Things to Do in Ann Arbor

Senior Master Dean L. Wainwright—a 6th Dan master in both tae kwon do and hap ki do—builds his team of instructors not only from other decorated masters, but also those students whose exceptional dedication and skill might help their peers learn the martial arts. Assistant instructor Ian Bejster, for instance, uses his massive talent and youthful stature to help educate Mini and Little Ninjas as young as 3 years old. Together, this team reaches out to students of all ages, engaging them in learning the swift, graceful kicks of tae kwon do or the soft, circular redirections of hap ki do, the only known method for fighting a revolving door.

The team at Fond du Lac Center for Spirituality and Healing dedicates itself to helping clients achieve spiritual fulfillment through the Himalayan Institute yoga tradition and soothing holistic treatments. Instructors foster harmony of body, mind, and spirit in yoga and tai chi classes and massage therapists lull clients into tranquility with therapeutic massages, acupuncture, and aromatherapy.

Working at the 1996 Summer Olympics and the 1994 World Cup are a few of the sporting events on camp director Shelly Watkins's resumé, which she draws on to run a summer camp for kids of all ages. A mother herself, she believes in giving each child individual attention, recognition, and respect, rewarding campers with high-fives and compliments for jobs well done. Together with assistant camp director Cortney Spiegel, she runs fun-packed day camps focused on arts, sports, field trips, and specialty programs. Professional counselors work with pintsize Pacinos in the Lights, Camera, Action class to make short films; kick off Nerf-themed sports events in the Nerf Extravaganza class; or venture out to bowling, movies, rollerblading, and laser tag during the Mega Adventure Field Trip. Shelly and her friendly crew also lead precamp and aftercamp activities for early-morning and evening supervision, and junior camp for campers aged 4¬–7 or 10-year-olds having their pre-preteen life crisis.

Passionate staff members stroll through bell-shaped fairy doors at The Bead Gallery’s Ann Arbor location, which has housed a voluminous spread of crafting accessories in an idyllic Victorian abode for more than 20 years. Both here and at the store's Howell locale, sprawling aisles house an epic selection of Czech pressed glass beads, Swarovski crystals, and semiprecious gemstones, which customers can buy loose, by the strand, or in repurposed Skittles bags. Crafters can also sign up for classes that cycle through beadwork, metal and stone techniques, and methods for manipulating wire and glass. Along with their expert instruction, The Bead Gallery’s crackerjack staff can also flex their restringing skills to repair beaten-up baubles.

Mahatma Gandhi once spoke the words, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." Yoga instructor Kimberly strives to live by this motto. Though she holds degrees in civil engineering and finance, she chooses instead to volunteer in the community, coach young female runners, and support education programs. At Yogacentric, Kimberly helps students of all ages manage stress, lose weight, and successfully impersonate a rubber band through 10 classes and counting. Trained in the Ashtanga system of yoga, Kimberly emphasizes breath as the connection between asanas.

The sounds of tapping heels and swiveling soles ricochets off The Dance Pavilion's lush red draperies and twinkling chandeliers as social dancers, aspiring ballroom instructors, and professional dancers alike show off moves from more than 18 styles. With help from a team of 10 teachers, founder Ron Brown, whose dance career spans more than four decades, leads private and group lessons in the hustle, waltz, and cha-cha, prepping feet for weekly parties on the 2,800-square-foot hardwood dance floor.

An array of specialty sessions, such as wedding-dance classes, and workshops with visiting teachers, rounds out the studio's vast curriculum. Brown and his instructors also helm the Teachers Ballroom Dance College, which transforms dabblers into expert instructors through a ballroom-dance training-program syllabus developed by renowned dancer Diane Jarmolow. An onsite store stocks men's and women's shoes, beaded clutches, Gene Kelly masks, and other dance essentials.