Education & Classes in San Juan Capistrano

Avant Garde's retinue of international instructors teaches more than 20 types of group classes at the Newport Beach studio. Whether you opt for the waltz, Argentine tango, jitterbug, cha-cha, street hustle, or one of the kids' classes, you'll have plenty of kick and spin space in which to unfurl your lean limbs and cloven hooves. Avant Garde features floating dance floors and 5,500 total square feet of dance space. While the floors don't actually float without the proper incantation, they do offer flexible support for hours of dancing unaccompanied by hours of leg and back pain. Check the schedule for a full list of class options.

You'll also get to choose from a variety of instruments, including guitar, piano, trumpet, drums, and the instrument inside your throat-box. See the sidebar for a complete list of lessons.

Each three-hour class at Laguna Culinary Arts caters to any skill level, from expert chefs to certified microwave users. With no more than 10 people per class, the intimate classes cultivate individual, hands-on instruction, and guarantee that no one gets lost and eaten by bears during training. De-hibernate your china and entertain friends, neighbors, or your glass menagerie collection with the skills you pick up in one of Laguna's party-throwing classes. Learn how to grill goat-cheese-stuffed radicchio wrapped in pancetta and brush up your Crème Catalan skills to throw a Spanish paella party. Or craft an elegant menu of blue-cheese-dressing salad and filet mignon with blackberry sauce, ending with a chocolate soufflé ($95 per person, or $115 with wine pairings). At the end of each class, sit down to enjoy the dinner everyone has worked together to create, minus the piled dishes usually left for gnomes to clean.

“We believe that every child is a champion.” This mission statement informs the approach that Cal Elite Kids takes with the participants of its programs. Youngsters may learn self-reliance in gymnastics lessons, which take place on an in-ground tumble-track trampoline, on an array of beams and bars, or in the air above an in-ground foam pit. They also develop discipline in dance class; at the Rancho Santa Margarita facility, the five dance studios inspire with views of the surrounding mountains.

Cal Elite Kids’ charges can even learn how to express themselves through athletic theatrical performances or simply improve their 2 a.m. Friday-night karaoke warblings during Glee Elite sessions.

Californians realize their nautical dreams at six harbors along the coast, thanks to the skilled guidance and boat rentals of Marina Sailing Newport Beach. The company's instructors—who are certified by the American Sailing Association—have been teaching people how to safely navigate Pacific waters since 1962. Whether looking to skipper a sloop-rigged keelboat, navigate the ocean by following celestial bodies and stalled spaceships, or just spend a few sunshine-filled hours on the water, fledgling sailors can find the proper training and equipment from Marina Sailing's crew. A fleet of more than 80 boats features convenient amenities such as marine barbecues, stereos, and hot showers.

The instructors at Waterworks Aquatics believe anyone can learn to swim, no matter their age. This belief drives each instructor-led session, accommodating everyone from babies as young as 3 months old who are just getting acquainted with the water, to older children learning more advanced strokes and adults learning to swim for the first time. The instructors focus on teaching stroke techniques that utilize muscle memory and rhythms that are easy to grasp, while cultivating a fun, relaxed environment to help reduce students' anxiety. They lead private, semiprivate, group, and Parent and Me lessons, all of which move at the pace of the swimmers' abilities. Beyond bestowing swimmers with efficient form, the lessons also help them stay safe in the water by teaching them how to control their breathing, reduce unnecessary movement, and stay completely still in the presence of pool krakens to avoid begin seen.