Education & Classes in The Pinery

Arthur Murray Dance Studios has been a leading name in social dance since 1912, when the entrepreneur began selling mail-order dance lessons. Expanding his reach, he enlisted teachers to spread his signature dance lessons on first-class steamships and skyrocketed to fame in the '30s after introducing the public to such dances as the Lambeth Walk and the Big Apple. By the 1950s, Arthur and his wife, Kathryn, were hosting their own highly popular TV show on ABC, the Arthur Murray Dance Party, which ran for 12 years. Today, Arthur Murray's team prepares students for rug cutting at special events and weekend nightclub jaunts. Clients who arrive to lessons partnerless will be paired up with certified instructors. Throughout lessons, instructors teach the foundations of two to four dances from a long list of styles that range from Latin to country-western, helping students to learn basic step patterns, timing, and the ability to lead or follow.

The staff members at Sylvan Learning Center understand that each child learns differently. They design custom lessons based on the results of standardized testing, diagnostic tools, and one-on-one interviews.

Sylvan's instructors work with students from kindergarten through grade 12 to improve their confidence and independence leading to their educational success. Many of Sylvan’s certified teachers work in local schools and have familiarized themselves with common practices, which help them understand how to gear lessons toward optimal results.

The Colorado School of Acting's directors, Elizabeth Horne and Troy Horne, combine their dual loves of stage and screen to impart acting chops to students of all ages and experience levels. Elizabeth—who has acted in more than 25 plays and 12 movies—and Troy—a sitcom and film producer who appeared on Broadway in the Tony Award–winning musical _Rent_—staff their team with veteran acting instructors, each of whom have more than 10 years of experience in the biz. During their classes, they teach students to focus and perform under a variety of circumstances, with workshops in subjects ranging from improv and commercial work to audition skills and voiceovers. They welcome kids for acting summer camps, where they introduce fundamentals of memorization, character development, and rehearsal. Instructors also help thespians develop with more advanced training, including filmmaking summer camps for kids, and a certificate program for all age levels that requires students to audition or present a signed permission slip from David Schwimmer.

Beginning in Columbus and now painting the town red in various cities throughout the county, Colors & Bottles scratches the creative itch of the public with its themed art classes that leave no blank canvas unvarnished. The mobile painting service, which The Ellen DeGeneres Show tagged as a "hip, new, and fresh" activity, stages its events at local bars, wineries, restaurants, and art galleries, helping boost neighborhood economies while creating a hard-to-follow trail for begrudging pottery wheels. During three-hour classes, an artist plucked from the local art community leads students through the creation of a themed painting, such as a city skyline or something more abstract. For an extra splash of inspiration, some venues allow students to bring their own drinks, while others have refreshments available to purchase.

Chef Penni Royston credits nature’s bounty, specifically colorful fruits and veggies, as the inspiration for Nature’s Table Cooking School. A certified Natural Foods Chef, Penni ousts processed junk from recipes and instead uses healthy foods preferred by any serious crafter of edible art. During her classes, chef Penni rounds up a rainbow of ingredients to craft raw dishes, gluten-free fare, or vegan soup and pizza made from scratch. She shifts between demonstration and student participation as she teaches, sending each pupil home with a recipe and a packet of nutritional info so they can calculate how many graves they’ll have to dig in the backyard to burn off the calories.

Uncork culinary confidence with today’s instructional Groupon. For $20, you’ll get a wine class at Estrela Bartending School. Get schooled in wine-buying basics, or learn sip-related secrets to hosting the best dinner party at the class of your choice. Follow @Groupon_Says on Twitter.