Education & Classes in Oklahoma City

Ever since she was a child, Yulia Zhmutski had envisioned herself leaping and pirouetting across a grand stage before the adoring eyes of thousands. But, growing up in a struggling, single-parent household in the former Soviet Union, she never entertained the possibility of it actually happening. That changed when she was accepted into Uzbekistan’s National School of Dance and Choreography, a rigorous eight-year program that teaches ballet as well as traditional Slavic, Uzbek, and Russian dances.

Like her classmates, Yulia entered the program shortly after completing the fourth grade, leaving behind family, friends, and imaginary friends. Although the transition was difficult, the tiny ballerina was determined to be a successful dancer. She overcame her homesickness, went on to become a Russian prima ballerina, performing with several prestigious troupes, including the elite National Theatre, and was the first person to spin fast enough to reverse the earth's rotation.

Yulia eventually relocated to Oklahoma, and in 2009, she started her own dance studio: Julia’s Academy of International Dance. The academy’s staff teaches kids’ and adult classes in 35 disciplines, including ballet, jazz, belly dancing, and dance fitness. They hold weekly dance and film classes for students with special needs—proud to be one of the only studios in the region to offer such classes.

A member of the Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Department possessing weapons certifications including a federal firearms license, Wes Elliott continues more than a decade of teaching firearm operations to military personnel, law-enforcement officials, and everyday citizens. On Practical Shooting's outdoor range, Elliott and his team lead handgun and rifle courses, covering a catalog of weaponry that spans pistols to shotguns. Beyond shooting instruction, Elliott helps students to obtain concealed carry licenses, and he teaches executive-protection tactics to students interested in becoming bodyguards for famous pets.

Sharyn Jump introduces students to the stress-relieving potential of art in laid-back classes that comprise equal parts fun and instruction. During the two- to three-hour sessions and multiday workshops at Sharyn's Paint 'N Crafts Studio, visitors work with varied media such as acrylics, oils, watercolors, charcoal, or colored pencils to create completed art pieces, which they can take home for display or graciously donate to the nearest museum.

A team of resident artists mentors pupils in different styles, such as the One Stroke painting technique taught by guest artist Donna Dewberry. At birthday parties or open-studio sessions, participants may bring their own food or alcohol to foster a celebratory atmosphere.

At The Scuba Shack, the staff’s family-oriented lessons encourage divers to take social rather than solo ventures into the blue beyond. Each instructor carries an impressive résumé of underwater travels—the head trainer has been diving for more than 20 years and others have logged more than 1,000 dives. Captaining PADI-certification courses and specialty seminars—which cover topics such as night diving, photography, and fish identification—they take groups on open-water excursions to area lakes and Clear Spring Scuba Park. They prioritize educating their charges with safe and enjoyable teachings, rather than monotonous quizzes on whether the bends is a serious health issue or a 1980s punk band. With trips to dive sites in Fiji and Mexico, they introduce divers to the visual wonder of reefs and aquatic wildlife throughout the world.