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What:A Christmas dinner and dance, fun to be had!  the cost is $6.00 for persons with developmental disabilities, the balance of their $12.00 dinner paid by the Catherine Luse Developmentally Disabled Dance Trust Fund. Music by DJ John Albright    "ABC Sound of Music" On the menu will be Chicken Fettucine, Jello salad, mixed vegetables, garlic bread, dessert, and coffee or punch. For Dance Only with no dinner the cost is $4.00, otherwise reservations are neccessary and must be made my Wednesday, November 23. Reservations must be pre-paid ($12.00 for all staff- family- and friends) and can be mailed to:                                                                                                    Beverly Owens                                                             602 18th St. West                                                             Billings, MT 59102When: Sunday, December 4, 2011Check-in: 12:15 - 1:15 PMDinner starts at 1:30 PMDance: 3:00 PM - 5:00 PMWhere:Billings Hotel & Convention Center1223 Mullowney Lane (South of Holiday Inn)Contact:Beverly Owens at 406-652-5510 for more information on how to register!

Morris is a dance professor at the University of South Florida, and more recently, an inventor. She was introducing kids with spina bifida and cerebral palsy to a chair she dreamed up. On this weekend in their class, the chair would let them dance. Not pretend to dance, not be pulled by a dancer, but actually dance.

When: Monday evenings starting February 7th,  5:30 – 7:00., through the end of April Where: Romney Gym at MSU, 3rd floor (if you need directions, please let me know)  Why: To teach our special needs kids a few basic dance steps in preparation for the Prom. Please let me know if your child is interested. I am hoping we will have at least 6-12 kids interested in this special program.  I have enlisted the assistance of a college friend of mine who has arranged this entire class at no charge to any of us.  She is using the dance studio where she teaches other classes and will be receiving credits for this independent learning class.  If it all goes well, we can maybe do it again next Spring.  I think dance is a great socializing event and there are opportunities to use these skills later in life. Contact: Ellen Ross at 406-539-1728

Download the flyer here!What:Dancers, choreographers and teachers with and without disabilities from the US and abroad are invited to attend  AXIS' annual Summer Intensive located within a thriving dance and disability hub. This week-long creative laboratory is guaranteed to push your limits and break new ground as you experiment, collaborate, and create. Attendees will participate in a creative exchange alongside AXIS' talented dancers as all share their knowledge and experience. Includes: Physically Integrated Contact Improvisation Technique, Choreography & Performance Evening Video/Film Showing Final Informal Showing Apply by April 24th, 2012, 5pm:www.axisdance.org/education_summerintensive.phpSpaces are limited and will fill fastWhen:August 5-11, 2012Where:Oakland, CAContact:Phone: (510) 625-0110Email: info@axisdance.org

American DanceWheels Foundation (ADF) is the home of the first American Style Wheelchair Ballroom and Latin Dance Program in the world. Our mission is to provide people of all ages and abilities the opportunity to partner dance by pairing one person with an ambulatory disability with an able bodied partner.

Do you dread parent meetings—or find that they don't yield the results you wish they did? At their worst, such meetings (especially when they focus on a problem) are packed with defensiveness, frustration, guilt, and fear for parents, teachers, and students. All parties want to "get it over with." But by sharpening your facilitation skills, you can keep a parent meeting from degenerating into a dance of blame.

Some of this year's workshops include: Writing, Bollywod Dancing, Understanding Money, Dance NIA, DIY Fashion, International Culture, Intro to College, Japanese Drumming, Taekwondo, Personality Exploration, Sustainable Energy, Cooking and more!What:Keynote speaker and President of Montana State University, Dr. Waded Cruzado is the first woman and first minority to serve as a university president in the state of Montana. Her commitment to teaching and volunteer service is certain to be an inspiration for all Montana girls. History of GFAC:Girls for a Change is a grass-roots initiative designed to empower girls to embrace their future--confident in their individuality, supported by friends, parents and mentors, and secure in their ability to lead and achieve self-sufficiency, fulfillment, balance and success. Founded in 1997 by sixteen girls and their female mentors, Girls for a Change (GFAC) is a signature program of Thrive devoted to supporting and encouraging the successful development of girls.GFAC Activities:Each year GFAC plans an annual conference, does one local and one international community service project, participates and facilitates workshops and attends a retreat. GFAC participants also meet and facilitate activities with international visitors resulting in an ongoing dialogue about girls' and womens' issues in different cultures. Outcomes of GFAC:Girls feel confident about themselves and their ability to succeed--Girls gain public speaking skills--Girls are empowered to accomplish their goals and dreams--Girls learn what strengths they already possess and how to build on those strengths--Girls learn that there are all different kinds of beauty--Girls gain exposure to other girls from different social, cultural and international backgrounds--Girls learn to work together as a team. When:Saturday, February 25, 2012 Where:MSU Strand Union BuildingBozeman, MTContact:Email: gfac@allthrive.orgPhone: (406)587-3840Website: allthrive.org

Our host, Anthony Tusler, will interview Alice Sheppard, a wheelchair dancer for AXIS Dance Troupe. Date: Thursday, May 19, 2011 Time: 11:00am - 12:00pm Mountain

1. You are a hero for your kids. You are. You’re a go-the-distance, fight-the-dragon, face-the-challenges hero for your kids. Taking a beating makes that more true. Not less. 2. We all struggle. Every parent. Everywhere. We all second-guess ourselves. And we all want to quit sometimes. Hold the good times close, and when things are tough, remember “this, too, shall pass.” 3. Finding the funny may not save your soul, but it will save your sanity. Or maybe it’s the other way around. Either way, look for the humor and embrace the crazy. Laughter is a lifeline. 4. Every day, you will feel like you have mishandled something. Like you’ve been impatient. Like you’ve misjudged. Like you’ve been too harsh. Like you’ve been too lenient. You may be right. Apologize if you need to and then, whatever. Seriously. Just whatever. Let it go. 5. The crazy, the crying, the cuddles. The screaming, the sacred, the scared. The minutes, the magic, the mess. It’s all part of it. And it’s all worth it. 6. Family is the best. Even when it’s not perfect. And it’s never perfect. Ever. 7. At the end of organization, at the end of patience, at the end of perfection, we die to ourselves. And then love rises from the ashes. It sucks. And then it gets better. And then it sucks again. Still, love rises. 8. You will never regret parenting. Except for the teeny, tiny tons of times when you secretly wonder if you maybe regret it just a little. But, overall, never. And overall is what counts in the end. 9. Parenting is like climbing the big mountain. Look for the base camp. That’s where you rest, meet other climbers, take in oxygen and acclimatize. Base camp is what makes summiting possible. 10. You are not alone in this strange, vast, parenting ocean. Even in the dark of night. You are not alone. You’re not. 11. Kids know the way to magical and they’ll give you a free pass to come along. Breathe in the magic as long as you can because that same kid is going to poop his pants in just a minute. 12. There’s a very fine line between enjoying the chaos and barely surviving. Actually, there’s no line at all. It’s all mixed up together. That “fine line” thing is a lie. 13. If you pay attention, kids will teach you how to laugh loudly, how to love deeply and how to live fully. They will also ruin all your stuff. 14. Any number of kids is a lot of kids. 15. Look for joy. You’ll find it in the middle of the busy. Or under the ridiculous. Or hanging from the overwhelmed in its underpants. Joy’s like that. It’s in the middle of everything. It’s completely unpredictable. And it will surprise you when you’re not expecting it. Like vomit and diarrhea, except good. 16. You will fall apart and do it all wrong. Forgive yourself. Ask your kids to forgive you. Set an example of resilient fallibility. Set an example of practicing the art of love — both loving yourself and loving others. No one does this parenting gig right the first time. Or the last time. Or the times in between. Showing your kids how to keep going after getting it wrong is a wonderful gift to give them. 17. Kids are difficult, gross, confusing and awesome. So are you. 18. Parenting will bring you face to face with yourself. It may be terrifying. It may break you. But it will also rebuild you, and you will be stronger than you ever thought possible. 19. Balance is a myth. Parenting isn’t a tight-rope walk; it’s a dance. Strive for rhythm instead of balance, and trust yourself to move to the ever-changing beat. 20. Yes, you will have days where you wonder where the hell the capable and organized you went. Yes, you will sit on the floor of the main aisle at Target by the check-out area with a child who is thrashing, screaming and calling you names. Yes, you will have to tell your child that the dog is not a napkin and to put down the urinal cake. If you do not do all those things literally, then you will do them figuratively. And yes, you will also hold that child and rock back and forth and tell him you love him and tell him he’s safe and tell him you’re not leaving even though he will someday leave you. This is parenting. It is tragic and triumphant. Messy and magical. Sacred and spectacular. And it is, always, fiercely worthwhile.

When: Pre-Show - 6:00 pm Show - 7:00 pm Where: Dehler Park Baseball Stadium FREE ADMISSION This 2nd Event in the Koncert for Kidz 2010 Family Series features folk music by Mulberry Moon - Robert and Constance Smith and Award winning folk duo Jeff Troxel & Trevor Krieger.  Master of Ceremonies is Dave Wood.  The 6:00 PM Pre-Show includes kid friendly food vendors, Al Bedoo Shrine Clowns, Jonnie Edgeland's Fireflies, Face Painting, the Gazillion Bubble Machine, Dance Performances

The Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (AG Bell) offers financial awards for students, ages 6 to 19, to participate in after school, weekend or summer programs focused on developing skills in the arts or sciences. Programs can be offered through museums, nature centers, art or music centers, zoological parks, space and science camps, dance and theater studios, martial arts studios or any other program with a focus on the arts or sciences.

The goal of the Optimist Special Children's Camp is to give the children a week of summer camp where they can forget about their disabilities and have fun while giving their caregivers some free time. During the week of camp, the children will play games, do crafts, swim and enjoy a special activity each night (movie, dance, carnival).Click here to download the Camper Enrollment Application (PDF)Click here to download the Counselor Application (PDF)