Here’s what you have to look forward to! (Schedule subject to change):

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24 (21+)

In Century Ballroom:
+ 6:30 doors for dinner
+ 6:30-7:00 Piano music upon entering: Paul Cabrera (Century’s Got Talent Finalist)
+ 7:00 Family Banquet Dinner
+ 7:15-7:45 Performance during dinner: Paul Cabrera (Century’s Got Talent Finalist)
+ 8:30-9:00 Performance during dinner: Katherine Terrien (Century’s Got Talent Finalist)
+ 9:00 strike tables for dancing
+ 9:15ish doors for dancing
+ 9:30-10:20 DJ: Thomas Sudassy (Salsa)
+ 10:20 Performance: Michelle Badion (Tango)
+ 10:25 Performance: Dance Belt (Single Ladies)
+ 10:30 ORCHESTRA ZARABANDA (Live Salsa)
+ 11:30 Performance: MamboU (Salsa)
+ 11:40 DJ: Ed Essey (Salsa)
+ 12:40 DJ: Andre Mintz (Salsa)

In East Hall:
+ 8:30 DJ: Betty (Country, West Coast Swing, Line Dances, Waltz)
+ 10:30 DJ: Erica (Alt Tango)
+ 11:30 DJ: Greg (Tango)

In West Hall:
+ 9:30 DJ: Tonya (Swing/Lindy)
+ 10:30 DJ: Nosey Joe (Swing/Lindy)

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25 (21+)

In Century Ballroom:
+ 9pm doors
+ DJ: music mixed by Hallie (AKA MC KOOP) for the Prom – top hits of all styles from the 30s to present day.
+ 9:30 Premiere Tap (Century’s Got Talent Finalist)
+ 9:45 Savoy Swing Club #1 (Swing)
+ 9:45 Katherine Terrien (Century’s Got Talent Finalist)
+ 10:00 Godfrey Daniels (performance)
+ 10:15 Stephanie Anne Johnson (Century’s Got Talent Contest Winner)
+ 10:30 La’Twon (Tap)
+ 10:45 Savoy Swing Club (Swing)
+ 11:00 Kylie Koyote (Burlesque)
+ 11:15 Johnny Bravo (Salsa soloist)
+ 11:30 Greg/Nicole (Tango)
+ 11:45 Becka/Sara SeattleLatin Dance (Salsa)
+ Time TBD Joshua/Deron (West Coast Swing)
+ Time TBD Corazon Dance (Salsa)

In East Hall:
+ 9-9:45 DJ: Cebrina (Salsa, Bachata, Kizomba)
+ 9:45-10:30 DJ: Jim (Salsa, Bachata, Kizomba)
+ 10:30-11:15 DJ: Victor (Salsa, Bachata, Kizomba)
+ 11:15-12:15 DJ: Edgar (Salsa, Bachata, Kizomba)
+ 12:15-1:30 DJ: Nick (Salsa, Bachata, Kizomba)

In West Hall:
+ 9-9:45 DJ: Kevin T. (Swing/Lindy)
+ 9:45-10:30 DJ: Freddie(Swing/Lindy)
+ 10:30-11:45 DJ: Robb (West Coast Swing)
+ 11:45-12:30 DJ: Max (Tango)

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26 (All Ages)

In Century Ballroom:
+ 8:30 doors Century
+ 9:00 Drop in Swing lesson
+ 9:30 DJ: Chris Chapman (Swing/Lindy)
+ 9:50 BAND: Casey MacGill
+ 10:45 PERFORMANCES: Frances & Jay (Kizomba); Adam (hip hop)
+ 11:00 DJ: Jo Ann (Swing/Lindy)
+ 11:20 BAND TUMBAO (Salsa)
+ 12:15 DJ: Maracas (Salsa)

In East Hall:
+ 9:00 DJ: Greg Constantino (Alt Tango)
+ 10:00 DJ: Hareesh (West Coast Swing)
+ 11:00 DJ: Peyvand (Alt Tango)

In West Hall:
+ 7:15 doors
+ 8:00 View & Chew Movie Rocky Horror Picture Show w/ live stage performance
+ 10:00 DJ: Howard (Salsa)
+ 11:15 DJ: Peter F. (Swing/Lindy)

Century Ballroom is located at:
915 E. Pine
Seattle, WA 98122
206.324.7263
www.centuryballroom.com

Let Seattle Cycling Tours take you on a unique tour of Seattle and it’s urban neighborhoods. They supply the bicycles with fenders and lights, a helmet, and a historic view of Seattle from Wednesdays through Sundays. You provide the pedal power and your curiosity. They iron out the hills, and the Seattle rain mist just makes your complexion better. Dress for the weather. Magnificent scenery, friendly people, and a sense of personal empowerment. Take a break and experience the outdoors and it’s sights, smells and sounds all while riding a bicycle. Sign up for one of Seattle Cycling Tours’ twice daily historic Seattle tours. Bring your family, friends or meet someone new. Meet new adventurers like yourself and experience a urban break unlike any other.

Bicycle Adventures
29700 SE High Point Way
Issaquah, WA 98027
800.443.6060
www.bicycleadventures.com

Want to get out of town and tour a bit more than the city? A taste of the San Juan Islands, this 4-day cycling trip is ideal for people who are newer to bicycle touring or those with limited time. Starting and ending in Seattle, you’ll ride on peaceful island roads, enjoy guided sea kayaking and hiking through the lush island scenery. Lodging on this tour is charming, and the fresh island-grown Northwest cuisine rivals California’s best. Explore three of Washington’s San Juan Islands, pedal 20 to 25 miles each day, and enjoy delightful accommodations and delicious meals along the way.

iBike Bicycle Tours
4887 Columbia Drive South
Seattle, WA 98108
206.767.0848
www.ibike.org/ibike/seattle/index.htm

For those who already love Seattle, or for those who are willing to fall in love with it, Ibike Tours’ Seattle bike tour is a fascinating excursion into the heart and soul of this magical city. Ibike has an inventory of 2000 points of interest in the city to choose from, and an almost infinite number ways to connect them for a fun and enriching bike tour. It just so happens the almost every building and every street has a story — some happy, some inspiring, some ironic and some sad, but all are informative. The guides won’t try to tell you every tale, but selected stops along the way provide insight that bring out the rich history and heritage, geographical and environmental diversity, and economic, geological and cultural complexity of Seattle. Call or email to set up your tour: ibike@ibike.org.

Cascade Bicycle Club Daily Rides
7400 Sand Point Way NE
Building 138
Seattle, WA 98115
206.522.BIKE
www.cascade.org

Cascade offers rides every day of the year, more than 1,300 rides annually. Rides range from leisurely 10-mile jaunts to strenuous endurance events. You must bring your own bike and wear a helmet for the ride. Volunteer ride leaders serve as guides. You don’t have to be a member of the Club to join in on the rides, except for the Cascade Training Series where Cascade membership is required. Kids are welcome on the rides; those 15 and under must be accompanied by parent or legal guardian OR must have parent/legal guardian sign a consent form designating a guardian for them on the ride. Check out all the fun, free rides on the website www.cascade.org.

After Tree Ear breaks a piece of master potter Min’s work, Min grudgingly allows the boy to help with menial tasks in repayment, but never permits Tree Ear to try his hand at pottery. When the Emperor requests a sample of Min’s exquisite pottery, Tree Ear volunteers to embark on the dangerous journey in hope of earning the master potter’s respect.

The Newbery-award winning book makes a powerful performance about perseverance and potential. Homelessness, ethical questions, hardships and an emotionally charged story are most suitable for older elementary aged children. Ages 8 and up are recommended.

The play runs from Thursday, February 23 through Sunday, March 18. Tickets are available online at www.sct.org.

The Seattle Children’s Theatre is located at:
201 Thomas St.
Seattle, WA 98109
206.441.3322

Dr. Seuss Party and Storytime
Saturday, February 25
9:00am
Local Target Stores
www.target.com

Pop into your local Target store for a live reading of Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax. Free goody bags, kids activities and more. Click HERE to find a Target store near you.

Get Loose with Dr. Seuss and The Harmonica Pocket
Tuesday, February 28
11:00am
Puyallup Public Library
324 S. Meridian
Puyallup, WA 98371
www.cityofpuyallup.org

Join the zany fun when a handful of his famous and lesser-known books are set to music. Fun theatrics will teach the history behind the creation of Horton Hatches the Egg. Singing, play acting and more. This is a FREE early learning concert sponsored by the Friends of the Puyallup Library. No registration required. Recommended for children 1 to 8 years old.

Dr. Seuss Night
Thursday, March 1
6:00pm – 8:00pm
Tukwila Community Center
12424 42nd Ave. S.
Tukwila WA 98168
www.tukwilawa.gov

A fun free family night with bouncers, arts and crafts, food, games, The Cat in the Hat and more.

Dr. Seuss Birthday Celebration
Saturday, March 3
3:30pm
Third Place Books
17171 Bothell Way NE
Lake Forest Park, WA 98155
www.thirdplacebooks.com

A free celebration of stories, crafts, take your picture with the Cat in the Hat, all ages welcome.

Arts Alive! – The Harmonica Pocket’s Get Loose with Seuss Show
Saturday, March 17
10:30am
Arts Alive!
2045 S. 216th Avenue South
Des Moines, WA, 98198
206.870.6527

With swinging story-songs, hula hoops, and a suitcase of props, The Harmonica Pocket mixes up Music, Dance, and Imagination Games into a gigglish jambalaya. Audiences are invited to become a tree on a windy day, flex creative writing skills by dreaming up lyrics to songs, and make hilarious sounds as they toss around an imaginary “Ball of Nothing.” Audiences are invited to sing the words to Dr. Seuss’s ABCs, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, and to help save the Whos on a giant speck of dust. Using theater, you will learn the history behind the creation of Horton Hatches The Egg. And of course, to properly celebrate any centenarian’s birthday, there will be the Happy Birthday song for Dr. Seuss.

The former House speaker’s comments came on a visit to the state Capitol where he also met privately with Republican legislators. Washington’s Democratic governor signed the gay marriage bill last week and it will take effect in June unless opponents can gather enough signatures to force a fall referendum.

Gingrich cited the possibility of a public vote in appraising the hot-button issue, noting that judges have authorized same-sex marriage in other places.

“I think at least they’re doing it the right way, which is going through voters, giving them a chance to vote and not having a handful of judges arbitrarily impose their will,” Gingrich said.

A November referendum is not guaranteed. Opponents of the Washington law need more than 120,000 valid voter signatures needed by June 6 to put the law on hold pending a referendum.

Gingrich made clear he opposes gay marriage personally and would vote no on such a referendum if one ever came up in his home state.

His posture was different than rival Rick Santorum, who campaigned in Washington the same day the law was signed.

Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator, questioned the effectiveness of having states decide the definition of marriage. He supports a federal constitutional amendment making marriage exclusively between a man and a woman.

“I think that at least from my perspective it tends to water down marriage instead of encouraging men and women to form healthy marriages, and that to me should be the objective of the government because that is in the best interests of our society,” Santorum said after a meeting with church leaders organizing a ballot drive to block the Washington law from taking hold.

Washington state has had domestic partnership laws since 2007, and in 2009 passed an “everything but marriage” expansion of that law, which was ultimately upheld by voters after a referendum challenge.

Minnesota and North Carolina have measures on their fall ballots to write gay marriage bans into their state constitutions. And same-sex marriage opponents in Maryland have taken the first steps to bring legislation legalizing gay marriage passed by the state’s Legislature this week to a voter referendum on the November ballot.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

This hilarious, sexy new musical about one date, two people, and all the voices in their heads, also features Seattle stars Benjamin Harris, Vicki Noon, Brandon O’Neill, Rich Gray, Greg McCormick Allen, and Sonya Meyer, in roles including old boyfriends, ex-fiancées, best friends, and pushy relatives, not to mention fellow diners who intrude on the couple’s blind date. The 5th Avenue’s Producing Director Bill Berry directs this clever and quirky world premiere romantic comedy with musical staging by Broadway’s Josh Prince. With a book by seasoned screenwriter Austin Winsberg and music and lyrics by the dynamic writing team of Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner, this irreverent comedy chronicles the perils and pitfalls of blind dating and the journey from “tragic mistake” to “true love.” Or at least to a second date.

First Date plays March 10 – May 20 at ACT-A Contemporary Theatre in the Falls Theatre (700 Union Street, Seattle 98101). Tickets (starting at $15.00) may be purchased at both theatres via The 5th Avenue Box Office, 206.625.1900 or online at www.5thavenue.org; and the ACT Ticket Office, 206.292.7676 or at www.acttheatre.org.

This is the second production produced in partnership by ACT and The 5th Avenue Theatre.

Thursday’s scene came a day after police said the boy accidently shot a fellow third-grader, and raised questions that will be played out in the legal system: Did he know what he did was wrong? And is anyone else responsible?

Bail was set at $50,000 during the hearing where preliminary charges were filed, and ultimately the court will determine whether the case against the third-grader will continue.

An 8-year-old girl remains critically wounded.

“I just want everyone to know that my kid made a mistake. It was a terrible mistake,” the boy’s father, Jason Cochran, said outside the courthouse.

An uncle, Patrick Cochran, is the boy’s legal guardian and also sat by his nephew’s side in the courthouse. The Seattle Times reported late Thursday the boy had been released on bail. The Kitsap County Juvenile Detention Facility said it couldn’t comment and a juvenile administrator did not immediately return a phone call. Court arrangements provided that the boy would be released to his uncle and placed under house arrest if bail was met.

“He’s a good kid. It’s all I can say,” Patrick Cochran said earlier Thursday. “I apologize to the family of that girl. I really do.”

Authorities say the boy brought a .45-caliber handgun he got from his mother’s house to an elementary school in Bremerton on Wednesday, and the weapon discharged from inside his backpack just before classes let out, critically injuring Amina Kocer-Bowman.

Her father, John Bowman, said in a statement that if not for the quick actions of his daughter’s teacher the girl would likely have died. “Had she not administered first aid and stopped the bleeding from the gunshot wound, this event would have surely been tragic,” Bowman said.

The teacher, Natalie Poss, told KING-TV on Thursday night the shooting was “a teacher’s worst nightmare.”

She recalled hearing a loud bang, then seeing the little girl slump. Poss told students to go get help.

The teacher located the gunshot wound and applied pressure until medics arrived, telling the girl, “Stay with me, Amina!”

Todd Dowell of the Kitsap County prosecutor’s juvenile division said that his office had enough information to charge the boy on Thursday. However, the child will not be arraigned until the court determines whether he has the capacity to understand that what he did was wrong.

Under state law, children between 8 and 12 years old can face charges if a court makes such a determination. A capacity hearing in this case will be scheduled in two weeks.

Kitsap County officials said both the child’s mother and father have criminal records. Bremerton police Lt. Peter Fisher would not discuss whether authorities were investigating any adults in connection with Wednesday’s shooting, and he wouldn’t release further information about the investigation.

The boy’s classmate remained in critical condition at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after undergoing surgery for a gunshot wound. Dr. Eileen Bulger said the girl will likely be at the hospital for several weeks and face further surgeries. She was sedated and on a ventilator but has woken up and interacted with her parents. A bullet hit the girl in the abdomen and arm, according to authorities.

The boy was charged with unlawful possession of a gun, bringing a dangerous weapon to school and third-degree assault.

Authorities believe he got the weapon during a visitation with his mother over the weekend, according to charging documents released Thursday. The documents state that the boy told a classmate about five days ago that he was going to bring his “dad’s gun” to school and run away. The gun discharged after the boy slammed his backpack down on a desk, the documents said.

“He has a lot of good in his heart,” Poss said of the boy. “I know he didn’t intend this to happen. And I know he’s hurting tonight.”

Court documents show Jamie Lee Chaffin, who is listed as the boy’s mother in a child support case, sued the boy’s father for failing to pay child support. She also has been in and out of the court system, according to court documents. In 2005, she was arrested for possession of meth in Bremerton, but pleaded guilty to a drug paraphernalia charge. She also was convicted of marijuana delivery and forgery.

Jason Cochran has been convicted multiple times for violating protection orders regarding Chaffin.

In twenty-seven states, there are some form of firearm child access prevention laws. Such laws can include criminal penalties for adults who allow children to get their hands on guns, but Washington has no such laws, according to the San Francisco-based Legal Community Against Violence.

Gail Hammer, a law professor at Gonzaga University in Spokane, said it is very rare for a child as young as 9 to be charged with a crime. Even if a young child is convicted, he wouldn’t be sent to an adult prison, Hammer said.

In Olympia, the Seattle Democrat who chairs the state Senate Judiciary Committee said this case points to a lapse in state law. “We do not hold people very accountable in this state for leaving guns around the house with small children,” Sen. Adam Kline said.

Kline said that he would consider a bill to address it during the next legislative session next year, but didn’t sound hopeful of its chances.

There have been shootings at schools that involved younger children. In 2000, 6-year-old Kayla Rolland, a Michigan first-grader, was fatally shot by a 6-year-old classmate who brought a gun from home. That boy was not criminally charged; prosecutors said he was too young to be held responsible. Last year, a 6-year-old kindergartner at a Houston elementary school accidentally fired a gun as he was showing it off to friends, injuring three students.

Bremerton Schools spokeswoman Patty Glaser said the school where Wednesday’s shooting happened, with about 400 students, was open for classes Thursday with 10 counselors available to talk with teachers, students and parents. The school is in a quiet residential neighborhood about 20 miles west of Seattle, across Puget Sound.

Patrick Cochran said the boy’s grandmother adopted him, but she died a year ago and he became the child’s legal guardian.

As court officers led the boy away after the hearing, his father hugged him and gave him a kiss. Both had tears in their eyes.

– Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. Associated Press writers Rachel La Corte in Olympia, Wash., and Nicholas K. Geranios in Spokane, Wash., contributed to this report.

John Nichols, Washington Correspondent for the Nation, joins the 2nd hour of today’s show to talk about the Wisconsin Democrats filing a complaint agains the Koch Brothers.

Ari Melber, Net Movement Correspondent for the Nation joins the 3rd hour of today’s show to discuss next weeks primaries and the news of the day.

Con. Gary Peters, D-MI, joins the 3rd hour of today’s show to discuss next week’s Michigan Primary.

One day after a feisty debate, Mitt Romney criticized Republican rival Rick Santorum and courted tea party voters Thursday in a pair of primary states separated by nearly 2,000 miles. We’ll talk about it.

Soaring gasoline prices are threatening to undercut President Barack Obama’s re-election prospects and offering Republicans an easy target. We’ll bring you the latest.

GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich said Thursday a U.S. apology to Afghan authorities for burned Qurans on a military base was “astonishing” and undeserved. We’ll give you the details.

The National Weather Service says there’s a chance of snow showers in the Western Washington lowlands Saturday but no accumulation is expected.

Forecasters predict very gusty winds Saturday in much of Eastern Washington and the cold air means the snow level will fall to valley floors.

– Copyright 2012 The Associated Press

The sheriff’s office didn’t immediately release the woman’s name, but jail and court records show that it is Jessi Leigh Foster, 32, the mother of one of Joshua Blake’s children. Blake, an ex-con with a history of antagonizing police, shot and killed Trooper Tony Radulescu early Thursday morning during a traffic stop, then committed suicide with a single shot to the head hours later.

Shortly after the trooper’s death, Blake called Foster and told her he did something bad and needed help to escape, sheriff’s Sgt. Ken Dickinson told a news conference.

She met him at a home on a dirt road a few miles away, where she pressed him on what he had done, he said, and even after Blake acknowledged that he “shot a cop,” she continued trying to help.

“She was actively trying to find a way for him to get out of the area,” Dickinson said.

She was still in the home with him when he killed himself as a SWAT team closed in, Dickinson said. She was arrested for investigation of rendering criminal assistance; bail was set at $500,000.

It was not immediately clear if she had a lawyer.

She and Blake had tussled in court over custody of their young child. In court papers he wrote that she had a severe drinking problem and was unstable. In response, a friend of hers, Carole Gonzalez, wrote that Foster was a loving mother and that Blake was never around the child because he had been incarcerated.

The slain trooper was Tony Radulescu, a Romanian immigrant and 16-year veteran of the patrol who had the respect of his peers and was popular in his community.

“It’s a terrible thing to receive a phone call that one of your people is injured in line of duty. To have that compounded with a loss, it’s a bad day,” Patrol Chief John R. Batiste said.

Radulescu, who served his entire career in the area, spoke five languages — a huge asset in investigating car theft rings with Eastern European ties, said Kitsap County Sheriff Steve Boyer, who knew him well.

“He was cautious. He practiced good officer safety,” the sheriff said, his eyes misting as he spoke Thursday. “Sometimes the odds are just against you.”

Radulescu was a military veteran with a son in the area who is a soldier, Patrol Chief John Batiste said at an early morning news conference at St. Joseph Medical Center. He was well-known and popular in the community where he often spoke in schools, Batiste said.

Boyer said Radulescu would be remembered for his warmth.

“He could write somebody a ticket and they’d say ‘thank you,’ ” Boyer said.

Radulescu stopped Blake’s truck around 1 a.m. on Highway 16. He radioed the location and license plate number.

When Radulescu didn’t respond to dispatcher status checks, a Kitsap County sheriff’s deputy went to the scene and found the fatally wounded trooper outside his patrol car.

Three hours later, officers found the truck abandoned on a county road near Port Orchard, about two miles from the shooting scene.

Investigators received a tip on where to find the registered owner and went to the home.

According to Kitsap County court records, Blake was convicted for assaulting his then-pregnant girlfriend in 2004 as he drove down a street under the influence of alcohol. His girlfriend at the time was not Foster. After being arrested, he kicked out the window of a patrol car.

Later that year, after the baby was born, he choked the woman and punched her in the face repeatedly because she asked him to watch the child while she took a nap.

In 2008, a Port Orchard officer tried to pull him over for a minor traffic infraction. He sped off at 60 mph, crashed into another police car and then ran off. As officers pursued him, he returned to his car and sped away again — only to later be caught when a sheriff’s office dog team chased him up a tree.

Department of Corrections spokesman Chad Lewis said Blake was a handful both for prison officials and for community corrections officers who tried to supervise him. He completed a 2½-year prison term in early 2010, and last spring he served two months for failing to check in with his community corrections officer. His term of supervision ended last August, Lewis said.

– Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. Johnson can be reached at https://twitter.com/GeneAPseattle.