Getting Ahead: Into the Wild

PERHAPS SEEING Cirque du Soleil in Vegas made you dream of joining the circus? Or did all those episodes of "Top Chef" inspire daydreams of ditching your business suit for a toque?

OK, maybe such radical career changes aren't an option — yet. But during the summer, an array of unusual, quirky and downright odd classes can help you explore such outside-the-cubicle occupations (and a few hobbies) without taking the plunge. Here are some courses that let you try out everything from melon carving to clowning. And if your summer fling leads to a new long-term gig, all the better.

» LAYERED TAKE: Turning out showstopping cakes requires more than a love for chocolate icing and a kitchen full of gadgets. Learn the measuring, whipping and icing shaping skills required to festoon sweets in Cake Decorating Part 1 courses that Fairfax County offers.

Each session, led by one of several expert dessert makers, starts with a review of the essentials of cake baking. Then students learn decorating techniques. They turn a piece of parchment (baking paper) into a decorator's bag, fill it with butter cream icing and create stars, teddy bears and roses.

Alternating demonstrations with hands-on activities, instructors of the six-session course finish with a "test," in which students show off their new dessert skills using cakes as canvases. It's a course that appeals to both parents looking to improve their kids' birthday cupcakes as well as caterers looking to expand their repertoire. "We are able to teach the students enough techniques that they're able to amaze themselves," says instructor Sandy Sheppard.

Fairfax County Public Schools Adult and Community Education; six 2.5-hour sessions; Thurs., starting June 14, 7-9:30 p.m.; McLean High School (entrance #5), 1633 Davidson Rd., McLean, Va. ($149)

» A REAL TOSS-UP: Feel like you constantly have too many balls in the air? Then learn to actually juggle them. It's a great stress reliever, says Johnarthur Lightfoot, 59, who teaches classes in the ancient art of catch, toss and release.

The D.C. native discovered juggling as a teen while watching a performer on "The Ed Sullivan Show." Inspired, he proceeded to teach himself how to do it. Now, in his classes other wannabes learn how to keep objects flying through the air. Juggling improves dexterity and hand-eye coordination, and it builds self-confidence, Lightfoot claims.

Students start off working with three balls. They then move on to more complex tricks like "Over the Rainbow," which involves tossing one ball with an overhand motion so it goes high and over the other two orbs.

Lightfoot stresses his course won't prep you for a big-top career. "This class is not to prepare for performance," he says. "It's just to have fun."

» Germantown Community Center, 18905 Kingsview Rd., Germantown, Md.; i>two 1.5-hour sessions, July 19 and 26, 7-8:30 p.m.; ($18 pre-registration fee, plus $3 in class for an optional set of balls to practice with at home)

» A SIP AROUND THE WORLD: Sauvignon blanc and Yucatan shrimp. Merlot and a bleu cheese Napoleon. The monthly wine classes that Montgomery County offers don't merely let students sample vino; they also show them how to prepare grape-friendly food that matches specific vintages.

During classes, which usually focus on specific regions (Sonoma, the Rhone), instructor Jim Davis has several groups of three to four students prepare the course of a themed menu. Dishes are then assembled buffet-style, and budding chefs serve themselves tapas-size portions.

Then, as students sample their creations and sip the grapey beverages that go with them, Davis, 69, gives a brief lecture on wine-tasting methods and briefs the class on the vintages — typically two to three — he's paired with each dish. Students try each wine, alone first, and then following a mouthful of food, and offer their opinions.
"I like for people to enjoy the food and the wine and learn a bit more about how they go together," says Davis, a personal chef.

Ross Boddy Community Ctr., 18529 Brooke Road, Sandy Spring. Wines From Around the World; July 6, 7-9:30 p.m.; The Rhone Rangers, Aug. 3, 7-9:30 p.m.; ($50 pre-registration fee, plus $20 fee due directly to instructor)

» MAKING A FRUIT STAND: If giving someone a dozen roses seems cliche, maybe you should carve him or her a bouquet from a watermelon instead. Students learn to turn kiwis, oranges and other produce aisle stars into what look like FTD arrangements during an Edible Fruits class in Fairfax County.

Cal Kraft, 64, a Springfield personal chef, demonstrates how to use knives and cookie cutters to shape grapes, strawberries, et al into faux posies. He'll cut a flower shape out of a slice of pineapple, deck it with melon ball center and voila — a munchable daisy.

"Most of the people who take the class have seen fruit displays, [but] they have no idea how to put them together," says Kraft, who is in his second summer teaching the class. And those who sign up for his unusual course won't have to shell out the $50 to $200 such healthy-yet-yummy creations cost online.

Fairfax County Public Schools Adult and Community Education; one 3-hour session; June 20, 6:30 - 9:30 p.m.; Robinson Secondary (entrance #1), 5035 Sideburn Road, Fairfax City. ($59)

» BEYOND BANANA PEELS: "Some people go out and buy a funny hat and think they're a clown, but there's a lot more to it than that," says instructor Martha Ades of Fairfax, Va., who has been entertaining folks as a clown for nine years. Her class, run by the Vienna-based Just Clowning Around Club, turns posers into believable Bozos and Krusties.

Over the course of eight weeks, Ades covers make-'em-laugh basics ranging from juggling to tying balloon animals.

But this isn't a chalk-and-talk class. "We expect [our students] to participate and develop into a clown," says Ades, who gives students scenes to act out, like pushing a giant rock from one side of the room to the other. Students also choose and develop their own character, such as a dapper white-face clown, who typically acts intellectual, or a hobo clown, who typically appears down on his luck.

Students attend the final class in full clown regalia, decking themselves out in makeup, red rubber noses, costumes and other elements they've learned to put on in class.

Clowning for Fun and Profit; eight 1-hour sessions; Thurs., Sept. 20-Nov. 8, 7:30-9:30 p.m.; Oakton High School, 2900 Sutton Rd., Vienna, Va. ($159)

» FACING FACTS: Phrases like "chiseled jaw," "elephant ears" and "aquiline nose" are often used to describe people's mugs. In Fairfax County's Face Reading class, students learn how analyzing someone's features can help them understand themselves and those around them. "Everyone has talents, and face reading can clue you into the authentic ones," says instructor Rose Rosetree, 59.

Using Rosetree's book, "The Power of Face Reading," students winnow in on skills and personality traits that are reputedly tied to what people look like. "You find that your face is perfect as an expression of who you are," says Sterling-based Rosetree, who is often hired to read faces at parties.

During the class, Rosetree fills students in on her theories. For instance, she says people with ears that lie flat against their heads are likely to have superb manners, and a dude with a major chin thrust probably loves nothing more than a good competition.
Students also learn the theory behind face reading (not expression reading — who can't tell a grimace from a smirk?) and practice reading each others' countenances, leaving with practical techniques. Knowing whether shifty eyes make a shifty person can be a useful skill for people in sales or singles assessing a potential date, Rosetree says.

Fairfax County Public Schools Adult and Community Education; one 6-hour session; July 14, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Pimmit Hills Center, 7510 Lisle Ave., Falls Church. ($89, including textbook)

» For more information on classes, contact Montgomery County Department of Recreation (montgomerycountymd.gov; 240-777-6870) or Fairfax County Public Schools Adult and Community Education (FCPS ACE) (fcps.edu/aceclasses; 703-658-1201)

Written by Express contributor Sara Kruger
Photos courtesy Fairfax County Public Schools