Two years into architecture school in his native Monterrey, Mexico, Luis transferred to the Superior School of Music and Dance of Monterrey to pursue his true love, ballet. He obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Classical Dance. He trained under Roberto Machado and Rosario Murillo and furthered his studies at the Córdoba Dance Festival with distinguished teachers including Vladimir Malakhov, Tadeusz Matacz, Claudio Muñoz, and Adria Velasquez. He also completed specialized intensives in Character Dance with Rafael Ibatullin and Horton Technique with Victor Talledos.
Upon graduating in 2010, Martinez joined Ballet de Monterrey (BdM) under the direction of Luis Serrano. He has danced Giselle, Don Quixote, Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Coppelia, La Bayadere, and Graduation Ball. He also performed in major productions such as Luis Serrano’s Celebration, Sinergia, Cantus, Jorge Amarante’s Uma Batida Diferente, Zendas, and Clark Tippet’s Brunch Violin Concerto. In 2014, with Amarante at the helm of BdM, Luis performed in Raymonda, Romeo and Juliet, The Sleeping Beauty, Amarante’s México en el Ombligo de la Luna, Carmen and Cinderella. He was also chosen by Patrick Delcroix as the first cast in Mexico of Jirí Kylián’s Sechs Tanze. In 2016, under BdM’s new director Jose Manuel Carreño, Luis played Dr. Coppelius and Franz’s friends in Coppelia. In 2017, he danced in Alberto Mendez’s The Phantom of the Opera and also Luis Serrano’s Huapango. Luis was coached by renowned Ballet Masters and Mistresses Ileana Lopez, Phillip Balmain Beamish, Galina Alvarez, Analia Sosa Guerrero, Lazaro Carreño, and many more.
Drawing inspiration from his own teachers, Luis has worked as a ballet instructor while at BdM, and after eight seasons at BdM, Luis started a teaching career in earnest. In 2017, Luis and Serafín Castro founded and directed SL-Dancenter in Mexico. In 2019, Luis moved to Phoenix Metro Area, where he’s now a sought-after instructor and choreographer. He has served as director of the Ballet Program for many different dance studios in the Valley. In 2020, he choreographed and danced a duet with Serafín Castro with the Downtown Chamber Series. In 2021, he won the Outstanding Teacher Award at YAGP. With Luis as coach and choreographer, three of his students made the final round at the YAGP Finals in Tampa, Florida. Under his mentorship, dancers have earned scholarships and acceptances to leading institutions including the Royal Ballet School, John Cranko School, Dutch National Ballet Academy, Princess Grace Academy, Alvin Ailey, the School of American Ballet, a testament to the caliber of instruction and mentorship they receive. In 2022, Luis performed in Lauren Flower’s Fragments, a dance film commissioned by Phoenix Art Museum. He has been invited to guest teach for Ballet of Monterrey, Complexions Contemporary Ballet and Ballet22.
Martinez has been on faculty with Ballet Arizona since 2022 and joined as a Principal Faculty in 2025, teaching company members, and students of the School of Ballet Arizona. Known for his passion and high standards, he inspires dancers to pursue both technical excellence and authentic artistry.
