Education & Classes in Berwyn

Natalie of Rast Ballet & Dance Studio draws on her experience as a touring dancer and a faculty member at Columbia College to teach ballet in a fun, supportive atmosphere. Natalie offers traditional ballet classes for adults and children, as well as classes in Iyengar yoga, hip-hop, and Latin dance taught by accomplished guest instructors. The spacious dance studio tickles toes with a robust wood floor and central air in a facility that is also available to rent for occasions such as rehearsals, auditions, workshops, and duels between Nutcracker Cavaliers.

Although primarily a teacher, Natalie began her professional dance career with the Joel Hall Dancers of Chicago, and continued to tour the United States and Europe gracing stages in cities such as New York, London, Glasgow, and Bergen.

The instructors at ACM School of Music pass the torch of musical aptitude with piano lessons and music-theory classes that kindle classical-music appreciation in a new generation. With a focus on teaching students to write their own compositions, experienced musicians explain the rudiments of the form, from a piece's first quarter note to its adolescent experimentation with mixed-meter phrases to its emergence as a full-grown adult arrangement. The school's resident ensemble, Palomar, breathes life into contemporary compositions with an annual concert series. As a nonprofit driven by the goal to expand the cohort of composers and audience members, ACM also facilitates educational initiatives in local schools and offers programming to Boys & Girls Clubs.

ARTango Center brings 2,000 square feet of Buenos Aires to Chicago in a studio whose ebony hardwood floors, exposed-brick walls, and flowing white curtains set the stage for tango lessons and lively milonga parties. Instructors well versed in the passionate dance teach both neophytes building foundational techniques and those who already sleep with a rose gripped in their teeth at night. Rotating partners help pupils think on their feet, and private lessons intensify learning at a pace comfortable for each dancer. On Friday nights, twirlers of all levels gather for a milonga, a tango dance party that offers a light buffet and the chance to try out ardent steps in an appropriate environment instead of with a bewildered mailman.

When you walk into Sifu Design Studio & Fine Yarns, you won’t find a quiet room simply housing yarns and fabrics. Instead, you’ll walk into a communal space where crafters of all ilks socialize during themed knitting circles, browse handmade crafts from local designers, or further their skills in instructional classes. Something is going on nearly every day of the week. Weeknight classes allow students to learn how to make shawls, mittens, and socks while sipping on BYOB wine, and during the studio’s sci-fi night, the staff screen a movie while guests work on their latest projects. Crafters also can refurnish their stocks of supplies and yarn from the expansive selection, which features a variety of hard-to-find specialty tools. The shop also has a range of vintage products, garnered through its trade-in program, which offers store credit for clients who trade in unused yarn, old tools, and vintage knitting patterns such as booties for claw-foot tubs.

At Tango Che Productions, couple Daniel Noce and Ramona Nita share lifetimes of experience through instruction and foster a strong Argentine tango community with milonga parties. Noce hails from Argentina, where he earned a bachelor's degree in his country's native dances, including tango, before joining the Ballet of the University of Argentina and studying under tango luminaries Rodolfo Dinzel. Nita pointed her feet toward tango at age 12, when she earned a dance scholarship and pair of spring-loaded heels that launched her career as an instructor and performer of Latin and ballroom styles. In 2005, she met tango by way of Noce, and the two have since showcased their passionate embrace and deft footwork as members of the Otero Dance Company.

The pair teaches private and group tango lessons together, imparting the intricacies of leading and following through their own bodies and trails of rose petals they use to mark choreography. During weekly Friday night milongas, a seasoned tango DJ draws couples to the dance floor for a night of traditional dancing. In addition to putting on professional performances for cultural and corporate events, the staff hosts dance-laden on-site wedding receptions for up to 60 people.

Richard Stromberg is so dedicated to teaching the art of photography that he's held class during a freezing blizzard, a blistering heat wave, and while he was confined to a wheelchair after surgery. Richard brings his fierce dedication and 45 years of photography and teaching experience to his school, where he leads a variety of photography classes alongside a dedicated staff of volunteers. Within spacious classrooms, the seasoned instructors guide students through the techniques of DSLR photography, from basic camera operation to tips on starting up a studio. In addition to mechanics and fundamentals, they also encourage their students to see the world in new aesthetic ways, helping them recognize the beauty of a sunset or the fogged-up monocle of a sensitive millionaire. The dedicated staff can often be spotted at the school before and after class hours helping students work on assignments in the lighting studio, the darkroom, and the expansive computer lab. Twice a year, they showcase pupils’ work in their onsite WithInSight Gallery.