Education & Classes in Charlotte

Sisters and native Charlotteans Neha Negandhi and Monika Shah didn’t let respective stints in Seattle and Alaska keep them away from their hometown arts scene. Inspired by similar BYOB painting sessions seen during their travels, they harnessed their diverse experiences with event management and Alaskan train tours to open their own studio, where they encourage students of all artistic levels to tap into their inimitable creativity just as they did. Joined by an impressive cast of local artists, the sisters unfurl a calendar stocked with a barrage of painting options, allowing students to portray a sailboat with an impressionistic mast or a seahorse wearing a gilded saddle.

"What do you want to create?" That is the question posed to each of New Orleans Paint N Party's visitors. During the studio's energetic parties, local artists teach visitors to put brush on canvas, creating colorful projects such as streetcars and city skylines. The staff keeps it simple. They greet each visitor with a presketched canvas and a trove of supplies, including brushes and paints. New Orleans Paint N Party also invites its customers to bring along food and potable beverages; they'll even supply the wine opener, ice bucket, ice pick, and drinking glasses.

Started in January of 2010, what began as a mere hobby for friends Emmy Preiss and Harriet Mills has grown into a flourishing business with 16 branches in three states. The duo corrals together local artists that lead students of all abilities through hands-on painting classes. Pupils sit side by side at painting stations equipped with easels, vivid pallets of paint, and water to clean off brushes. Finished pieces blanket the walls to both inspire students and hide the studio's multitude of personal safes. Youngsters can join in on the self-expression as well through Art Buzz Kids' programs, which rolls out birthday parties, summer-camp sessions, and Mommy N' Me classes.

Carolina Dance Capital is a family affair. Husband and wife duo Fritz and Annette Schulte own the studio along with their daughter, Nina, who serves as artistic director. The rest of the staff includes eight regular dance instructors and more than 15 guest teachers and choreographers. In a variety of classes, they help students as young as two and as old as whatever to get fit and express themselves through ballet, jazz, tap, yoga, and Zumba.

Class sizes are kept small to encourage close personal attention and a supportive atmosphere. Six studios occupy the 8,700 square foot facility, and each is outfitted with observation windows, spring-loaded floors to prevent injury, and Super Soakers to facilitate Gene Kelly impressions. In addition to classes, pupils of all abilities can partake in cheer camps, workshops, and competitive dance teams. A waiting area for parents is equipped with complimentary WiFi.

Planet Ballroom’s studios offer a glimpse of a bygone era, when gentlemanly dancers whisked their partners across dance floors amid elegant decor and soft hanging lanterns. Professional dancers lead both private and group classes within these rustic halls, guiding couples through the steps and proper techniques of social dances such as the waltz, tango, salsa, and swing. The seasoned instructors also conduct fitness-focused classes, leading teens and adults through energetic workouts of cardio Latin dance, ballet, and Pilates. Every Friday night the studio opens to students for an evening of dancing, socializing, and hatching plans to flash-mob the local DMV, and throughout the month, instructors also invite dancers back for a variety of dinner-and-dancing events.

Brian Davis started brianstudio as an outlet for freelance work more than a decade ago while he was still in design school. It's since blossomed into his full-time studio where creativity spills into media ranging from logos and web graphics to fine art, murals, and unique clothing. Texture and vibrant colors swirl freely across his canvases, and his graphic-design work lands with bold simplicity. Pop culture often catches his interest, as seen in his collage-like pieces gathering around images of figures including Audrey Hepburn and Kat Von D. Brian also shares his breadth of styles in relaxed classes where student painters sip brews brought from home as they learn to paint or squint at artwork with convincing expertise.