As a youth in Spain, Roger Romero would finish his homework from school and then head to a dance studio where he would spend hours practicing movements and refining his technique.
“Before YouTube and the internet were so popular, I still remember having a couple of videos of the top international professional couples and watching them over and over again,” he said. “It’s difficult to explain, but I simply fell in love with dancing and competing.”
Decades later, the Palm Harbor resident and his professional dance partner and wife, Arismel Naya, are at the top of their profession as this year’s 2026 Fred Astaire World Professional Champions.
The recognition is the highest professional title awarded by Fred Astaire Dance Studios, one of the world’s largest and most respected ballroom dance organizations.
“We had dreamed about that moment for a long time, but of course, we knew that all of our fellow competitors had been working incredibly hard and training to win as well,” Naya said of the championship that took place in Las Vegas in July.
What started as a childhood hobby for both grew into a lifelong passion and international career that took them across Europe and around the world, from international productions to the professional cast of “Dancing with the Stars” in Spain, before ultimately leading them to build their future in Palm Harbor.
Earlier this year, the couple — who began as dance partners, but married last year — opened Fred Astaire Dance Studios-Palm Harbor, bringing nearly three decades of the competitive ballroom world to Pinellas County where they teach dances like the salsa, tango, waltz and swing.
“Over the years, we’ve learned to truly understand and respect each other,” Naya said. “We have very different personalities, but somehow, those differences work really well together.”
Dancing has taught the duo how to communicate, trust each other and appreciate what each brings to the partnership, she says.
“I think that balance is one of the things that makes us such a strong team,” Naya said.
Day-to-day life at this professional level requires 100% commitment, Romero says.
“It means balancing our sleep and diet, staying physically fit, practicing each day and constantly working with our team of coaches and teachers to polish and improve our dancing and routines,” he said. “The preparation is really a 365-day commitment.”
Competitions, professional events where they perform shows, studio events throughout the year — they all require Naya and Romero to be ready to perform at any time.
“We usually use our mornings to train and practice our competitive dancing, and then from noon until 9 p.m., we’re teaching students and running our dance studio,” he said. “On the weekends, we’re often traveling to competitions or events.”
It may mean having almost no days off, but Romero says they’re not complaining.
“We truly love what we do and feel very blessed and lucky to have the opportunity to do it,” he said.
Still, there was a time in their professional lives where they considered walking away from competitive dancing.
“We started competing in Spain and Europe, and around 2012, when we started dancing together, we realized that the industry in Europe is quite different from what it is here in the U.S.,” Naya said. “Believe it or not, it can be much more difficult for a professional ballroom dancer to build a career there. That’s why we didn’t give up on dancing — we simply took our careers in a slightly different direction.”
In 2013, the partners started working on the Spanish version of “Dancing with the Stars” for several years, along with other TV shows. They also created their own company producing shows and events and worked at European theme parks.
“During those years, we stepped away from competitive ballroom, but we continued training at a high level,” Naya said. “We also learned different dance styles and gained so many new experiences.”
Looking back, she says all of those experiences are what helped make their partnership unique today.
“So, in a way, we started our competitive career in Europe, stepped away from competitions for a few years, and then the U.S. gave us the opportunity to come back to where everything started for us — competitive ballroom dancing,” she said.
After moving to the United States, the couple first landed in Rhode Island but traveled to several cities across the country for competitions and professional events. One weekend, they came to Tampa Bay — and immediately fell in love with the region.
“We knew this was where we wanted to build our future and become part of the community,” Romero said. “We started looking for a place that was conveniently located, close to Tampa, St. Pete, the beaches, airports and all the great places to visit.”
That’s when they discovered Palm Harbor.
“From the beginning, everyone welcomed us so warmly, and we felt like we had found our home,” he said.
Now, the duo works with students ranging from 5 to 90 years old.
“It’s incredible to see the transformative power of dance and the role it can play in people’s lives through so many different stages and milestones,” Romero said. “When you genuinely enjoy what you do and you can see that it’s making a positive difference in people’s lives, that is priceless.”