Save the last dance

The first thing you notice when you see Wanda Garro is her

near-perfect posture. There she is, speaking to parents, her back

slightly arched and her legs planted in a ballet position.

When she goes to a drug store and moves down the aisle, people can

sense her profession.

“They’ll say, ‘Are you a dancer?”’ Garro said.

For the past 40 years, Garro has taught jazz, ballet and tap

dancing to generations of Orange County residents. She has spent

nearly half of that span stationed at “Wanda’s Dance Studio” in Costa

Mesa.

And now, she is retiring.

“It’s the end of an era,” said Diane Beazley, a Costa Mesa

resident whose 5-year-old daughter Sophie Beazley began with Garro

two years ago. “She has an old-school style that is rare these days.”

Garro doesn’t see her teaching methods as anything other than “the

right way to do things.”

“It’s dance class,” she said. “It’s not playtime.... I want

students to know the name of the turn they are doing. That’s the way

I was trained.”

Garro was raised in Costa Mesa, attended Newport Harbor High

School and trained in Corona del Mar under dance instructor Dorothy

Jo Swanson. Garro performed at many Newport-Mesa institutions,

including the Lido Theater.

But she found that her true love was teaching. Many of her

students’ parents found Garro through the city of Costa Mesa’s dance

program, where Garro taught for years.

The parents took to Garro’s teaching methods. She allows young

students to talk to each other about their dance moves. If they are

out of position, she gently moves their arms and legs into place.

And in all cases, Garro is dancing alongside her students.

“She is very patient and understanding,” said Susan Bell, a Costa

Mesa resident whose granddaughter, Jordan Slagle, has been in Garro’s

class. “She gives them a little leeway, but is still firm. She

strikes a good balance.”

As a show of respect, parents and students refer to Garro as Ms.

Wanda. It’s a title she has earned through years of individual and

group instruction.

Garro has had so many students she cannot remember them all by

name. But she keeps some of their pictures on her studio wall and

hears from those who have made a career in dancing or who have

children now taking lessons.

Throughout her teaching career, Garro has brought her students

into the community for recitals. She visits healthcare facilities and

makes annual trips to the Lions Club Fish Fry and the Orange County

Fair.

Now, she is passing down her studio to the next generation.

Michelle Weersing, who has taught in Garro’s studio for years, agreed

to take over the space and keep the same name.

Garro said she is retiring to take care of her ill husband. She

plans to help out in the studio when she can.

“It’s nice to teach something you love,” Garro said. “I’ve taught

my students to appreciate the art of dancing, which is rewarding for

me.”

* ELIA POWERS is the enterprise and general assignment reporter.

He may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or by e-mail at

o7elia.powers@latimes.comf7.