Top classes for creative learning beyond university walls

Courtesy of Fashion Portfolio Academy

Attend fashion boot camp
Fashion fever has gripped New York as the city prepares for New York Fashion Week, the most anticipated annual event in the fashion industry. Get into the fashionista spirit by taking the Introduction to Fashion course at the Fashion Portfolio Academy. This four-part course will introduce you to different fashion trends, the basics of design construction, figure and technical sketching and the skills necessary for designing an inspiration board. Come next September, you just might end up inside the tents at Lincoln Center. Living Social Deals, $49 to $179

via flickr.com

Take a bartending course
If you are over 21 and looking to learn the ins and outs of bartending, take a three-hour mixology seminar at the Authentic Bartending School. Taught by certified professionals, the energetic class offers a basic overview of bartending from shot pouring and martini mixing to providing recipes for popular mixed drinks. For those who enjoy the seminar, the Authentic Bartending School offers a full certification course that can help you land a part- or full-time job as a bartender. Groupon, $19 - $50

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Learn to belly dance
Looking to branch out from the monotony of weight lifting and running treadmills at the gym? Enroll in an exciting Belly Dancing Basics class at Mosaic Studios. Not only does the class offer a thorough introduction to the basics of belly dancing in an exciting and upbeat environment, it also provides a wonderful cardio and upper-body workout with a fitness expenditure equivalent to that of an average hour spent at the gym. Mosaic Studios, $16

Courtesy of UrbanGlass

Craft glass creations
Learn the art of glass bead making by attending one of UrbanGlass’s weekend workshops. The sessions cover basic flame techniques and the skills necessary to turn delicate glass rods into beautiful glass beads. Classes in kiln forming and stained glass design are also offered. Prices vary.

Courtesy of Kat Mareck for House of Yes

Fly high with Aerial Silks
Impressive aerial acts aren’t just for the circus. An instructor at an Aerial Silks Technique class with Skybox at the House of Yes will teach you how to twist in the air with pieces of silk and swing in hoops suspended in the air. Learn the fundamentals of aerial silks while receiving individual attention in a beginner class with less than six students. House of Yes, $30