Today we’d like to introduce you to Roman Gomez and Jaylee Marshall.
Roman and Jaylee, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Roman: “I have been doing Latin dance for over 4 years. I started when I was 7 years old, I am 11 now. I liked dancing right away. It was like I was born to dance.”
Jaylee: “I have been dancing for two years, I started when I was 6 years old. I am 8 years old.”
Roman: “We met while we studied at the same dance academy. Someone asked if I could dance at a wedding. I needed a partner so I asked Jaylee if she would want to perform with me. She said “yes”. My parents hired a choreographer to teach us a new Latin dance using many different songs together. It was a lot of fun and different from what we were doing before.”
Jaylee: “After we danced at that wedding, people would come up to us and ask if we could come to their party or Quinceanera. They really liked our dancing together and would ask to take pictures with us. After we performed once, a little boy followed us around all night. He said he wanted to learn to dance like us. That made me feel good.”
Roman: “We have danced a lot. We danced at a lot of places all over Dallas. It is fun to see people smile while you are performing.”
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Jaylee: “Sometimes it’s been easy. We practice a lot though, that is the hardest part. But we also get to have fun too. We get to spend time with our dance friends and play games or talk.”
Roman: “Our parents have made it easy. They are always there to help us. They make our outfits too. When you love to do something, it is easy.”
Have there been any challenges?
Roman: “Yes. Learning different Latin dance steps. In the beginning, we were only taught one type of dance, but there are several more. We have studied Colombian style salsa then we learned Salsa On2 a totally different step and we are now learning the Bachata. Bachata is slower than Salsa. We learned the fastest style first and now we have to work on learning all the different dance styles.”
Jaylee: “It was scary to dance for the first time in front of a lot of people. Then they smiled and started clapping for us. It was easy after that. Roman is so good that he makes it easy too.”
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Roman & Jaylee – what should we know?
What are you known for? How are you different?
Jaylee: “We are kids that love to dance. We like going to different places or events to perform. I love to watch the really great dancers there. We went to the Texas Salsa Congress 2018 and I got to see Junior and Emily Alabi. They are world famous champion dancers and I hope to be like them someday. They are awesome and give us a lot of encouragement.”
Roman: “We also went to Miami to compete in the World Salsa Summit 2018. It is a world championship event with the best dancers from all over the world. It was a fun experience and I learned a lot. We are different because there are not a lot of kids our age competing in championships, so that makes us different. We want to have our own dance style. Maybe the dance or music will be different from what other kids have done or are doing. We are working on a lot of new stuff together. This year will be all new for us. We are excited about that.”
Jaylee: “We just performed at the Avance Latino Street Fest in Dallas. We did a Colombian folk dance that was taught to us by one of our favorite dance instructors Tica Ortega. She is an expert in Colombian folk dancing it is a beautiful style of dance. We have a lot of fun doing different dances like that This is going to be the best year ever!
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Roman: “We have made a lot of friends who love to dance or watch us dance in Dallas. There are a lot of great people that have helped us to get better…. dance schools, instructors, other dancers, music DJs, event centers… but mostly, my family, Aunt Laura, Uncle Luis and our parents.”
Jaylee: “Roman and I make a great team together. Many of my friends are dancers too. A lot of them helped me when I first started. Roman, of course, also Miha, Kiara, Romeo, Kaelyn, Jackie, Justin, Carlos, Karen.”
Roman & Jaylee: “Our instructors are Tica Ortega, Tito Ordonez, Johan & Alyssa Ibanez, Ivana Castaneda, Rocio Olarte, all work with us to be sure we keep improving and will be the best that we can be. Our mentors are Junior & Emily Alabi, Gio & Gaby Ochoa, Ruby Rivera, Edwin Rivera, all have given us advice and encouragement to keep working hard to chase our dreams. There have been many more who have supported us along the way too. They know who they are. A huge shout out to all of them.
Contact Info:
- Email: romanandjaylee@gmail.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/romanandjaylee/
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
