Montuno Salsa Congress 2026 Results

The Montuno Salsa Congress 2026 brought a full weekend of salsa and bachata competition to Peru from April 17 to 19, with dancers competing across salsa, bachata, casino and chachacha categories. The event, led by Marlon Montuno, brought together a wide field of soloists, couples, duos, teams, and rueda groups across student, amateur, semiprofessional, open, pro-am, kids, junior, master, and specialty divisions.

The competition had a strong Peruvian core, with Montuno Dance Studio, Team Saya, DC Company, E G Academia de Baile, Fusión Afro Latina, Pa Gozar, Son Bambó Dance Studio, and other local studios competing in many divisions. The field also included competitors representing Ecuador, Venezuela, Mexico, Chile, Bolivia, Colombia, and Germany, giving the event a clear international presence across the Open and Amateur divisions.

The judging panel included Deklan Guzman, Erick Baez, Ivan Valdespino, Jorge Martinez, Lorenita Andrade, Luis Medina, Marco Espejo, Natalia Villanueva, Pablito Stellato, Sara Panero, and Yaiza Melero.

Open salsa divisions brought some of the strongest scores

The Open salsa divisions produced several of the weekend’s standout results. In Salsa Open Solo Femenino, Keily Diaz of Venezuela won the final with an 84.364 average, followed by Andrea Partidas, also from Venezuela, with 83.167. Shirley Ramos of Peru took third with 81.653.

In Salsa Open Solo Masculino, Matías Jiménez of Ecuador won the final with an 84.425 average, edging Peru’s Alejo Pinillos at 83.989 and Mexico’s Jared Arellanes at 83.144. Jiménez also won the Salsa Amateur Masculino final earlier in the results with an 84.344 average, making him one of the most successful individual competitors of the weekend.

The Salsa Parejas Open Piso title went to Sebas y Macka of Chile with an 82.100 average, ahead of Pepe y Ximena of Mexico and José y Jimena of Peru. In Salsa Parejas Open Cabaret, Pepe y Ximena of Mexico won with an 81.722 average, with Vivi y Roberto of Chile finishing second.

Bachata Open winners represented Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Mexico

The Bachata Open divisions also showed strong international depth. In Bachata Open Solo Femenino, María Álvarez of Peru won with an 83.138 average, followed by Vayoleth Cambindo of Ecuador at 82.075 and Azucena Vaella Huaman of Peru at 81.081.

In Bachata Open Solo Masculino, Derek Castañeda of Peru took first with an 83.056 average. Sergio Giraldo of Colombia finished second with 82.681, and Brayam Robinson Rivasplata Saavedra of Peru placed third with 82.225.

The Bachata Parejas Open Piso title went to Mariel Ariatna y Daniel Mayoral of Mexico’s Acapulco Mambo, who finished with a 78.313 average.

Montuno Dance Studio and Team Saya stood out in groups and Cuban categories

Montuno Dance Studio was especially visible in the group results. The studio won Salsa Grupos Open Pareja with an 80.380 average and Salsa Grupos Open Femenino with an 82.178 average. Montuno dancers also appeared throughout the soloist divisions, including Luciana Pérez, Azucena Vaella Huaman, Leo Veneros, and other finalists across salsa, bachata, and cubano categories.

Team Saya also had a strong showing in casino and cubano categories. Team Saya won Casino Parejas Alumno with Camila y Daniel and also took first in Casino Grupos Alumnos Rueda. In Cubano Open Femenino, Fariri Milla de Leon Navarrete, representing DC Company / Team Saya, won with an 83.222 average.

E G Academia de Baile added major wins in casino and cubano as well, taking Casino Grupos Open Rueda with an 81.889 average and Cubano Open Masculino with Elvis Páez, who won with an 82.197 average.

Several finals were decided by narrow margins

Some of the weekend’s closest battles came in the final rounds. In Salsa Open Solo Masculino, Matías Jiménez finished just 0.436 points ahead of Alejo Pinillos. In Salsa Open Solo Femenino, the battle for third was even tighter, with Shirley Ramos finishing at 81.653 and Azucena Vaella Huaman close behind at 81.650.

In Salsa Alumno Femenino, Luciana Pérez won the final with an 80.567 average, just ahead of Karla Vigo at 80.453. That division also placed Fratib Colmenarez of Venezuela in third, continuing the event’s strong international showing.

Peru anchored the event, but international competitors shaped the podiums

Montuno Salsa Congress 2026 had the feel of a Peru-centered international competition. Peruvian studios filled many of the largest fields, but dancers from Ecuador, Venezuela, Mexico, Chile, Bolivia, Colombia, and Germany shaped several of the most important results. The Open salsa finals, in particular, showed the strength of the visiting competitors, with major wins for Venezuela and Ecuador and podium finishes from Mexico, Chile, and Peru.

Between the depth of the local studio scene, the range of salsa and bachata categories, the casino and cubano divisions, and the international judge panel, Montuno Salsa Congress 2026 gave dancers a broad competitive stage and produced one of Peru’s most active salsa and bachata weekends of the year.