About
Alexis Ruiz started dancing and playing instruments almost before he could walk. Growing up in Antigua, Guatemala, his mother Aura Marina Ruiz taught him to dance and teach together with her at her school Ritmo Latino. At the age of 12 he started teaching salsa/mambo and a diverse variety of latin dances and latin percussion. Taking intensive training in Cuba and N.Y. He has since then been teaching for over 30 years.
At the age of 17, he moved to Japan where he opened his own dance school and created his own Latin jazz sextet "Foribale". He became an ambassador for Salsa in Japan, and travelled the world representing Japan at different congresses. The name "Alexistyle" was given to him by Albert Torres. Mr. Torres later awarded Alexis with an honorary award for his work in Japan,and the promotion of Latin dance while teaching and performing at the West-Coast Salsa Congress in L.A.
After building his career for 8 years in Japan, he moved to Norway. Here he introduced the musicality of Mambo to the salsa community in Norway, introducing lectures about the history and development “Salsa and his concept of Mambo Masterclass was born. Since then he has trained Norwegian champions, taught around the world on elite level, and created a vocabulary and a methodology that is completely unique. He is world famous for his lectures about "Salsa roots" where he dives into the history of both the music and the dance, and also the different musical influences in salsa.
Today he is co-owner of Norway's only Mambo & Tap dance school that he also teaches rhythmical concepts and music. He composes music with his wife Iselin Ruiz, and together they submerge in the world of dance and music.
He has an extensive background in latin music, latin dance and sound. He is a full-time professional dancer and musician that has his base in Oslo. He has a Bachelor in sound engineering from Westerdals ACT, and is actively working on various TV and film projects.
As a musician you can find his music on Spotify, iTunes and more. He plays all the instruments himself, record himself and edit, a multi-instrumentalist and musical genius! In Norway he is known for playing with some of the best salsa bands like Sonora Cimarron, La Descarga, Banakao, Son on Fire, Son Candela and others!
In 2015 he created Norways first Mambo dance company, Allure Mambo Dance company. Alexis focus on musicality and rhythms, and shows storytelling and traditions in his choreographies. He has toured all over Europe with the company.
In 2018 he co-founded the "Nordic Mambo project" in cooperation with AK mambo from Stockholm with the vision to integrate and expand the mambo dance culture in Scandinavia.
Today after 30 years of career he continues to travel now together with his wife and his team showcasing the art of Mambo and imparting dance workshops and lectures around the world.