Pancho Martinez Pey

Pancho Martinez Pey is a dancer whose training began in folklore as a child, including malambo, bombo and boleadoras ^[1]. His curriculum describes a career that moved from folklore and touring work in Spain into tango performance, with a partnership with Gabriela Amalfitani beginning in 2001 ^[1].

He danced in the musical Tanguera as María Nieves's stage partner, and he later described his partnership with Nieves as lasting "more than 20 years" ^[2][3]. Sources differ on when and where that partnership began (see History) ^[2][3]. He partnered Nieves in her first exhibition after she turned 80, at Viva La Pepa on 21 September 2014 ^[8].

From 2012 he taught on the tango faculty of the arts university in Buenos Aires, then called IUNA and now UNA, in the courses Cátedra Rojas Tango III and IV ^[1]. He has also served as a judge at the Mundial de Tango in several years ^[6][7][11]. A video listing credits him with dancing alongside a large number of partners ^[12].

Early life and folklore

Martinez Pey began dancing as a child in folklore, a training that his curriculum lists as including malambo, bombo and boleadoras; the dossier dates this entry to 1986 ^[1].

According to the same curriculum, he spent about a year and a half in Spain with a touring group, playing drums, singing, and dancing both folklore and tango; this period is dated to 1993 ^[1].

History

In 2001 he began performing with Gabriela Amalfitani ^[1]. Their first joint engagement was a March tour between South Africa and Argentina ^[1]. In 2007 he was filmed dancing with her, credited as Gaby Amalfitani, at Club Sunderland ^[4]. In 2010 the pair danced a tribute to his teacher Raúl Bravo ^[5].

In an interview with Pepa Palazón, he recounted that in the musical Tanguera he had to go on almost without rehearsal as María Nieves's stage partner, in a situation that arose with the dancer he was covering; this is dated to 2002 ^[2]. A separate interview states that he first danced with Nieves at a milonga in Madrid, in 2003, and presents that as the start of what he calls a partnership of "more than 20 years" ^[3]. Sources therefore differ on whether the partnership began on stage in Tanguera or at a Madrid milonga, and on the year ^[2][3].

On 21 September 2014 he partnered María Nieves in her first exhibition after she turned 80, at Viva La Pepa ^[8].

In 2013 he danced with Lorena Ermocida at the Sunny Tango Festival in Crete ^[7]. In 2025 he performed with Ermocida at the Tango Torino Festival ^[10].

Teaching

In 2012 he joined the tango faculty of the arts university in Buenos Aires, then known as IUNA and now as UNA, teaching the courses Cátedra Rojas Tango III and IV ^[1].

He has identified Raúl Bravo as his teacher; in 2010 he danced a tribute to Bravo with Gaby Amalfitani ^[5].

Competition judging

He judged the salon semifinals of the Mundial de Tango in 2012 ^[6]. In 2013 he judged the Mundial salon final at Luna Park ^[7].

On 27 August 2026 he sat on a jury for the Mundial de Tango pista quarter-finals at the Usina del Arte, listed as Jury B for round 3 ^[11].

Interviews

In 2015 he was interviewed together with Francisco Forquera at the Teatro Piazzolla during the Tango Secrets Festival ^[9].

In 2023 he was interviewed by Pepa Palazón for the series 'Tengo una pregunta para vos' at the Academia Nacional del Tango ^[2]. That year he was also the subject of a published interview titled "El tango te desnuda, ves a la gente bailar y ves cómo es." ^[3].

Dance partners

A video listing credits him with dancing alongside the following partners: Lorena Ermocida, Alejandra Gutty, Natalia Ochoa, Elina Roldán, Natasha Lewinger, Virginia Vasconi, Paola Tacchetti, Lautaro Cappella, Raquel Makow, Carla Marano, Jimena Hoeffner, Anabela Brogioli, Carolina Couto, Alejandra Mantinan, Yuliana Basmajyan, Fatima Vitale, Cynthia Fattori, Natacha Poberaj, Roxana Suárez, Mariana Dragone, Agustina Berenstein, Maria Nieves, Anita Ponce, Katia Diamond, Josefina Bermúdez, Marika Landry, Milena Plebs, Moira Castellano, Marianella Michaud, Sal Yamila, Tanya Spektor, Lorena STS and Karen Goudreault ^[12].

The same listing also links him with Carlos Gavito and with an entry named Quinteto El Cachivache ^[12]. It records Gabriela Amalfitani and Gaby Amalfitani Mar as separate entries; other sources refer to his partner as Gabriela Amalfitani or Gaby Amalfitani ^[1][4][12].