“The Amherst Tango Club not only introduced me to the art of tango but also exposed me to many subtleties in social interactions. As our club draws more audience and interest, I believe that we will have a more dynamic but equally friendly atmosphere which is conducive to improving techniques and social bonding.”
-Cheyenne, Treasurer
"I have been dancing for almost as long as I have been walking. No dance has impacted my life more profoundly than Argentine Tango. This story begins at Amherst College in January of 2007 when I attended my first Argentine Tango class with Professor Daniel Trenner. That February I transferred to a University in Connecticut but returned every Thursday through Sunday to attend Professor Trenner’s local classes on Thursday nights, Friday classes at Mount Holyoke, and Friday evening lessons at Amherst Tango Club. The following semester I transferred to Umass Amherst. Over the next four years I continued to take every series and an independent study offered by Professor Trenner at Mount Holyoke, Smith, and Amherst College. During this time I assisted Professor Trenner in his highschool, university and local classes. In the Spring of 2009 I co-taught my first tango class with two of Professor Trenner’s other assistants for a special event at Smith College.
While living in western Massachusetts I encouraged several friends to take classes with Professor Trenner. For many, tango continues to be a part of their lives. Aine Banfield, Marie Broadway, and Guillermo Ortiz, for example, continued on to organize the Hampshire College Salsa Rueda and Tango Club. The club has been going for two and a half semesters and participates in a dynamic collaboration with Amherst Tango Club.
I have remained in touch with several of my classmates from Professor Trenner’s early classes including the very first intersession class at Amherst College. I have danced with and visited with professor Trenner’s students in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Buenos Aires.
I am currently a grad student at Columbia University and I am involved in the Columbia & Bard Tango Club. After graduating from Umass in 2010 I continued to feel a strong connection to the social tango scene in Western Massachusetts. I have returned for local monthly dances and special events including every Mount Holyoke College and Amherst College Milonga weekend. Most recently I was in town for the Amherst College Milonga Weekend with Rebecca Shulman March 9-11, 2012. While there I enjoyed seeing old friends, meeting new friends and networking with past and present Amherst students. Through Professor Trenner’s Argentine Tango Classes myself and numerous other Five College alumni have formed a strong connection to both local and global tango communities.
Professor Trenner’s Argentine Tango classes are an extremely valuable source of social, dance, technique, and performance opportunities. It has been wonderful to watch the Amherst Tango Club grow into such a flourishing community that serves so many five college students and teaches them skills that they can continue to use wherever life leads them next."
-Erica Roper, Five College and Alumni Member of the Amherst College Argentine Tango Club 2007- 2012
"The Argentine Tango Club was an essential part of my Amherst experience. As a bumbling UMass student welcomed into Amherst College society, I found solace in the kind group of dancers. A modest club with an uncertain future, I took it upon myself to help bring it to campus-wide success. A year and two semesters of Co-Chairing with my good friend Alexis Jaramillo later, with two Milongas under our belt, that success was realized to a degree that surprised even my wildest dreams. Since my depature to Boston a year ago, Alexis and his team - led by the kindhearted, fun, and extremely experienced instructor Daniel Trenner - have continued the tradition and built a name instantly recognized by the average Amherst student, countless Five-College friends, and many non-student dancers throughout the valley.But beyond all that, Tango was fun. I'm blessed to have been a part of the club. Thanks, guys."- Kevin Lutz, Ex-Chairman