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He did not dream of being a dancer. Yoandy Villaurrutia enrolled in dance school to follow a classmate, before leaving for Siberia, discovering snow, and ending up in Moscow, where he dances Salsa his own way, mixed with what he loves. No one understands this blend, and neither does he: « no entendían el producto que yo estaba trayendo, porque ni yo mismo lo entendía » (they didn’t understand the product I was bringing, because I didn’t understand it myself) — Yoandy, PromoMusic Bcn & Friends interview, March 2021 ^[2].

That product is a mix. Coming from Havana, he blends Salsa with hip hop, urban music, and street steps. One day, at a festival, another dancer tells him that what he does is a new style. The name sticks.

Today, his Instagram account presents him as the founder of Salsa NewStyle. In his interviews, he mostly talks about a personal mix that was named after the fact.

In between, there has been a family that pushed him forward or held him back, stage partners at every step (Diana, Yanet, Yenifer), a lifelong friend, Fredy Clan, an Italian television set, and the same passion, which he describes in his own words in the pages that follow.

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Father of a style, dancer for the stars, diploma holder, inventor of a step? The 6 MYTHS about Yoandy Villaurrutia, TRUE or FALSE

Directories, festival biographies, online profiles: information about Yoandy Villaurrutia gets copied from one page to another, sometimes incorrectly, sometimes years out of date. Six claims keep coming up. Which ones hold up? The verdict at a glance, followed by the details in the indicated sections. Third-party biographies place his birth around 1987.

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HAVANA: “Yo-Yo,” a neighborhood boy

Yoandy Villaurrutia is a Cuban dancer, choreographer, and teacher from Havana. He grows up in a family of teachers, far from the stage.

His father, « que en paz descanse » (may he rest in peace), he says in September 2025, taught at a university, and his mother at an elementary school. His parents are separated, and he says it plainly: « soy de padres separados » (my parents are separated). Yet he has a bright memory of his early years: « tenía el apoyo de mi madre y de mi padre, a pesar de que eran separados » (I had my mother’s and my father’s support, although they were separated) — Yoandy, PromoMusic Bcn & Friends, March 2021 ^[2].

Where does his stage name, Yoyo Flow, come from? He explains it in October 2021 ^[2]. Yoyo is a shortened form of his first name, used by those around him in Cuba since childhood. Flow comes later, with festivals: he dances differently there, in a more street style, with hip hop and urban influences. People then tell him: you’ve got such flow. His name is also difficult for Europeans to pronounce, so they call him Flow. He puts the two words together, and Yo-Yo Flow sticks.

The nickname is written several ways: Yoyo Flow, Yoyoflow, YoYoFlo. He himself gives the name of his Instagram account, yoyoflowofficial.

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Tony Menéndez’s SCHOOL: a classmate, a diploma, dance

Before Russia comes school. As a child, Yoandy attends regular school in the morning and dance school in the afternoon. He has little time to listen to music: neither Reggaeton nor Salsa, he says ^[2].

He says he entered the theater and dance school of master Tony Menéndez in Havana at a very young age. Yet he does not dream of a career as a dancer: « No era de ese tipo de chico que desde pequeño soñaba con ser bailarín » (I wasn’t one of those boys who dream of becoming a dancer from a very young age). He loves dancing, that’s all: « Me encantaba bailar, sí, bailaba, era el punto centro en todas las fiestas, en el barrio » (I loved dancing, yes, I danced, I was the center of every party in the neighborhood) — Yoandy, interview with David El Divino, October 2021 ^[2].

Why does he enroll? To follow his « noviecita » (his girlfriend), who was already dancing there: « entré porque tenía a mi noviecita que, bueno, en aquellos tiempos ya bailaba en la escuela de teatro y danza del maestro Tony Menéndez » (I enrolled because I had my girlfriend who, at the time, was already dancing at master Tony Menéndez’s theater and dance school). The rest comes naturally: « ahí le puse empeño, me empezó a gustar mucho la idea » (there, I threw myself into it, I began to really like the idea) — Yoandy, interview with David El Divino, October 2021 ^[2].

The Cuban collaborative encyclopedia EcuRed describes Tony Menéndez as a dancer, choreographer, and artistic director ^[8]. For Yoandy, he is his first master: « esa fue mi escuela, esa fue mi raíz » (that was my school, that was my root), he says in March 2021. Without him, he adds, he would not have succeeded despite his talent: « creo que sin él no lo hubiese logrado a pesar del talento » (I think without him I wouldn’t have made it, despite the talent) ^[2].

At the time, he says, the company focused on what was called the American style in Cuba: hip hop and pop. He then moves from the school to Tony Menéndez’s company as a teenager. He imagined himself as a lawyer or technician; he eventually chooses to devote himself to dance ^[2].

Choosing dance is not a given in the family. His mother supports him: « mi mamá sí me apoyó […] ¿quieres bailar? pues vamos a bailar » (my mother supported me […] you want to dance? well, let’s dance) — Yoandy, PromoMusic Bcn & Friends, March 2021. His father, a university professor, insists that he have a diploma. So Yoandy dances during the day and studies in the evening, « para poder tener un título » (so I could have a qualification) ^[2]. At home, the rule came down to one sentence: « el diploma es la pared » (the diploma is the wall) — Yoandy, QueRico View, September 2025 ^[2].

He also clarifies that Tony Menéndez’s school was an art school that could not award diplomas at the time ^[2].

He says he went on to join other Cuban companies. He mentions Yoldance, directed by Yolena Alonso, and Havana Dance Star, which grew out of the second cast of the show Havana Night. The order varies from one account to another. EcuRed presents Yoldance as a company founded in Havana in 1999 ^[8].

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SIBERIA: the first snow, then six months in Havana for his mother

His first trip out of Cuba takes him to Russia. One day, near the Maceo theater, dancers from a touring Cuban company recognize him: they are one dancer short. The choreographer looks him up and down and tells him: « apréndete esta coreografía » (learn this choreography). Without an audition, without having sought it out, he left two or three months later: « te lo juro, fue algo mágico » (I swear to you, it was something magical) — Yoandy, PromoMusic Bcn & Friends, March 2021 ^[2].

The journey begins in Siberia. The farewell show takes place at the Teatro Nacional in Havana, and the troupe leaves a week later. The contract lasts a year and can be extended. When he arrives, summer is not quite over; then he discovers the first snow: « en cuanto cayó la primera nieve […] me encantó, me encantó » (as soon as the first snow fell […] I loved it, I loved it) ^[2].

At the end of the contract, he is offered the chance to stay. Yet he returns to Havana for six months. He wants to see his mother again: « era la primera vez que me separaba de mi madre en toda mi vida » (it was the first time I had been apart from my mother in my entire life). He also wants to buy her a house and show her what he has earned through his own work — Yoandy, PromoMusic Bcn & Friends, March 2021 ^[2].

Three dancers in the troupe decide to stay; the others return with him. In Havana, the money goes quickly: he gives some to his mother and buys her what she needs, then sells his clothes and jewelry and ends up with nothing. He tells it plainly. Then a friend helps him return to Russia, and this time he decides to live there: « ahí fue donde ya me decidí quedarme » (that’s when I decided to stay) ^[2]. He mentions few specific years in his accounts.

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MOSCOW: nightclubs, a Reggaeton room, and Yoyo Flow’s career

He starts with teaching. During his first contract, he is already giving a few Salsa classes, just as he did in Cuba for groups from England and Switzerland. He then spends three months teaching at a dance school in Siberia ^[2].

A friend living in Moscow tells him: come, if you want people to know you, I’ll be your manager. He sets off on a two-day train journey. There, he goes Salsa dancing in nightclubs “para que la gente me viera porque no me conocía nadie, era una persona nueva, de cero” (so people would see me, because no one knew me, I was someone new, starting from zero). That, he says, is where Yoyo Flow’s career really begins: “ahí fue que comenzó más bien la carrera de Yoyo Flow” (that was really where Yoyo Flow’s career began). Then, “poquito a poco hasta que fui cogiendo mi nombre” (little by little, until I made a name for myself) — Yoandy, PromoMusic Bcn & Friends, March 2021 ^[2].

He sets up his school and his business in Russia. Traveling is difficult for him: he needs a visa every time he wants to come to Europe. His typical day combines several jobs: classes, a show, then singing in a club ^[2].

His mother, who has always supported him without understanding his exhaustion, comes to see him in Russia. She accompanies him to his classes; when she wants to go home, he explains that he still has to dance, then sing in a club. She finally understands: “ahora te entiendo” (now I understand you). He still laughs about it: “bailar también cansa, es una profesión como cualquier otra” (dancing is tiring too, it’s a job like any other) — Yoandy, interview by David El Divino, October 2021 ^[2].

His clientele is mostly young and urban. He has a full room for Reggaeton and urban music, then, right afterward, four to six adults in a Salsa class. His strong market, he says, is urban, not Salsa. So he starts playing urban music in his Salsa classes to attract young people ^[2].

Videos document this period: a master class in a Moscow club, uploaded in November 2011, another at the Chesterfield club on July 11, 2013, and the RNYF 2015 festival, whose video is uploaded in February 2015 ^[9]. A Cuban Salsa blog, Salsa Selfie, shows a video it dates to 2011, the oldest one of him the blogger has found, then points to classes in Moscow in videos it dates to 2012 and 2014 ^[10]. A Russian Salsa directory, dated April 5, 2015, says he has been living in Russia for many years and runs a school, D’AKOKAN project ^[11]. A directory of Moscow schools also lists a schedule of Salsa, Bachata, and Reggaeton classes with him for 2015 ^[11].

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A FESTIVAL in Russia: “bro, it’s a new style,” the name SALSA NEW STYLE

How did Salsa New Style get its name? Yoandy tells the story in March 2021, live from Barcelona ^[2]. Today, he writes it as NewStyle, in one word.

He starts by saying that he was not a great Salsa dancer: “no puedo decir que era un súper bailarín de salsa” (I can’t say I was a super salsa dancer). So he takes the foundation of Salsa and mixes it with what he likes, in the hip hop and pop spirit of Tony Menéndez’s school ^[2].

He then thinks to himself: if everyone is offering Salsa with this or that, he is going to create a new style Salsa. The name, he adds, comes out of a festival in Russia ^[2].

He teaches a class at that festival. At the time, he calls it Salsa fusion, Salsa hip hop, or Salsa mix, for lack of a name. A dancer of “in-line” Salsa (the linear style) tells him after the class: “bro eso que tú estás haciendo eso es un nuevo estilo” (brother, what you’re doing is a new style) ^[2].

He remains clear-eyed about those beginnings. He says that neither the audience nor he himself fully understood this product, and that he was not among the leaders of the movement at the time ^[2]. He is simply trying to mix Salsa with what he likes.

So he keeps the name. He likes Salsa New Style, he says, because it is something new and the name helps him respond to criticism. He says it himself: “para callar boca y justificarme a mí y justificar mi baile” (to silence people, justify myself, and justify my dancing) ^[2].

In summary, the name came to him, he says, from another dancer he met at a festival in Russia, and he kept it to justify his mix. He gives neither the year of that festival nor the dancer’s full name.

The term New Style then appears beyond his own words. A video from the Guaguancó Festival 2016 shows Yoandy with Diana Rodriguez Garcia under the title Timba New Style ^[12].

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DIANA RODRIGUEZ GARCIA: workshops and shows, from Dnipro to Siberia

Onstage, Diana Rodriguez Garcia is his partner for workshops and shows. Their workshops and shows span roughly 2013 to 2016 ^[3]. They appear as instructors at a Salsa festival in Dnipro, Ukraine, then at a Timba workshop in Belgrade in 2014, at the Yo Vengo De Cuba festival in Augsburg in 2016, and in a “Salsa Timba Reggaeton” show at the Hot Winter in Siberia festival in Krasnoyarsk, whose video is uploaded in November 2016.

For him, Timba is a lifeline: he sees it as the whole evolution of Cuban Salsa, where anything can be mixed together. “Yo lo digo así porque a mí me ha sido una salvación” (I put it that way because, for me, it has been a lifeline), he says in October 2021 ^[2].

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PORTUGAL, then ITALY: starting all over again

After Russia, Yoandy moves on to Western Europe. He first goes to Portugal for about six to seven months, then to Italy, around 2017 ^[1]. In Italy, he says, everything is different: “Everything was completely different” (everything was completely different). He trains four or five times a week, because the standard of the artists and students there is very high: “I need to learn, I need to practice to bring something new” (I need to learn, I need to train to bring something new) — Yoandy, Off Stage, Bachaturo Festival, April 2026 ^[2].

He describes this period as a time of training and artistic development, a wonderful opportunity for the artist and the dancer.

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CROATIA, an artist’s dream, and YANET FUENTES by his side

He also mentions a milestone: being booked for the festival in Croatia, in Rovinj. “Many years ago to be in Croatia was a dream for all the artists” (years ago, being in Croatia was a dream for all artists); it was also “one of the big platforms […] to open the door for the world” (one of the major platforms […] to open the door to the world), to become known to organizers — Yoandy, Off Stage, Bachaturo Festival, April 2026 ^[2].

Organizers’ pages trace his path. In 2019, the Croatian Summer Salsa Festival (15th edition, late June) and, for New Year’s 2019-2020, the Hungarian festival Arrebátate in Budapest announce his appearance; the latter mentions Salsa NewStyle by Yoyo Flow ^[12]. A workshop video, uploaded on August 22, 2019, by the Social Dance TV channel, shows that he taught at the Croatian festival ^[13].

He teaches there as a duo with Yanet Fuentes: a Salsa workshop in Rovinj in 2018, then a Timba workshop at the Havana en Belgrado festival in Belgrade in 2019. The Cuban press also names Bárbara Jiménez among the Cuban dancers at the Croatian festival in 2019 ^[4]. With her too, he says in 2026, he has “the beautiful connection”: “we’re working together” (we work together) ^[2].

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MUSIC: singing with Marvin, then with Fredy Clan

Yoandy has known Marvin, a Cuban singer, since his time in Cuba: he danced for him at a concert. When Marvin also moves to Russia, they reunite and form a group. Marvin “fue prácticamente quien me dio toda la enseñanza de lo que era la parte del canto” (was essentially the one who taught me everything about singing) — Yoandy, PromoMusic Bcn & Friends, March 2021 ^[2]. Yoandy says he mostly sang as a hobby. Yet singing remains his unfulfilled dream: “yo siempre quise cantar” (I’ve always wanted to sing) — Yoandy, Ángel Yos’s livestream, May 2020 ^[2].

His two solo tracks come about almost by chance. A half-brother, the son of his mother’s husband, tells him: “vamos a hacer algo, porque yo sé que tienes influencia” (let’s do something, because I know you have influence). Yoandy replies: “vamos al estudio” (let’s go to the studio). He arrives with no lyrics or music, asks for a backing track, and both songs are written on the spot ^[2].

He also records with his friend Fredy Clan. They met in Belgrade. Their song No pasa nada (FClan ft. Yoyo Flow) is recorded in Havana while they are both there: as soon as he arrives, Yoandy heads off to party, and at six in the morning Fredy knocks on his door to take him to the studio. The music video is filmed with colleagues in Cuba ^[2][14]. The official music video is uploaded on April 8, 2018, on the FClan Entertainment channel ^[15].

They have known each other since Belgrade: “nos conocimos en Belgrado” (we met in Belgrade), he says, and they have been inseparable ever since. To him, Fredy Clan is “como mi hermano mayor” (like my older brother) — Yoandy, PromoMusic Bcn & Friends, March 2021 ^[2]. Fredy returns the sentiment: “My brother from another mother” (my brother from another mother) — Fredy Clan, Salsón Radio, June 2020 ^[14].

Meanwhile, in February 2021, he releases a single, Vamo’ a romper, on Diamante Records. Apple Music and YouTube give the same date, February 12, 2021 ^[15]. The project comes from singer and producer El More de Cuba, who suggests a project built around the four seasons of the year ^[2]. On his friendship with Fredy, he offers these simple words: “lo tuyo lo mío es una sola palabra: amistad” (what is yours and mine comes down to one word: friendship) ^[2].

In the April 2026 interview, Yoandy says he is returning to a wonderful musical project with Fredy Clan, and mentions a new album already online on social media ^[2]. An album, Deja Que Todo Fluya, credited to Fredyclan, yoyo flow, and Alca2bleA, was released on January 24, 2025 ^[15].

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2020-2021: lockdown, then BARCELONA

In 2020, like everyone else, he has to stop. On May 22, he spends three hours live with Fredy Clan on Ángel Yos’s show. He talks about his dreams: “yo quiero ser bailarín, quiero ser lo que hoy en día soy, gracias a Dios […] y he logrado ese sueño, que las personas me reconozcan” (I want to be a dancer, to be what I am today, thank God […] and I’ve achieved that dream, for people to recognize me). And he remembers where he comes from: “yo era un chamaquito humilde de barrio, como se dice” (I was a humble neighborhood kid, as they say), “sinceramente soy uno más, defendiendo lo nuestro y tratando de vivir el sueño” (honestly, I’m one among many, defending what is ours and trying to live the dream) — Yoandy, Ángel Yos’s livestream, May 22, 2020 ^[2].

Online classes begin with the pandemic. He has lived in Rome: in June 2020, a radio host says he is based there ^[14].

Then comes Barcelona. In March 2021, live from that city, he says it captivated him from his very first courses and workshops (“una ciudad que me atrapó desde un inicio,” a city that captivated me from the start), and that he is already doing many things there ^[2].

That evening in March 2021, live, he also talks about his life. He is married and says so: he shows his ring, “una cosa que yo no escondo a nadie” (something I don’t hide from anyone). His wife has changed him, he says: from a “fiestero” (partygoer), he has become “el hombre de familia y de casa” (the family man and homebody) — Yoandy, PromoMusic Bcn & Friends, March 2021 ^[2].

In October 2021, he says he has just moved there. He explains that he has no permanent academy: he teaches month-long intensives in several cities, and a weekend in Madrid. His only regular activity is his online classes, which he started with the pandemic, about a year and a half earlier ^[2]. The page dedicated to him by the German festival Me gusta Cuba, published in October 2021, also says he is a member of the group Empire Dance Company ^[1].

In September 2025, asked about Rome and Barcelona, he replies that he is now based in Barcelona and prefers the quality of life in Spain ^[2]. In summary, he has lived in Rome and is based in Barcelona, as he says in both 2025 and 2021.

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2022: YENIFER LAVIN, his current dance partner

Yenifer Lavin is his dance partner. The duo has existed since April 2022 at the latest: a video from the AloCubano festival in Greece is titled “YOYO FLOW & YENIFER LAVIN” ^[5]. In March 2023, they lead a workshop together in Barcelona, then another at the Timba Paradise Salsa Festival 2023 in Saarbrücken, with the video uploaded in October 2023 ^[5].

The Croatian festival then presents the duo Yoyo Flow & Yenifer in 2023, 2024, and 2025, followed by a page under his name alone in 2026 ^[12]. Yenifer says she started learning with him when she arrived in Barcelona ^[14].

For Yenifer Lavin, he has been a guide: “Yo Yo era mi ídolo, sabes, y es muy fuerte bailar con tu ídolo” (Yo Yo was my idol, you know, and dancing with your idol is very powerful). She also says: “fue quien me dio paso en el mundo de la salsa, gracias a él yo estoy en el mundo de la salsa” (he was the one who opened up the world of Salsa to me; thanks to him, I am in the world of Salsa) — Yenifer Lavin, Teresa y sus pasiones, February 2026 ^[14].

Another name crosses his path that year: in 2022, Yoandy and Bersy Cortez are on the bill at the same festival in Bulgaria and dance together socially. We will come back to them below.

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MAY 9, 2025: Italian television, Sognando… Ballando con le Stelle

During the preliminary selections in April 2025, Yoandy dances a Salsa with Vanessa Lacedonia, a dancer from Apulia; he posts the clip on his YouTube channel ^[6].

On May 9, 2025, Yoandy dances in prime time on Rai 1, Italy’s first channel, on the opening night of Sognando… Ballando con le Stelle. This competition selects a new dance professional for Ballando con le Stelle, the Italian version of Danse avec les stars: the contestant from the winning couple joins the show’s team of dance professionals, and Chiquito wins. That night, 2,4 million viewers watch the show, a 16,7 % audience share ^[6].

Yoyo Flow dances there with Rebecca Gabrielli, before a judging panel of Carolyn Smith, Guillermo Mariotto, Fabio Canino, Ivan Zazzaroni, and Selvaggia Lucarelli. His Salsa receives two “yes” votes and three “no” votes: he is eliminated on that very first night. Rai posted the segment on its official YouTube channel on May 12, 2025, viewable only from Italy ^[6].

The Italian newspapers cover it on May 9 and 10, 2025: Sky TG24, Davide Maggio, Quotidiano.net, Fanpage ^[6].

What does he say about this experience? In April 2026, he does not name the show. He explains that on television, you sign a contract and cannot say too much about the rules or what goes on behind the scenes. Still, he describes a great experience: a new audience and the requirement to dance with an artist from a world outside Salsa, Bachata, or Kizomba, working on other dances such as tango. “This one is a new door for me, new opportunity” (this is a new door for me, a new opportunity) — Yoandy, Off Stage, Bachaturo Festival, April 2026 ^[2].

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2026: OFF STAGE, festivals and online classes

In the Off Stage interview at the Bachaturo Festival in Poland, uploaded in April 2026, Yoandy answers questions. He says he wants to give students who cannot come to festivals the chance to learn with him online. He also says he has been on the festival circuit for about twenty years and has danced at major festivals ^[2]. He is announced for La Clave Festival in Girona in November 2026 ^[16].

He also sings: he describes singing as his second passion, after dance: “So this is my second passion, so dance and singing” (so this is my second passion: dance and singing) ^[2].

Asked what he looks for in a partner, he names Diana, Yanet, Bersy, and Yenifer, then replies: “when I make a collaboration with some artists, it’s because I connect with this person” (when I collaborate with artists, it is because I connect with that person). And if he does not feel good, he does not do it: “If I don’t feel good, I don’t do it, this collaboration” (if I do not feel good, I do not do that collaboration) — Yoandy, Off Stage, Bachaturo Festival, April 2026 ^[2].

When he is no longer Yoyo Flow, he says, he becomes Yoandy Villaurrutia again: “I’m just a Cuban man to try to survive in this world” (I am just a Cuban man trying to survive in this world). Sometimes he wants a breather: “I just want to be me sometimes” (I just want to be myself sometimes), and adds: “I don’t like to be fake” (I do not like pretending) ^[2].

He also talks in simple words about what sustains him offstage. He has sacrificed a lot: “I sacrificed a lot” (I have sacrificed a lot), to give his loved ones a better life, “for my family to support, to be better, to live good” (so that my family has support, does better, lives well). And the man on the dance floor sums himself up in a few words: “I just want to be a daddy and a good son, a good brother” (I just want to be a dad, a good son, a good brother) — Yoandy, Off Stage, Bachaturo Festival, April 2026 ^[2].

He keeps learning: “I continue to learn. I practice a lot to bring my best side of dance to give to the students” (I keep learning; I practice a lot to give my students the best of my dancing) ^[2].

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FOUNDER? What he writes, what he says, what others say

It is the question everyone asks: who founded Salsa NewStyle? The answer varies by source. First, here is what Yoandy himself says, in the order of his interviews.

• March 2021 — Live from Barcelona, he says he decides to create this Salsa, that the name comes out of a festival in Russia, and that he was not among the leaders of the movement at the time ^[2].
• October 2021 — He explains that his New Style grew out of what he liked when coming from Cuba (Michael Jackson, Chris Brown, Usher) and Russia’s urban market ^[2].
• April 2026 — He talks about when he started developing a new style and the criticism he received then. He says he explained where the steps come from and respected the rules he had learned: casino before Timba ^[2].
• 2026 — On Instagram, his account displays a Cuban flag and the words “Salsa NewStyle founder” (founder of Salsa NewStyle) ^[7]. Festival profiles and his online community’s page also use the word creator in English; the page for the German festival Me gusta Cuba does so as early as October 2021 ^[1].
• Others — In March 2021, a host calls him a pioneer of Timba new style because no one had made these blends before him. That is the host’s voice, not Yoandy’s ^[2].

What does this sequence show? When speaking, Yoandy talks about a personal blend that he named afterward. In writing, on his accounts, he presents himself as the founder. These are two ways of telling his story: the second is a presentation, the first a narrative.

So he presents himself as the founder of Salsa NewStyle, and says the name came to him from another dancer.

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BLENDING without losing the ROOT: hip hop and the old steps

When Yoandy explains his style, he talks about music first. Coming from Cuba, he likes Michael Jackson, Chris Brown, and Usher. In Russia, his market is urban, rather than Salsa ^[2].

He wants to bring these young people to Cuban culture. So he takes elements of hip hop and adds them to the steps Cuban culture already has. His idea fits into one line: “mi idea es esa, siempre, sin perder la raíz” (that is my idea, always, without losing the root). He says he would take Mambo and bring it to the street ^[2].

He justifies the evolution of dance through that of music, and cites a salsatón record by Gilberto Santa Rosa: if music blends, dance can evolve too ^[2].

The second move is to bring back the old steps. A new style, he says, must bring new things. It can also “traer las cosas viejas que se han perdido y hacerlo moderno” (bring back the old things that have been lost and make them modern). He names pilón, yuca, macuta, mozambique, and chachachá ^[2].

This idea returns in 2026. For Cuban Salsa to grow, he says, these traditional dances need to be taught again: Son, Pilón, Mozambique, Yuca, Makuta. In his view, the fault lies with the artists and organizers rather than the students. When an organizer asks him what class to teach, he suggests Salsa New Style, Timba, Reggaeton, and partner Timba ^[2].

In 2021, he describes this approach as a way to soften the new generation ^[2]. And Timba? To him, it is the entire evolution of Cuban Salsa and its blends, with one condition: you do not add an afro or a Reggaeton when the music does not call for it ^[2].

Today, his community’s online offerings have simple names: Salsa NewStyle, Timba NewStyle, Reggaeton NewStyle, Cuban Salsa with a partner ^[1]. The NewStyle Dance Academy account presents itself as the place where his students dance ^[7].

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His way of TEACHING: music, the basics, the partner

A few ideas recur in his interviews. They form the heart of the way he creates and teaches:

• Music first. He says he sleeps, wakes up, and does everything with music. He chooses a track according to how he feels that day, then builds his class around the accent, voice, or message of the track ^[2].
• Wide-ranging inspirations. He names James Brown, tap dance, and jazz, and old musical films ^[2].
• Not imitating. He tries not to repeat the same steps or follow any style. On Instagram, he follows no one so as not to absorb someone else’s style. He tells his students: “no es necesario bailar como yo sino que cada uno encuentre su propio estilo” (there is no need to dance like me; instead, everyone should find their own style) ^[2].
• Being versatile. To dance Timba, he says, you need to be versatile: avoid limiting yourself to New York Salsa or Cuban Salsa, and study a little of everything ^[2].
• Explaining where the steps come from. He respects the rules he learned: casino before Timba ^[2].
• The partner first. To be a good Leader, you need to learn the basics. And the Leader is not there to show off: “If she look good, you are the best.” (If the partner looks good dancing, you are the best.) — Yoandy, Off Stage, uploaded in April 2026 ^[2].
• Social dancing and shows. A show is prepared for the stage. On the dance floor, you dance socially for connection and enjoyment ^[2].
• Referring students to others. For what he has not mastered, such as a more traditional Timba, he sends his students to a specialist ^[2].
• A class taught by two. He talks about teaching a joint class with Bersy Cortez to explain Cuban Salsa and New York or Puerto Rican Salsa to the students ^[2].

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His VALUES: work, family, unity, and authenticity

In October 2021, he points out that dancing is tiring: it is a job like any other. His competition, he says, is with himself: “mi lucha y mi competencia es conmigo mismo, pero sí que quiero superarme cada día” (my struggle and my competition are with myself, but I want to improve every day) ^[2].

This job also weighs on the family. Yoandy does not complain, but he says it: “No es una cosa fácil de tenerte que levantar y tener que viajar cada fin de semana, dejar a tu familia en casa, trabajar el 31 de diciembre” (it is not easy to have to get up and travel every weekend, leave your family at home, work on December 31). And he adds: “Mi familia lo es todo, lo es todo, es por quien bailo, es por quien estoy aquí hoy en día” (my family is everything, everything; they are why I dance, why I am here today) — Yoandy, interview with David El Divino, October 2021 ^[2].

Who does he owe being where he is today to? First, his mother: “yo primero que todo se lo tengo que agradecer a mi madre” (I owe this to my mother above all) — Yoandy, interview by David El Divino, October 2021 ^[2].

He wants Cuban artists to command more respect and be more united: “Cambiar un poco la mentalidad del artista cubano” (change the Cuban artist’s mindset a little) ^[2].

In April 2026, he says he does not like pretending and does not want to be recognized on the street ^[2]. His advice to dancers at any level: follow your passion and keep dreaming: “everything you dream try to do it because nobody can dream for you and nobody can realize your dream only you” (try to do everything you dream of, because no one can dream for you and no one can make your dream come true except you) ^[2].

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The Cuban ENVIRONMENT he comes from

Academic studies from 2021 shed light on the dance scene in Cuba. They do not discuss Yoandy: they only help explain where he comes from ^[17].

In the first, author Ruxandra Ana reports that in Cuba, Salsa is not taught at two of the major state art schools, ISA and ENA, according to an ISA teacher she interviewed (p. 219; note 3, p. 213). She also explains that in Cuba, the word Salsa refers to a dance known on the island as casino. Internationally, it has become Cuban Salsa, mainly through schools catering to tourists (p. 219, note 7).

In the second chapter, Elizabeth Anaya notes that after the crisis of the 1990s, professionally trained Cuban dancers move abroad, mainly to Europe, and set trends in the Salsa world (p. 42). She also writes that Timba already blends influences from elsewhere: funk, jazz, rock, and reggaeton (p. 42).

A Cuban dancer living in France explains to her that Cubans want to make Salsa a real sauce, mixing plenty of ingredients to make it taste good (p. 43). These texts shed light on Yoandy’s taste for blending styles, without ever mentioning him.

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LEAD DANCER, DIPLOMA, YOYOFLOW: common assumptions about Yoandy

Lead dancer for major Cuban bands. A Russian Salsa directory dated April 5, 2015, states that he was the lead dancer for Manolito Simonet y su Trabuco and Gente de Zona. An announcement for master classes in Moscow repeats the same text ^[11]. Yoandy does not claim this role in his interviews. It has not been confirmed.

The diploma. Directories and festival profiles mention higher education in choreography in Cuba, without naming a school ^[11][12]. Yoandy says that Tony Menéndez’s school could not award diplomas at the time and that he pursued general education in the evenings ^[2]. He never names ISA or ENA. His training at Tony Menéndez’s school and company does not establish that he holds a higher education diploma.

The Yoyoflow figure. On February 9, 2020, blogger Jesper Tverskov (Salsa Selfie) writes that a figure Yoandy called Coca-Cola Moderno is his creation, and renames it Yoyoflow in his honor. He writes that Yoandy created it ten years earlier, without saying what he bases this on ^[10]. In his interviews, Yoandy mentions neither this figure nor a step named after him: Yoyo Flow is his nickname. The name of the figure therefore comes from the blogger, and the date of 2010 comes solely from him.

The figures on his accounts. His accounts and online community display figures for the number of students and countries. These are promotional figures. How they are calculated is not specified. In April 2026, Yoandy only says that he has been on the festival circuit for about twenty years ^[2].

The city of Rome. Three articles in the Italian press from May 9, 2025, describe him as living in Rome ^[1]. He did live there, but he refers to Barcelona as his city as early as 2021, and repeats this in September 2025, as we saw above ^[2].

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Studio24’s artistic REFERENCES

Yoandy Villaurrutia’s path crosses that of an artist you can find on this blog: Bersy Cortez. In 2022, both are on the lineup of the World Stars Salsa Festival in Bulgaria; on June 13, 2022, the festival channel uploaded a video of their social dance ^[18]. On June 24, 2022, it also uploaded the video of his workshop ^[13]. Xavier Colina, who teaches Salsa On1 at Studio24, confirms that Yoandy dances On1 in it. This observation applies to this video, not to all of his dancing.

The two profiles complement each other: the one about Bersy Cortez tells her story, while this one tells his.

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

You can discover Yoandy’s style, a blend of Cuban Salsa, hip hop, and urban music, at festivals and online. Studio24 teaches Salsa On1: if this profile makes you want to dance Salsa, this is where you can start.

In Liège, Salsa On1 is danced on Tuesdays : Introduction at 6:30 pm, Basics+ at 7:30 pm, Intermediate at 8:30 pm. After about a year of practice, move on to the Advanced level on Thursdays at 7:30 pm. Everywhere else, Studio Live offers video classes you can follow at your own pace.

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FAQ: all about YOANDY VILLAURRUTIA

🌎 Who is YOANDY VILLAURRUTIA, aka YOYO FLOW?

Yoandy Villaurrutia is a Cuban dancer, choreographer, and teacher from Havana. He goes by Yoyo Flow. Trained at Tony Menéndez’s school and company, he has lived in Russia, Portugal, and Italy. He says he was based in Barcelona as early as 2021 and still in 2025. He teaches at festivals and online, and he also sings.

🎂 How OLD is Yoandy Villaurrutia?

Yoandy does not give his date of birth. An Italian dance school writes that he was born around 1987, and the Italian press in 2025 gives a similar year. He says he went to work in Russia as a teenager and that, in 2026, he has been on the festival circuit for about twenty years ^[2].

🎵 Who created SALSA NEWSTYLE?

Yoandy presents himself as the founder of Salsa NewStyle on his Instagram account (2026). In an interview, he says he blended Salsa with hip hop and urban music, and that the name came from another dancer at a festival in Russia. In 2021, a host called him a pioneer of Timba new style. He therefore presents himself as the founder, without this being an established fact.

📜 Why is he called YOYO FLOW?

Yoyo is the nickname for his first name used by those around him in Cuba. Flow came with the festivals, where people found his style different and his name hard for Europeans to pronounce. He put the two together.

💃 Who does he dance with on stage?

Diana Rodriguez Garcia is his workshop and performance partner from around 2013 to 2016, followed by Yanet Fuentes (Croatia 2018-2019, Belgrade 2019). His current partner is Yenifer Lavin: the duo has existed since April 2022 at the latest. He also mentions Bersy Cortez, with whom he taught a joint class, and Bárbara Jiménez, with whom he says he has a strong working connection. On Italian television in 2025, he danced with Rebecca Gabrielli. His friend and musical collaborator is Fredy Clan.

📺 Did Yoyo Flow take part in BALLANDO CON LE STELLE?

On May 9, 2025, he danced on Sognando… Ballando con le Stelle on Rai 1: the competition that selects a new dance instructor for Ballando con le Stelle. He dances there with Rebecca Gabrielli in front of 2.4 million viewers and is eliminated on the first night. Rai published the segment on its official YouTube channel.

🌍 Where does Yoandy Villaurrutia live?

He has lived in Rome. He says he is based in Barcelona in 2021, and again in September 2025. In October 2021, he said he did not have a permanent academy and taught intensive courses in several cities.

🎓 Where did he train? Does he have a diploma?

In Havana: at Tony Menéndez’s school from a very young age, then in his company as a teenager. He says the school could not award diplomas at the time and that he pursued general education in the evenings. Directories mention higher education without naming a school. His training at Tony Menéndez’s school and company does not establish that he holds a higher education diploma.

💃 What styles does he teach?

Salsa NewStyle, Timba NewStyle, Reggaeton NewStyle, and Cuban Salsa with a partner, according to his statements from 2026 and his online community. He also wants to bring traditional steps back into today’s dancing: pilón, yuca, macuta, mozambique, chachachá.

🎤 Does Yoandy also sing?

Yes. He starts in Russia with Cuban singer Marvin, who teaches him to sing. In April 2026, he describes singing as his second passion and mentions a musical project with Fredy Clan.

📱 Where can you FOLLOW Yoyo Flow?

On Instagram: Yoyo Flow @yoyoflowofficial (verified account) and NewStyle Dance Academy @newstyledanceacademy ^[7]. He announces his online classes there. You can also find him at festivals.

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

With the foundations — that is where it all happens. Xavier Colina teaches Salsa On1 at Studio24 Liège. In Liège: first trial class for 10€, no reservation needed. Just starting out? Come on Tuesday at 6:30 pm for Introduction. Then Basics+ at 7:30 pm and Intermediate at 8:30 pm. On Thursday, the Advanced level includes Salsa On1 at 7:30 pm. Practice at the Puerto Rico Nights. Anywhere in the world: Studio Live — +300 HD lessons, 7-day free trial.

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Sources & Bibliography

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