Education & Classes in Paradise Valley

Glasses of purple merlot or golden chardonnay stand out against the white tables at Art of Merlot, a BYOB art space where students learn to replicate paintings by Van Gogh, Kandinsky, and other artists. The studio provides paint, brushes, aprons, easels, and canvases, as well as glasses and corkscrews for wine. Art of Merlot also hosts private, corporate, and bridal events as well as kids camps and birthday parties.

Over careers spanning 25 years and 15 pairs of spontaneously combusted shoes between the two of them, Academy of Ballroom Dance instructors Jim and Jenell Maranto have chalked up a long list of professional-dancing and dance-instruction achievements. The pair entered the dance world from backgrounds as high-level college athletes, and after meeting and teaming up, they whirled through professional dance competitions, winning every major Open Professional Smooth contest in the United States and two consecutive US American Smooth Championships in 1993 and 1994. More recently, the couple has taken to training new generations of winning dancers, including several US Pro-Am and Amateur champions, and both have won teaching awards for their efforts and their ability to explain high-level physics while foxtrotting. Any level of dancer may receive private instruction from Jim or Jenell in any of 26 styles of dance.

The Flasher Photobooth’s rentals supply up to four hours of photo-taking entertainment at birthdays, reunions, weddings, and all special events. Adorned in props such as fake mustaches and feather boas, groups gather before colorful backgrounds and snap off shot after shot, which are later vieable through an online gallery. Their booths also come with an attendant to set up and run the equipment throughout the occasion.

The bright red "DANCE" sign that glows above Abby Bella Dance Studio lures clients into its lilac-hue confines. Once inside, visitors can follow more than 25 instructors through a range of dance styles including ballet, Zumba, and salsa. The energetic space has earned a handful of segments on ABC15 for its all-inclusive policy that encompasses adults of any age or fitness level. Scheduled classes range from the muscle-toning moves of the studio's signature Bella Barre to sessions of Glee Cardio Dance, which fuels dance steps with bubbly pop songs taken straight from the obscure European miniseries of the same name.

The artisans at Tempe Yarn & Fiber cultivate an educational atmosphere where creativity flourishes amid an inventory of top-shelf yarns, fibers, and fiber-arts equipment. Largely stocked by local suppliers, the 3,000-square-foot studio branches off from an open gathering space into individual classrooms where pupils learn to knit, crochet, spin, weave, and dye fibers. Instructors well-versed in the fiber arts ring in classes that teach skills such as beginning knitting, gradually progressing to more complicated maneuvers such as patching up a hot-air balloon in motion. Teachers also allow students to set their own pace during project help sessions, staying on hand to offer pointers as needed.

With each half-mile lap, drivers steer high-performance karts around 15 distinct turns as their wheels rise and fall with the changing elevation of the Briggs & Stratton Karting Complex. It is upon this track that students of the Bondurant SuperKart School flex their newly formed or regularly maintained karting muscles, putting into practice instruction from beginner and advanced courses. The school operates under the 20-year experience of Alan Rudolph, a master go-kart racer appointed by Bob Bondurant—world-champion driver and father of SuperKart's parent organization, the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving.