Education & Classes in Reading

Led by championship dancer Marco Mechelke, Dare to Dance's squad of experienced instructors help dancers of all experience levels to kick up their heels and ignite calorie bonfires. Up-tempo beats resound in high-energy Zumba and fitness classes, and quick-steppers master more than 15 styles in ballroom-dance classes. Wall-to-wall mirrors reflect synchronized fleet-footers as they cut and painstakingly resew rugs across three studios' combined 10,000 square feet of smooth, polished wood floors.

Originally from Cartersville, Virginia, Elliott Jordan traveled south to pursue his passion, sojourning in Kentucky, where he received his bachelor’s in art and eventually his master’s in arts education. Experienced in portraiture, Jordan has transformed expressive countenances into works of art for more than 40 years, and his work has been displayed from the East to the Midwest—gracing the walls of the Cincinnati City Hall, Kentucky State University, and the historic Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Connecticut. Following a number of inspiring visits to Ghana, Jordan became a collector and dealer of African art, and today he displays and sells African artifacts at his gallery, as well as his own works and gold-framed pizza-delivery menus. He leads a number of painting classes inside the gallery's studio, where students follow along to create unique and colorful creations.

The certified flight instructors at Aviators Flight Academy have been helping fledgling pilots earn their wings for more than three decades. Students take off from Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport toward the earth’s giant blue tarp using the academy’s fleet of Cessna and Piper fixed-wing aircraft, performing basic maneuvers under a teacher’s expert supervision. Beyond introductory lessons, students can also enroll in the flight-training school to earn their license and finally be able to impersonate pilots at airport bars.

Peachy Seiden, a registered dietitian with 15 years of culinary experience, has penned two books of healthy recipes designed for cooking around a busy schedule. Inside a house painted peach, she teaches groups to prepare nutritious dishes with diverse international influences, including baked penne with health-smart Bolognese and moo shu chicken with flour tortillas for wrapping or tossing like frisbees. She also ladles out health advice and leads weight-loss programs with nutritional assessments and weekly weigh-ins to track progress.

A cake-decorating teacher has transformed a former party cake store into Cincinnati Cake and Candy Supplies, which sells an extensive inventory of cake and cupcake supplies to both local and international clients. Besides building its stock of bakeware and decorations, the store also hosts classes on candy making and special courses for children or pie-fearing birds.

The DVIDA-certified instructors at Always Ballroom Dance Studio believe that dance can benefit anyone, and uphold a policy of total acceptance across experience levels. On the glossy scape of blond hardwood floors, they monitor shimmies in both private and group lessons, prepping couples for their wedding-dance debut or showcasing a stock of nightclub moves. Pupils needn't reserve a spot or have a partner to attend most group sessions—the studio provides everything down to airsickness bags for soaring spins, and accommodates diverse tastes with more than 20 dance styles on its syllabus. Special events such as lock-ins and Salsa Saturdays top off the swinging schedule.