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The Torrance Cultural Arts Center hires instructors who are working artists or professionals in their field. The quality of instruction is matched by the quality of facilities in which classes occur, at the Torrance Cultural Arts Center. The following is a list of our instructors with a brief biography of each one.
Cultural Arts Center Instructors
Updated on 05/24/2022 5:19 PM
These are photos and brief biographies of our Cultural Arts Center Cultural and Recreation Class Instructors
Visual Art - April Numamoto teaches Decorative Painting and Water Soluble Oil Painting. April is a Master Elite Director for Donna Dewberry and is certified in Martin F. Weber Water Soluble Oils. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Child Development and a Master’s Degree in Special Education. She has 30 years of experience teaching at national painting conventions and publishing in painting books and magazines. She has been teaching youth and adult classes for the City of Torrance for 13 years. April’s approach to teaching is hands on for beginning students and free style for intermediate to advanced students. Students are provided with written instructions and color guides to assist them with their projects. Her classes are a social outlet and a fun way of learning something new.
American Sign Language - Diana Barch teaches youth and adult American Sign Language classes. She has been teaching Sign Language classes in various locations for more than 27 years and for the City of Torrance for 20 years. She studied sign language in High School and was a member of the Sign Language Club for 3 years. The use of sign language is a part of her daily life. Her students will learn the alphabet, how to sign sentences, and about deaf culture. Students will practice signing with each other in class. Diana’s goal is to make her students feel welcome, so that it is fun to learn.
Youth Art - Diane Reeves teaches youth and adult Drawing, Painting and Mixed Media classes. She is a self-taught artist who is active in local arts organizations. She is a member of the Torrance Artists Guild, The Redondo Beach Art Group, The Photographers Exchange and Destination Art: Torrance. She has been teaching for the City of Torrance for 14 years and was a school volunteer art docent for 10 years before that. A professional artist since 1988, her work has been included in solo and group shows throughout California. Diane has won two Excellence in Arts Awards from the Torrance Cultural Arts Commission – the first in 1999 for Visual Arts & Design and the second in 2010 for Arts Education. Diane covers basic skills for drawing and painting with fun projects that allow her students to learn while exploring different materials. She often utilizes Art History lessons as a way to teach about a specific artist or art style so that her students gain a broad appreciation for looking at art. Her adult classes generally focus more on mixed media techniques.
Guitar - Enrique Ruiz teaches youth and adult Acoustic Guitar classes. He studied music and classical guitar at the Conservatory of Music in Mexico City and Jazz Harmony and arranging at California State University, Dominguez Hills. He is the Artistic Program Director for Oz Horizon Entertainment Productions Foundation USA and the Department of Mental Health in Los Angeles. Enrique is a professional musician who has been teaching guitar for more than 20 years. His teaching style is a combination of hands-on and free style. Students are taught in a personalized way based on the needs of the students in his class. He keeps the group growing in a parallel way so that no student is left behind.
Guitar - Jim Tomich teaches youth and adult Guitar and Piano classes. Jim graduated with honors from the Musicians Institute (GIT) in Hollywood, CA. He has been teaching private lessons in the South Bay since 1970 and teaching for the City of Torrance since 2006. He is a professional musician playing with bands throughout Southern California. Jim takes a free-style approach towards teaching the guitar. He teaches traditional note-reading, then after the fundamentals have been mastered, he encourages students to bring in material they’d like to learn. He views the guitar as an expressive instrument and likes for students to use their ears and imagination to make music that inspires them. Jim’s approach towards teaching piano is more formal. He teaches step by step from proven method books to help the students advance to the next level.
Youth and Adult Art - Laurel Koss teaches Pastels for Youth, Book Binding, Papermaking and Journaling classes. She has been teaching for 22 years. She received her Bachelors of Art Degree in Journalism from Temple University. She studied art through the UCLA Extension Program and studied Calligraphy at Whitelands College in London, England. In addition to teaching for the City of Torrance, she has taught at various Los Angeles City and County Libraries, the Hammer Museum and Kidspace Museum. Her work has been shown in group and solo exhibits. Laurel introduces her students to the work of various artists and writers, then presents a demonstration of medium and techniques. She encourages imagination and individuality. Her goal is to broaden her students’ knowledge and confidence in a variety of art mediums.
Adult Zumba - Linda Garcia teaches adult Zumba classes. She has been teaching Zumba for 7 years, and has been with the City of Torrance for 5 years. She earned a Masters of Arts Degree in Linguistics. Linda’s classes are participant driven. Students are encouraged to perform at their own level of comfort. Students are exposed to different styles of world dance and music in her fun and exciting class.
Piano - Lisa VanBuren teaches piano classes for youth (4+), adults and seniors. She started playing the piano at age 4. She earned an Associates of Arts Degree in Music from El Camino College and a Bachelor’s Degree in Music from California State University, Dominguez Hills. For the past 25 years Lisa has been teaching private lessons at studios in the South Bay. She has over 23 years of experience teaching for the City of Torrance. Lisa teaches with a relaxed, yet structured style, creating a fun experience for her students. Her goal is to encourage students of all ages to learn the benefits of discipline and patience when they practice. Students get the benefit of the physical skills of hand and eye coordination, recognizing patterns and improving memory function as they progress through and learn each song. Students receive 10 minutes of one on one instruction with the instructor on an acoustic piano. During the class students will have the opportunity to practice on their own for 40 minutes on electronic keyboards. No instruction is given during the 40 minute practice time. Students must have their own acoustic or electronic piano with full-size keys for home practice.
Sharleen Taira teaches Ceramics I, Ceramics Studio and Workshop, Basket Weaving, Shibori (Japanese Tie Dye), crochet and Zippered Pouches. She earned a Bachelor’s of Arts in Fine Arts from California State University, Long Beach and a certificate in 3D Animation from El Camino College. She is the President of the Acacia Quilt Guild. She was a professional Graphic Artist for Frank Scheafer Magazine for several years. Sharlene has been teaching for the City of Torrance for 26 years. She was a recipient of an Employee of the Year Award for the Cultural Services Division in 2018. Her approach to teaching is hands on. She teaches students the proper use of tools and how to use them to make their art projects come alive. She inspires and encourages imagination.
Fitness Classes - Sherrylee Warrior teaches Back to Basics Bootcamp, Barre Tone-Up Workout, Dance Fusion Fitness and Zumba. Sherrylee is a certified Zumba instructor for adults and youth. She has been a health and wellness coach for 10 years, a Zumba and Group Fitness Instructor for 5 years and a Personal Trainer for 3 years. She is an ACE (American Council on Exercise) certified personal trainer, and an AFAA (Athletics and Fitness Association of America) certified group fitness instructor. Sherrylee’s classes are hands on, interactive, high energy and participant driven. They relieve stress and create positive energy. She fell in love with fitness and nutrition through her journey of losing 155 pounds. She has a passion for helping people find the best version of themselves.
Svetlana Averbukh
Adult Fitness - TerriAnn Ferren teaches Slow Morning Exercise for adults. She has been teaching for the City of Torrance for over 20 years and at other locations throughout the South Bay. She studied and trained under Phyllis Moore at the Phyllis Moore Studio, Roland Dupree at the Dupree Dance Academy, Dolores Terry, and Marie Denn at the Actors Studio. TerriAnn gently leads her students through slow movements. Students will stand, sit, and stretch on the floor and the ballet barre. Her style is orchestrated with ease. Students will improve posture, learn relaxation techniques and breathing exercises.
Adult Fitness - Terri Durish teaches Step and Circuit classes for adults. She is certified with the International Fitness Association. She has been teaching for 12 years. As a committed exerciser for many years, she has practiced step aerobics, running, weight lifting and power walking. She believes that a toned body keeps the stress level down and makes you feel good about yourself. In her class be prepared to work hard but also have a lot of fun. She pays particular attention to insuring that students have good form. Students work at their own pace on and off the step.
Ceramics and Fencing - Tom Trulove teaches youth and adult fencing classes and youth ceramics classes. He studied ceramics at El Camino College. Tom has been teaching ceramics for over 19 years. His ceramic classes include demonstrations to get students started, then they have the freedom to be creative. For over ten years, Tom has been an active member of the Torrance Craftsmen’s Guild, the Palos Verdes Art Center 3 Dimension Art Group, and the Palos Verdes Art Center PV Painters Arts Group. He has presented live demonstrations on the potter’s wheel and hand building techniques at various art shows and festivals, which is always a big attraction. Tom has been teaching fencing for over 39 years. He also competed in fencing for over 5 years. Additionally he has been involved with the Torrance Fencing Club for over 48 years.