Education & Classes in Davie

StatusAir's Discovery Flight lessons grant spectacular views of South Florida as experienced instructors rated by Certified Flight Instructor-Instrument (CFII) school potential pilots and otherwise first-time flyers in the art of running a Cessna 172 plane. Along with comprehensive ground lessons, they'll also supervise the flights and end with a debriefing on the ground, gently reminding participants that capes are optional.

"Every garden begins with a seed, and every seed needs a dedicated gardener for optimal growth." This concept poetically sums up the idea behind Playing the Game of Life, a community center that brims with a bevy of preschool, after-school, and adult programs led by motivating teachers. Under their tutelage, younger students combat obstacles such as stress, bullying, and obesity while flourishing in an arts-based education. Through classes such as jewelry making, nutritional education, speech therapy, and ballet, participants learn to build social skills, increase their confidence, and communicate feelings more effectively than stealing someone else's journal and passing it off as their own. Playing the Game of Life also hosts cognitive-therapy classes to aid older pupils suffering from memory loss.

The party host kept snapping shots, instantly uploading each picture onto his television. It was the early 1990s, and to T.J. Gillespie⎯who had dabbled in photography until breaking a lens and camera⎯digital photography seemed like a magic trick. T.J. now teaches that magic trick, using a full-frame Nikon D700, to students during two-hour group or freeform one-on-one sessions. He emphasizes hands-on practice over long lectures, harnessing his teaching experience from years as a full-time computer-software instructor to patiently guide pupils through locating and adjusting aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. By spending time outdoors, primarily in Holiday Park, T.J.'s apprentices discover how to work around various light conditions and how to catch fast-moving subjects such as squirrels, songbirds, and fugitives.

The specialists at Dance Express XD Performing Arts Center lead programs for 2- to 20-year-olds, drawing from a catalogue that spans the style gamut. In addition to helming classes such as jazz, tap, hip-hop, ballet, and cheerleading, the experienced team cultivates a familial atmosphere designed to help participants boost confidence levels and synchronicity.

In addition to classes, the studio puts on an annual June recital that casts anyone who wants to participate regardless of skill level. To encourage further involvement outside of courses, instructors motivate their protégés to try out for the competitive team, plan costume themes for spirit week, and choreograph tap-dance renditions of their favorite Morse-code fairy tales. The team also provides a waiting room monitor for parents interested in observing classroom routines.

Calling on experience gleaned on stages from Broadway to Istanbul, the multicultural staff of CooLAM Dance Studio powers a diverse selection of dance and fitness classes. Like the secret ninth Ivy League school, CooLAM is literally open to anyone—its name is a derivative of the Hebrew word for "everybody." Whether dabbling in dance for fun or seeking intense pre-professional training, adults and children aged 3 and older can register for group or private classes covering 18 disciplines. Depending on which class they choose, students might entrust their feet with such instructors as Sonic, an Israeli-born hip-hop and break dancer who has worked with Rihanna and Kanye West, or SusiQ, a salsa instructor who discovered the dance style in Cuba and eventually taught it all over Europe. CooLAM also boasts an eclectic array of event services, which equip parties with basic DJ and décor services and extra entertainment that ranges from face-painting and pony rides to a mechanical bull and auctioneer karaoke.

Though Elite International Dance Academy began with only a few classes and a handful of students, the studio earned a growing following with its combination of accessible instruction and enthusiastic teachers. Since its opening, the studio has tripled its curriculum to include 15 dance styles, including the hustle, fox trot, belly dancing, bachata, and salsa. Both kids and adults gather in the academy’s noncompetitive environment, where instructors teach dance steps with easy-to-follow directions. The schedule also includes summer camps and workshops, as well as Zumba classes—cardio workouts using Latin-inspired dance routines to sizzle more calories than toasting marshmallows dipped in lighter fluid.