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CommentsCare to Tango?
Dee and Anne Wampler skipped out of the winter weather and put on their dancing shoes in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
By Tiesha Miller
(page 1 of 2)
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Photo courtesy Dee and Anne Wampler “It was like boot camp,” Dee says of his and wife Anne’s tango lessons from a world-famous instructor. |
Admittedly, they couldn’t immediately pick out Argentina on a map, but with a call to the American Express travel agent, they were all set to begin their big adventure in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Locally, the Wamplers have become pretty well-known for their dancing. They’ve been the first out on the dance floor and the last to leave at many parties and charity events. For them, the dancing started six years ago as lessons that were an anniversary present from Dee to Anne and has become something so much greater for the couple. So even though they were accustomed to other dancers stopping to watch their moves, the Wamplers weren’t going to Argentina for the spotlight. In Buenos Aires they wanted to absorb the culture, and most of all they wanted lessons from the world-famous tango dancer and teacher Carlos Copello. Their eight-day trip was essentially planned around five one-hour lessons with the tango master.
When they first arrived in Buenos Aires—business class on American Airlines provides a comfortable ride—they walked around and took in the (hot) day and the ornate surroundings. They peeked into a Catholic cathedral during a mass and then continued on their walk until they came upon one of their favorite elements of Buenos Aires—the street dancers. The Wamplers had come for the dancing, and quite satisfactorily it was everywhere—even out in the open on makeshift dance floors for everyone to enjoy. “We were just so excited to see dancing in the street,” Dee says. “Anne and I were just jumping around, calling our dance instructor and our friends.”
Excitement was already brewing for their lessons with Copello the following day; the street dancing just fueled it. “I was just so excited having a lesson with Carlos Copello,” Anne says. “They don’t have shows on Broadway [with tango in them] without consulting him. He’s a legend in his own time.”
The Wamplers had prepared for the trip by having their instructor at Sunshine Dance Studio in Springfield first learn and then teach them some Argentine tango basics, but the couple soon learned that when you’re learning from a master of the dance, things are a little different.
Reader Comments:
Enough on Dee and Ann Wampler, lets see something about those that contribute to the community.