If you try to find a belly dancing class on CAESAR, you’ll probably wind up empty-handed. Fortunately minicourses at Norris University Center are here to fill your demand.

From introduction to ceramics to mastering pool, the minicourses cover many interests you might consider pursuing — plus a few you probably never have.

“Everything’s reasonably priced, so anyone could come in once a week for anything they want to learn,” said Mesmin Destin, student supervisor of minicourses. “It’s a nice distraction for people to get away from their school work once a week and do something they really enjoy.”

Friday is the last day of to register before a $10 late penalty applies, but Destin, a Weinberg senior, said many students wait until the end of registration to sign up. The courses cost between $47 and $95, depending on what supplies are needed. Sections of photography, ceramics and wine appreciation are already full.

“French had a really good turnout, so we kept it again this quarter,” Destin said of the French I course that started Fall Quarter.

“It would be really fun to learn how to give a massage,” said Thea Norris, a Communication freshman, of the massage minicourse. “But it would be better to get one.”

The massage course provides students with the opportunity to give and receive full-body massages using Swedish technique, but it isn’t the only course in which students gain useful knowledge.

“I took wine appreciation in the fall, and it was relatively laid-back,” said Tia Gupta, a Weinberg senior. “It was more about the different tastes that you like rather than what’s supposed to taste good.”

The wine appreciation course teaches six wines through “lectures, tips and taste-testing” to a class of people who are at least 21 years old.

“It was definitely worth the money and I’m glad I took it,” Gupta said. “I wouldn’t call myself a wine connoisseur, but I know the basics.”

Students interested in teaching a minicourse are invited to submit a resume and a short description of the proposed course to the Norris Mini Course Program.

“We love to get suggestions,” Destin said.

Multitude of minicourses

Dance and Music

* Ballroom dance

* Latin rhythm, salsa

* Swing and jitterbug

* Popular guitar

* Intro. to Oriental dance (belly dancing)

* Intermediate Oriental dance techniques

Language, literature

* Spanish I

* Spanish II

* French I

* German I

* Fiction writing in-depth

Artistry

* Intro. to black and white photography

* Adv. photography

* Experimental photo techniques

* Intro. to ceramics

* Intro. to drawing

* Painting

* Beginner’s knitting

Health, exercise

* Massage

* Tai Chi Chaun

* Beginning yoga I

* Beginning yoga II

* Pilates

Social

* Wine appreciation

* Fine wines

* Beers of the world

* Bartending

* Pool school

* Mastering pool