I love this place and the adult introductory classes. I've taken Robert Greer's introductory ballet…read moreclasses for 10+ years and it's been the best experience. Robert makes the classes fun, and do-able, regardless whether you have danced ballet before. I've also learned so much from Robert about anatomy and how the human body is designed to function. This was very important for me because I started coming off of a disability where my body no longer felt like my own. Moving to music is so relaxing, and the other dancers and atmosphere of the class is so nice.

I took Intro to Ballet 1 with Alexis -- what a FANTASTIC experience for my first ballet class! As…read moresomeone who has never done ballet before, I was nervous that I'd feel out of place. Alexis did a terrific job of making sure everyone could follow along, and helped me with some of the basics that all of the other students already knew. The class was a blast and I also got a great workout in. I look forward to taking more classes with Alexis, and highly recommend!!!

This place is a delight! They have supplies for stained glass artwork, classes on stain glass, they…read morecan do custom stained glass, designs, basically everything you need related to stain glass. Out front they always have a little table that has an activity involving stained glass. It's fun to bring kids and let them do a stained glass art piece. For about 20 bucks you can have them put it in the kiln and come back the next day and pick up your kids artwork. What a great activity to do on fourth Street.

Recently took a class w friends w instructor Julie Orchard - mere words cannot capture her…read moreawesomeness.. She'sthat rare combo of extremely experienced & able to communicate everything clearly & calmly, while making you feel like you can totally do exactly the same thing she did... & then she made good on it! Srsly, everyone in the class was thrilled e their results. Honestly I was shocked at what we all were able to achieve in just a few short but super sweet hours. If you're a serious nose to the grindstone student you'll appreciate Julie's expertise & clarity. If you're a total beginner looking to just have fun Julie will help you do just that - AND make a super beautiful piece. Win/win! HIGHLY recommend Julie

My wife and I had the pleasure of working with Ruth for the first dance at our wedding. Neither of…read moreus are dancers, but we had our hearts set on a special song. We had never even heard of a Viennese waltz let alone knew how to dance it. Ruth was extremely kind and patient with us, and helped us create a routine at our skill level, listening to our feedback and suggestions all the way. In addition to that, she was flexible with our packed schedule that comes with a month before a wedding. The dance ended up a hit and we got a ton of compliments! Ruth, thank you so much from the both of us!

I've been attending Ruth's salsa classes for about 4-5 months. Ruth is an outstanding teacher and…read moreLatin dancer. A key part of teaching a physical skill is to remind the student as many times as needed what they need to change until they integrate the new idea/movement/whatever. Ruth is excellent at holding out until you get the right idea. Then she moves you right along to whatever you need to do next. Ruth is also super perceptive - She quickly sees exactly what trouble a student is having and then clearly and kindly guides you towards the necessary improvement. I'm impressed by her ability to help people at widely varying levels by giving each person what they need - even though her suggestions are different for each person. Ruth is also friendly, fun and positive. I always feel welcome and encouraged at her class. I highly recommend Ruth to anyone wanting to learn Latin dance.

I've been going to Merritt Ceramics since 2019. I have worked in multiple shared-space ceramic…read morestudios over the years, and Merritt is hands-down the cleanest and most well-organized one I have found. ​The staff is incredibly kind, caring, and knowledgeable. I've taken everything at the studio from multi-week wheel throwing courses and one-on-one tutoring to special workshops with world-renowned artists, and I have been impressed with all of them. I am now a 'Daisy' member, which allows me to drop in and work anytime the studio is open. I have learned that I really enjoy sculpting animals. I love working here surrounded by other people who are just as deep into clay as I am. The space is well-equipped with supplies and tools, and the kiln turnaround time is fast. Come join us!

Great creative community, well established studio, very inclusive. Instructors are solid!read more

I took a ten-week session of private lessons with Trius in drawing and watercolors/acrylic and I…read morefeel it has brought a dramatic improvement in my visual thinking. Trius is a hands-on teacher, and gives you the right amount of guidance without being patronizing, which I think is very important. His passion is palpable in his instructions, and his discussions and examples from the masters have been very informative to a beginner like me. At times, when I've given up on a sketch that I've been working on, he has motivated me to keep at it. He is immensely patient, has a keen eye for problem areas and gives constant feedback, which was highly encouraging for me throughout the classes. His knowledge is immense, and he focusses on the fundamentals and gives you a solid foundation to build on, which I think is the most important reason I'd recommend him over other instructors. Besides being a great teacher, he is a wonderful artist and his works are an inspiration in itself. And as another review mentioned, he is a very very interesting person to talk to :)

I took private drawing and pastel lessons from Trius for well over a year, and I think my work…read moreimproved greatly during that time. Trius is classically trained but not hidebound, and he is willing to help you work on the areas you choose. I always learned from his assignments, and he had lots of useful book recommendations, as well. He is very patient, and can teach at all levels, from very young children to experienced adults. I had already had years of college-level art classes before I started working with him, but he had a lot to contribute. I always felt his plans for our lessons were personalized to me. He was very inspiring, and encouraged me to work. I would definitely recommend him as a drawing teacher. In addition, he's just a very interesting person to talk to!

My friend and I loved our experience at Slow Burn Glass! We took a beginner class where you can…read moreeither make a small vase or a floppy bowl. It was a small class and you always had a worker with you helping. I love how our pieces turned out! Your item will be ready in 2 days and if you cannot pick it up, you can pay to have it shipped. I chose to have ours shipped and it was very quick and packed well.

My partner and I took the beer pint/wine glass class with Bryan and Roz. It was such a fun…read moreexperience! I would definitely recommend this class to anyone. I was pretty nervous going into the class since I have never done anything remotely like this. Both instructors were helpful, informative, and kind. We will definitely be back!

Phyllis has been my teacher for ten years. She's endlessly patient, skilled in communicating…read moreinformation and technique, fun to learn from, and a wonderful person. She uses a studio in her home to give lessons which works well and she charges reasonable rates. She works with both children and adults, soloists and string quartets, and all her students love her. She arranges regular recitals for her students which are helpful in player development. Besides having an extraordinary ability to play every stringed instrument under the sun, she also plays and teaches piano. Her email is almaduo@comcast.net

Phyllis Kamrin is the best music teacher our children have had. Our 2 daughters had reached a…read moreplateau in their musical development. Once Phyllis started weekly lessons with the girls, we heard a noticeable improvement. She knows how to make learning fun, which is extremely important for teenagers who are easily distracted. For the first time in 7 years, we didn't have to coax our daughters to practice.

I studied flute as a boy and took it up a couple times again as an adult. Encouraged by a concert…read moreflutist friend this year, I took up the instrument again. Buying a better instrument helped a lot, but I soon hit a wall with my amateur technique, and I discovered that Sujatha was teaching nearby in Berkeley. What an extraordinary stroke of luck that was, as Sujatha is by far the best music teacher I've ever had. My flute playing is now growing in leaps and bounds. I am now learning quickly (and unlearning bad habits), and am inspired to practice a half-hour to hour every day. Sujatha's lessons are joyful, enthusiastic, fast-paced, and targeted to just what I need. Despite my amateur abilities, she treats my musical aspirations with deep respect, and challenges me right to the edge of what I'm capable of each week, so that my playing abilities swiftly grow. I'm now able to sight read music--at least on a basic level--and am learning things I never learned from any music teacher before about the phrasing and expression of music (not just the basics of getting the notes and tempo correct). Sujatha herself is an extraordinarily skilled musician, conservatory-trained, who performs regularly in the Bay Area. She studies with her own master teacher, and passes on those insights to her students. I recommend Sujatha highly for anyone who wants to discover the joy of music, and to grow their musical abilities with a joyful, exuberant soul.

I found Sujatha after trying quite a bit to find someone that would teach adult lessons. She was…read morevery kind and warm from the very first conversation to all the lessons I have had over many months now. Most importantly she is very patient and encouraging through the struggles of learning something entirely new at a point in life when learning a new skill is not the easiest thing. In addition to learning from Sujatha I have also been at her performance and she is very skilled and a beautiful flute player herself. After some of my initial hesitations and self doubt of whether I'd be able to learn, whether I would enjoy it or whether I would have the energy to sustain my learning I discovered at the end of three months that I was really enjoying learning and decided to invest in buying a flute and returning my rental flute. She also very graciously helped take me to to a store and shop for my flute at a local store where she is very well known. For anyone looking to learn I can say for sure you are going to enjoy learning from Sujatha if you have the motivation to learn :)