She danced from the time she was 4 years old. Accompanied on the guitar by her father, she danced in waterfront bars in Barcelona. A young person who saw her dance as a girl was the Spanish guitarist Sabicas (Agustín Castellón Campos). He later said "I saw her dance and it seemed like something supernatural to me... I never saw anyone dance like her. I don’t know how she did it, I just don’t know!". Sabicas accompanied her for many years. He recorded "Queen of the Gypsies" (1959) and "Flamenco!" with Amaya.