I saw my brother, who was dead. I saw him at the door). Then, in the living room, around 9 am, he thinks he sees two shirtless men giving him hostile looks and rushing at him. “Me dio tanto miedo” (I was so scared). He hides nothing: “Yo los vi” (I saw them), he insists, while admitting that “a lo mejor, puede ser […] estaba alucinando” (maybe I was hallucinating); and he says of himself that “me quería hacer daño” (he wanted to hurt himself). He comes out of it with a badly injured leg: “me rompo toda esta pierna […] tengo tres tornillos” (I break this whole leg […] I have three screws) ^[23]. For anyone who wants to hear the full account, it is all in the interview ^[23].

This loss affected him less because of the death itself than because of his family’s lie. He also connects his father’s death to his brother’s: “Mi padre se murió cuando mi hermano se murió” (my father died when my brother died), a year or two later. The grieving is not over: “a mí me sigue afectando” (it still affects me), and “yo sueño con él” (I dream about him) ^[23].

Then comes the second chance. He has been told he will never dance again. A doctor tells him: “no se preocupe por sanar ahora, por bailar. Preocúpese por caminar” (do not worry about healing now, about dancing. Worry about walking). It was December 23, just before Christmas. That day, he tells Liliana he does not know whether he will dance again: “Johnny Vásquez aquí se acabó” (Johnny Vásquez ends here). She replies: “no te preocupes por Johnny Vásquez, preocúpate por Juan González, coño” (do not worry about Johnny Vásquez, worry about Juan González, damn it). That very night, in the hospital, his brother Ramón appears to him in a dream: “me dijo que yo iba a regresar” (he told me I was going to come back). Johnny returned to dancing ^[23].

Today, for the 2026-2027 season, his school offers Salsa On1 and LA Style classes with Johnny and two female co-teachers. He also continues performing in shows and singing ^[1][5]. What does he have left after this whole journey? The audience’s love: “today I am someone, today I am rich, rich in love” (today I am someone, today I am rich, rich in love) ^[1].

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LA STYLE: what belongs to Johnny, what belongs to everyone

LA Style is not a method. It is a mix: swing and lindy hop, hip hop, tap dance, acrobatics, acting, Hollywood influence ^[1][2][6]. Johnny speaks of a style that is a little more acrobatic, more theatrical, more spectacular, and for him, the footwork comes from tap dance ^[1]. In 2000, the Los Angeles Times writes that the brothers have filled Salsa with spectacular moves: splits, turns, neck drops, and multiple dips ^[2].

Onstage, Los Angeles routines tell a story: a theme, costumes, acting. Johnny contrasts this with New York, where, he says, the couple stops onstage and dances ^[1].

Why LA Style? The name came from outside, from Puerto Rico or Europe depending on the account. Before that, people spoke of the Vazquez style. Johnny explains that in Puerto Rico, several companies represented Los Angeles: they could no longer just say the Vazquez brothers. In 2018, he tells Salsa.it that this style is not really from Los Angeles: people called it that because it was a trend introduced by the Vazquez brothers ^[1][3]. Luis adds that the brothers rejected the Vazquez style label because other dancers mattered too ^[6].

Who created it? Johnny presents LA Style as a collective creation, involving his brothers Luis and Francisco, Alex da Silva, and Rogelio Moreno, among others; he developed its dynamics and its international reach ^[1]. To a host who called him its creator, he replies: “not me, I was not the only one” (not me, I was not the only one) — Johnny Vazquez, live broadcast with the hosts of Modena Balla, March 2020 ^[1]. Luis prefers to say that the brothers polished the style rather than created it, and Francisco counts himself among several creators ^[6]. His YouTube channel describes itself as that of the creator of LA Style; his school’s website says he helped define and spread it ^[5].

According to scholar Juliet McMains, in Spinning Mambo into Salsa (Oxford University Press, 2015), neither the brothers Francisco and Luis Vazquez, who nonetheless deserve credit for their remarkable skill and creativity, nor any of their contemporaries invented LA Style. No one invented it alone: the style had precedents as early as the 1980s among other Los Angeles dancers ^[10].

Johnny is therefore one of the three brothers who popularized LA Style within a broader scene. The Los Angeles Times was already saying it in 2000: Salsa the Vazquez way had become synonymous with Los Angeles style ^[2].

So what does Johnny himself bring to it? His own answer is speed, turns, and showmanship: “Yo considero mi estilo en lo que viene siendo la velocidad, los giros, los giros” (I consider my style to be speed, turns, turns) — Johnny Vazquez, in an interview in Barcelona posted online in December 2007 ^[1]. In 2000, the Los Angeles Times describes him as “whippet fast and as flexible as a yogi” (as fast as a whippet, a small sighthound, and as flexible as a yogi) and notes that he trains seven hours a day ^[2].

The origin of some figures remains disputed. Neck drops, for example, are credited to the brothers collectively by the Los Angeles Times; Francisco says he invented them by chance; and according to scholar Juliet McMains, Alex da Silva introduced the neck drop into Salsa: according to an interview with him, he reportedly learned it, along with several lifts, from dancer Sandor Sandoval ^[2][6][10]. The accounts differ, and the book says nothing about Johnny on this subject. The same goes for the firsts: Johnny, Luis, and Francisco each claim to have been the first to cut the music or perform comedy onstage. These claims remain uncertain ^[1][6].

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ON 1 or ON 2? Johnny Vazquez’s position

On the question that divides so many dancers, Johnny is clear. For him, dancing on 1 does not define a style: “el uno no es un estilo el uno es un tiempo musical no tiene nada que ver” (one is not a style, one is a musical count, it has nothing to do with it) — Johnny Vazquez, excerpt from an interview with the Mi Pasión school in Hamburg, posted online in 2020 ^[1]. He says this in three videos posted online in 2020, and Luis agrees with him. Francisco, for his part, includes dancing on 1 in his definition of LA Style ^[1][6].

Johnny dances on 1: that is how he learned, thanks to his brother ^[1]. But he repeats, in videos posted online since 2007, that dancing On1 or On2 seems perfect to him, and he can dance the same figure on either count ^[1]. Johnny criticizes rhetoric that devalues dancers depending on whether they dance On1, On2, or Cuban style, and encourages learning from other teachers ^[1].

This position does not make him or his brothers opponents of On2. Johnny says he is tired of people who think you cannot dance without the 2: his anger targets the dogmatic attitude, not those who dance on 2 ^[1]. Luis says those who forbid a count are the ones who lack confidence, and Francisco says you should never criticize other styles ^[6]. Eddie Torres himself says that what matters is not whether you dance on 1 or on 2 ^[15]. Where On1 and On2 come from, and what really changes between them: that’s the subject of our article on the difference between Salsa On1 and On2.

The two accounts of when the brothers danced for Tito Puente do not agree: Francisco says Puente only let the Vazquez brothers dance on 1; Luis says they danced on 2 for the first time on that occasion ^[6].

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His way of TEACHING: passion, humility, no single formula

What can we take away from his words as a teacher? First, that he does not want to impose anything. He essentially tells his students: this is how I learned, this is what I specialize in; and if they want to dance on 2, he sends them to a colleague ^[1].

Next, that you need to study without losing the feeling of dance: never think mechanically, he says in a message to the community posted online in 2019. “La pasión sigue ahí siempre, porque si no, no bailaríamos con el corazón” (the passion is always there, because otherwise we would not dance with our hearts). Salsa is here to stay: “bailen, gócenlo, no dejemos morir nuestro mundo, no lo dejemos morir” (dance, enjoy it, let’s not let our world die, let’s not let it die) ^[1]. He also emphasizes the basics: you cannot build a building without solid foundations. But LA Style, he says, has the right to evolve, like Michael Jackson, who stayed true to his signature style ^[1].

In an interview in Barcelona posted online in December 2007, his advice comes down to a few words: repeat, repeat, repeat, and seek unique, personal creativity and style ^[1].

And he often returns to humility. In a video posted online in 2017, addressing the Los Angeles community, he reminds them: “no perdamos los pies de la tierra, la humildad viene primero que el talento” (let’s keep our feet on the ground, humility comes before talent), an idea he attributes to Michael Jackson ^[1]. In an interview posted online in 2020, he says that each of his partners mattered as much as the others: “for me, none was more important than the other” (for me, none was more important than the other). And: “Johnny Vasquez did not make it on his own” (Johnny Vasquez did not make it on his own) ^[1].

His stage influences are not just Salsa dancers: he cites Michael Jackson, Fred Astaire, the Nicholas Brothers, Elvis Presley, and his brother Francisco ^[3].

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Studio24’s artistic INFLUENCES

Johnny Vazquez’s path crosses those of two artists whose stories the blog also tells. Eddie Torres first: he gave Johnny his nickname, El Príncipe de la Salsa, and according to the Vazquez brothers and Eddie Torres himself, it was from him that the brothers learned to count music ^[1][6][15]. Fernando Sosa next: he says that Johnny put in a word for him with an organizer in late 1999 or early 2000; the influence of LA Style on him is established, but he does not describe himself as Johnny’s student ^[14].

Other profiles on the blog also intersect with his. Adolfo Indacochea first: he says he started dancing On1 and thinks Johnny was his first role model: “el que más me gustaba era Johnny Vázquez” (the one I liked most was Johnny Vázquez) ^[14]. In a video posted online in January 2019, Johnny cites Eddie Torres, Adolfo Indacochea, and Juan Matos among the people with whom, he says, dancers get along “como familia, como hermanos” (like a family, like brothers) ^[1].

Daniel y Desirée next: in September 2014, Johnny, Adolfo, and the duo are invited to the Porto Alegre Salsa Congress in Brazil; in December 2015, they are announced together in Barcelona at the first European gathering of the World Team Project, the network of Adrián y Anita ^[24].

Korke y Judith finally: Korke recalls that at the time, Johnny was “el rey del mundo en la salsa” (the king of the world in salsa), and yet treated him “como si me conociera toda la vida” (as if he had known me all his life) ^[14].

Other biographies on the blog: Bersy Cortez, Yoandy Villaurrutia, Adolfo Indacochea, Korke y Judith.

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

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Learn SALSA ON1 in Liège and online

Johnny Vazquez dances on 1, as he learned in Los Angeles from his brother. This is the Salsa On1 now taught at Studio24 by Xavier Colina, who has himself attended Johnny Vazquez’s workshops. Whether you are in Liège or anywhere in the French-speaking world, you can begin this same progression.

Xavier met Johnny Vazquez in person at Salsa Gold in Hasselt, held at Ritmo Studio’s on Saturday, April 30, 2022, after the Covid period. Johnny was full of energy, ready to party all night. The event continued over the weekend of May 1 and 2 with footwork workshops.

In Liège, Salsa On1 is danced on Tuesdays: 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 7:30 pm. Everywhere else, Studio Live offers its Salsa On1 levels on video, to follow at your own pace.

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FAQ: everything about JOHNNY VAZQUEZ

🌎 Who is JOHNNY VAZQUEZ — the real story?

Johnny Vazquez is a dancer, choreographer, teacher, singer, and company director born in Guadalajara, Mexico. Trained in Los Angeles by his brothers Luis (early basics) and then Francisco, he is one of the three Vazquez brothers who popularized LA Style. Nicknamed El Príncipe de la Salsa by Eddie Torres around 2000, he now lives near Milan, where he runs the Johnny Vazquez Dance School and his company, Imperio Azteca.

🎂 How OLD is Johnny Vazquez?

His date of birth is not known, but the ages he has given allow an estimate. The Los Angeles Times gives his age as 21 in November 2000; Salsa4all writes 25 in December 2004; he himself says 38 in a speech posted online in 2017, then 44, having just celebrated his birthday, in an interview posted online in March 2023 ^[1][2][3]. This points to a birth around 1978-1979. In 2026, he would therefore be about 47.

🎵 Did Johnny Vazquez create LA STYLE?

Not on his own, and he says so himself. He presents LA Style as a collective creation with his brothers Luis and Francisco, Alex da Silva, and Rogelio Moreno, and says he developed its dynamics and reach. Luis prefers to say the brothers polished it. According to scholar Juliet McMains, neither the brothers Francisco and Luis Vazquez nor their contemporaries invented LA Style ^[10]. Johnny is one of the three brothers who popularized LA Style.

🥇 Is Johnny Vazquez really a world champion?

It has not been proven. Johnny and his brother Francisco credit him with three consecutive wins at the Mayan Club, a Los Angeles competition; Johnny dates them from 1998 to 2000, some biographies from 1999 to 2001. No official record of results has been found. The descriptions three-time or five-time world champion are not substantiated. In 2000, the Los Angeles Times describes him as a reigning Salsa champion ^[2].

🤝 Who gave Johnny Vazquez his nickname, the PRINCE of Salsa?

Eddie Torres, in Puerto Rico, around 2000. Eddie Torres says so himself, and Johnny tells the same story. Johnny says he never gave himself that nickname. Today he uses it, as does his school.

💃 Does Johnny Vazquez dance ON1 or ON2?

He dances on 1 because that is how he learned from his brother. But he says dancing on 1 or on 2 is perfect, and that 1 is a count in the music, not a style. He criticizes rhetoric that devalues dancers depending on whether they dance On1, On2, or Cuban style.

🎵 Is Johnny Vazquez a SINGER?

He sings, but does not call himself a singer: he describes himself as a showman. His first CD, Baila Rumbero, was released by Euro Zeta around 2006. He is also behind the songs Azafata (2013), Paparrin (2015) and Loco (2018).

🏫 Where does Johnny Vazquez teach today?

At the Johnny Vazquez Dance School in Cinisello Balsamo, in the Milan area, founded in Milan in 2009. For the 2026-2027 season, it offers Salsa On1 and LA Style classes with Johnny and two co-teachers. He has also taught online classes since 2020.

🤝 Who are Johnny Vazquez’s brothers?

Francisco and Luis Vazquez, also professional dancers. According to scholar Juliet McMains, Francisco and Johnny co-founded Los Rumberos ^[10]; Luis had his company, Salsa Brava. Johnny says Luis gave him his early basics, Francisco taught him the rest, and without his brothers, Johnny Vazquez would not exist.

🤝 Who does JOHNNY VAZQUEZ dance with onstage?

Over the course of his career, he has danced with partners including Claudia (Mayan Club, 1998), Olivia Dasso (from around 1998 to 2000), Carolina Cerisola (about five months, in 2001-2002), and Carmen Lorente (Valencia), and his companion on this path is Ramón Morales, one of Imperio Azteca’s principal dancers. He says each of his partners mattered as much as the others ^{[1][2][9][11][17]}.

🌎 Vazquez, Vasquez, or Vázquez: how is it spelled?

All three spellings circulate, and Jhonny or Jonny also appear. His school’s website uses Vazquez. Johnny himself introduces himself as Johnny Vásquez in a message posted online in 2019.

📱 Where can you FOLLOW Johnny Vazquez?

On his school’s official website and his official YouTube channel ^[5].

🎓 Want to dance SALSA ON1? Where do you start?

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 in the evening at Puerto Rico Nights. Worldwide: Studio Live — +300 HD lessons, 7-day free trial.

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Sources & Bibliography

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