Education & Classes in Rosedale

The team of certified health coaches at Baltimore Health Coach cultivates a healthy community focused on sustainable foods and commitment to self-care. Two-hour workshops empower clients to make positive, informed choices at mealtime by replacing dietary myths and detrimental noshing with nutritional savvy and a holster full of carrots. "Sugar Mama" Richele Henry leads a September women's workshop geared toward overcoming cravings, and the All-Day Energy seminar in October identifies nutrient-rich super foods and exposes four insidious drains on vitality. Additionally, a 14-day pass to the Maryland Athletic Club comes with any workshop.

Tahirah Bowrey—the owner and head dancer of Creative Impulse Dance Studio—helms a team of five talented instructors that teach fleet-footed charges to step, swivel, and sway in styles ranging from hip-hop to ballet. Students of all ages match their footwork to classical refrains or pulsing, bass-heavy beats in three class levels, suited to beginner through advanced coryphées. Adults tone their bodies’ contours and learn to outmaneuver calories in sensual, cardio-infused styles such as floor- and pole dancing, and young children prepare to dazzle discerning hopscotch judges with pirouettes perfected in ballet class. Instructors hold lessons in a spacious hardwood studio flooded with natural light from tall windows and echoing with the sounds of toes tapping in unison.

Bearing the titles of Master of Photography and Photographic Craftsman from Professional Photographers of America, David and Ally McKay embody the keen vision and aesthetic prowess that separated good photographers from great ones. They share these skills during classes at McKay Photography Academy, where they train eyes, fingers, and imaginations to work in tandem as a snapshooting dream machine. Their classes help aspiring photographers progress from neophytes to seasoned pros; the Beginning Digital Photography course teaches students to harness the intricacies of their instruments, and the Pro Academy offers inside tips on how to successfully snap wedding portraits, pose recent grads, or tease out candid emotions. When not busy instructing the next generation of shutterbugs, David and Ally also devise photo safaris, which send small teams of photographers to capture shots of famed landmarks including San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge; the Lincoln Memorial of Washington, DC; or Yosemite's 60-foot statue of Yogi Bear.

Morton Street Dance Center trains students from age 3 to adult in a barre-lined studio whose sprung floors absorb the shock of leap landings. The center’s creative movement classes develop motor skills in preschool-aged kids, then branch into diverse styles such as tap, jazz and Afro-fusion as dancers mature. To keep young minds fresh during the summer months, dance intensives take an in-depth approach to a single style, honing trained steps and graceful moves more effectively than an ostrich-riding lesson. As they improve, dancers aged 8–18 can audition for the studio’s ensembles, which showcase their unison moves at venues such as the citywide Artscape Festival and the Hippodrome Theater. Adult classes impart Afro-fusion and modern-dance techniques to movers of every level, allowing dancers to follow their passion through every stage of their lives.

Paintings of bowls overflowing with fruit, majestic Southwestern mesas, and a white horse against an orange backdrop line the brick walls at Mitchell School of Fine Arts. Beneath those examples, students of all ages and levels learn to create their own magnum opuses under the tutelage of instructors, who channel degrees in fine art, publication in books and magazines, and a range of other credentials.

In classes, the teachers focus on topics such as landscape painting or classical drawing to help pupils master the nuances of a particular style and portray the beauty of a blossoming flower or a dirt bike that runs on flowers. An animal pastels class for youngsters inspires participants to grab soft drawing implements and sketch colorful fauna on paper. Private lessons are available, as are commissioned portraits from the faculty themselves, who will render the likeness of a loved one.

Influenced by her upbringing in Sierra Leone—where the food culture emphasizes local, artisanal ingredients shared by neighbors—Jeanette Warne guides small groups of adults, teens, and kids in themed cooking classes geared toward age group. In how to-style classes, budding chefs learn such fundamentals as how to cook with wine, how to prepare classic French dishes, or how to tell the difference between a baguette and a baseball bat. The class lineup also covers specializations, such as pastry-chef techniques and cooking for specific dietary needs. Courses typically yield 3–4 dishes.

Warne also lends her expertise to party planners by catering international-themed feasts that feature passed hors d'oeuvres, Mediterranean dinners, and eclectic four-course buffets. The company maintains environmentalist practices, not only through sourcing ingredients locally, but also by buying biodegradable flatware and minimizing the use of single-use paper airplanes that carry food to diners' plates.