Education & Classes in Wells Branch

Make It Sweet is a baker’s dream. Across 7,000 square feet, more than 5,000 baking and decorating products line the shelves, from colorful sprinkles to instructional books on how to sprinkle sprinkles. Staffers help visitors find the supplies and tools they need to also craft beautiful cakes, cookies, and candies for special occasions of all kinds. Their resident instructors lead a variety of classes, and seasoned pros often visit to conduct special guest courses on topics such as sugar sculpture, fondant figures, and more.

Though he couldn’t afford to get his pilot’s license after his first flight in 1967, Above & Beyond Aviation founder George Farris was hooked. He continued to pursue his dream of flying, eventually taking private pilot classes at the University of Texas. Now the expert who teaches the courses, Farris believes in making the rewarding and exciting experience of flight accessible to everyone. At Above & Beyond Aviation, he introduces students to flying and helps them work toward their own certifications. In addition to introductory flights and advanced training programs, Above & Beyond Aviation also offers aircraft rental for certified pilots who are tired of trying to flag down sky taxis.

"If you can see how beautiful your culture is," China Smith told Austin360, "you can see how beautiful you are." After eight years of teaching dance in East Austin schools, China realized how few opportunities there were to expose students to black art, something she believes is vital to the self-empowerment of her young students. This realization led her to found Ballet Afrique, a performing ensemble and dance studio that blends classical ballet and modern dance with African American culture. Ballet Afrique's team of artists aim to enrich the lives of performers, audiences, and students alike under the belief that expressive movement "transcends race, gender, and socio-economic backgrounds."

In addition to their performances and lectures, the rhythmically inclined dancers also teach classes from their tranquil studio, drawing in pupils of all ages and experience levels. Young twinkle toes learn the fundamentals of ballet, modern, and African dance, and an all-male tap dancing class for ages 9–17 encourages bonding, mentorship, and new ways to communicate with the downstairs neighbors.

Jewelry designer Gay Isber has transformed an old building into a glittering enclave decorated in a whimsical style that brings to mind Willy Wonka's factory as reimagined by a quirky fairy godmother. Classes and parties amid the animal-print furnishings and scintillating chandeliers draw together guests to craft jewelry from her huge stash of beads. The jeweler, who has adorned the necks of several celebrities, demonstrates techniques and shares stories about each bead's origins and former life as ammo for a peashooter.

e-Careers helps students flesh out their resumés and advance their careers with continuing education, available online, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The company hosts study programs that detail children’s education, web design, and most foreign languages, excluding the language of robot love. To simulate the traditional classroom experience as much as possible, each course comes to life with animated content, video and audio training, and virtual laboratories. Likewise, communicative features such as discussion boards allow participants to collaborate and converse, eliminating the need to send tweets when the teacher’s back is turned.

A conflation of Bombay (the old name for Mumbai) and Hollywood, Bollywood refers to the Mumbai-based film industry, which draws up the tradition of golden-age musicals, using song and dance as a way for characters to express their emotions. The dance style that has emerged from these films blends traditional and folk dance moves with beats and movements inspired by modern R & B and hip-hop. The ladies of Bollywood Shake showcase dance routines step by step, strengthening their student's sense of timing, spacing, and how to twirl without body checking their dance partner. Students twist and turn inside an expansive studio with lightly stained hardwood floors and decorated with gentle colors of orange and dark yellow. Instructors also offer Bollywood Workout classes, which use sped-up dance routines to tighten and tone the body.