Education & Classes in Lakeville

Dance Tonight instructors conduct introductory lessons that introduce the basic step for 6-8 dances of your choice. Students might practice the salsa and the foxtrot in a single afternoon, or segue from swing into an elegant waltz, all the while developing a preference for those moves that resonate with their bodies. After they've completed these classes, a basic program further hones their focus. Group sessions and parties enable them to rehearse alongside fellow learners, all of whom benefit from the studio's welcoming, judgment-free vibe.

Though the instructors keep the mood smooth and groovy, they're constantly channeling professional experience; owner Francesca Spumoni and her partner Jacek Kozdroj have competed nationally in American Style Ballroom. They can also assist with special events at their venue or on-location, hosting wedding receptions, school dances, and other celebrations.

Swift Music wants its students to forge a relationship with music, no matter their level of engagement. Whether students want to learn a few simple licks, pursue a professional career, or simply play music as a stress reliever, instructors await with the knowledge and patience to help them reach their goals. The bustling building teems with students working in seven lesson rooms and two ensemble rooms, and it entertains visitors in a waiting area stocked with complimentary drinks and wireless Internet. Axe men and women can also bring instruments to the Swift’s in-house repair shop, where technicians can correct a guitar’s faulty bridge.

Light streams through the windows at Glass Endeavors, glinting through a crowd of stained-glass hangings that set bright shapes bobbing across the floor. Longtime educators John and Zoi Sandy have decorated the space both to showcase artwork for sale and to shower students with inspiration in classes that might help students craft a sparkly wind chime or a pal for a lonely Hummel figurine. The shop further fuses together the glass-making community with a freeform Glass Club, a supplies department, and repair services.

Since 1962, Thunderbird Aviation has nested at Minneapolis’s Flying Cloud and Crystal airports, sending on-demand charters skyward, offering aircraft repairs and parts, and training new pilots. Composed of Cessna planes, the aviation agency’s fleet runs the gamut from light, sport aircraft to twin-engine Seminoles, and encompasses one of the state’s largest selections of instructional aircraft. Certified flight instructors accompany student pilots on their journeys. As novices approach pilot certification, they can augment their hours in the cockpit with time in an FAA-approved flight simulator, which is more useful than its unapproved counterpart, jumping on your bed while cawing.

Named one of 2012's top 100 five-star bicycle retailers in the United States by Bicycle Retailer and Industry News, Penn Cycle & Fitness has helped its customers enjoy smooth cycling for more than 50 years. From spare parts to automobile racks, the shop carries a large assortment of bike-riding gear for casual and serious excursions, while also offering repairs. During repair classes, the staff imparts its knowledge of bicycle mechanics onto pupils, who walk away from the 90-minute sessions with the ability to adjust brakes, fix faulty chains, and recite owners’ manuals backwards.

Started in 1998, Fired Up Studios has quickly evolved from a small pottery studio to an art center with classes and a gallery. Despite this growth, its mission remains the same: to raise the spirits of anyone who enters. In the 7,200-square-foot studio, experienced potters provide a judgment-free creative outlet for students and visiting artists alike, inviting them to have fun and experiment with the studio's collection of pottery wheels, kilns, and glazes. These potters also teach students how to throw clay, shape up elegant bowls and vases, and sculpt pixelization onto nude figures.