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At The Black Academy of Arts & Letters“Life is a process and the process is living”

“Life is a process, and the process is living”On behalf of Happy Nia Dance Theatre Productions, wewant to thank you for your interest in our Dance Company.We feel that we have an organization that will truly make adifference in the community. Already, we are gearing upour organization be a voice of the community, that not onlyentertains, but educates. Our talented group of dancershas been working very hard on perfecting our craft astheatre professionals. It is organizations like yours thatwill help keep this dream alive. Dereque Whiturs, Founder& Artistic Director and I have made a commitment toproduce quality and meaningful productions that will havea lasting effect in our community.Through ourcommitment to our heritage and to our Christian faith, weendeavor to make bold statements on HIV/AIDS in theblack community, teen pregnancy, gang violence, illiteracyand community involvement through the arts. In thispacket you will find a recent newspaper review of ourdebut performance at The Black Academy of Arts andLetters Black Dance Weekend, a brochure with photos andour mission statement and also enclosed is ourSponsorship / Donation plans. I sincerely hope that HappyNia can create a lasting partnership with your firm. Pleaselook over the information and please feel free to contactus. We look forward to a wonderful relationship. Wewould like to sit down and discuss our future together.Thanking you in advance for your consideration.Carl E. LongCo-Artistic DirectorHappy Nia Dance Theatre ProductionsDereque WhitursArtistic Director/FounderHappy Nia Dance Theatre Productions

Donations/SponsorshipAs a people we choose to live by spiritual principles and who we are as a companyrecognizes these principles as a way of life; and it is a necessity for the functioningof our organization.As we grow in our infrastructure we become a performing arts companywho takes our rightful place in our community doing our part, beingresponsible and accountable for the positive growth of that community.We are a performing arts organization that recognizes that “It takes awhole village to raise a child.” We ask for your support and your help tomake our foundation strong. Happy Nia Dance Theatre welcomesdonations through these 7 principles:1.Umoja- Unity: 500.00(Together we stand strong)2.Kujichagalia- self determination: 1,500.00(With self determination we grow to be all that God created us to be)3.Ujima- Collective work and responsibility: 2,000.00(We work together to fight racial injustice in the world and preserve theintegrity and future of our African American community)4.Ujamma- Cooperative Economics: 2,500.00(Working with other organizations to grow and develop the educationalinstitutions in our African American community)5.Nia- Purpose: 5,000.00(The purpose is to build awareness to HIV/AIDS, Domestic Violence,Substance Abuse, and Self Actualizing creating platforms for dialogueto better understand what role we play in each others lives)6.Kuumba- Creativity: 10,000.00(Teaching our youth of their creative responsibility in giving back totheir own community)7.Imani- Faith: 15,000.00(We continue in the faith of our ancestors by maintaining a strongspiritual connection to our rich legacy and heritage)As an Imani sponsorship you are entitled to 2 free tickets to allperformances, company branding in all playbill publications ofperformances given by Happy Nia Dance Theatre and an opportunity toview a rehearsal of the company before annual season at The BlackAcademy of Arts and Naomi Bruton Theater.Email: happynia1@yahoo.com or carl@happyniadance.comWeb: www.happyniadance.com

About the Artistic Directors

Dereque Whiturs a native of Dallas Texas began his career as aperforming artist at the Booker T Washington High School for thePerforming and Visual Artists. Mr. Whiturs has been trained in ballet,modern, jazz, tap, and the Dunham techniques and he has trained with suchartists as Alvin Ailey, Ulysses Dove, Donald McKayle, Donald Byrd, TalleyBeatty, George Faison, Tina Yuan, Christine Lawson, Homer Bryant, andGeorge Skibine, and Maria Tallchiief, Mr. Whiturs is an Alumni of CaliforniaInstitute of the Arts in Valencia California. Mr. Whiturs was a principledancer with the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble under the direction of SylviaWaters former principle dancer with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatreand he went on to become a principle dancer with the Alvin Ailey AmericanDance Theatre under the direction of Alvin Ailey where he traveled theUnited States and Europe for 13 years. Mr. Whiturs is currently a principledancer with Deeply Rooted Productions in Chicago Illinois where he is alsoon the Associate Artistic team for the Deeply Rooted summer intensiveprogram and the Deeply Rooted 2. He is also a member of the MaloneGroup Incorporated in Washington D.C. Mr. Whiturs has an extensivebackground in dance education he has taught in the United States andEurope in such places as The Chicago Multi Cultural Dance School in ChicagoIllinois, Deeply Rooted summer intensive program in Chicago Illinois,Bertino’s School of Danceology In Chicago Illinois, Duke Ellington PerformingArts High School in Washington D.C., Booker T. Washington High School forthe Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas Texas, The Black Academy of Artsand Letters in Dallas Texas, and for the Renalto Greco School of Dance inRome Italy. Mr. Whiturs has recently come back to Dallas and has startedhis own company with Mr. Carl Long co-Artistic Director “HappyNia DanceTheatre” Because of his passion for building awareness in the AfricanAmerican community about HIV/AIDS, Domestic Violence, Substance Abuse,and Self Actualizing he wishes to use HappyNia Dance Theatre Productionsas a means to communication to the people in his community to call in thecommunity to stand for something and not just settle for anything, to worktogether to make a change in the community his way starts with the arts.

Mr. Whiturs believes that through the arts, song, dance, and drama onecan communicate in a way that all can understand, Mr. Whiturs startedthe company Nia Dance Theatre in Dallas Texas 8 years ago before hemoved to Chicago Illinois where he met Mr. Taron Webster who was thedirector of a company called Happy which means HIV/AIDS PreventionProtecting Yourself. The two companies merged to serve in a way ofeducating the youth as well as the adults in the African Americancommunities. His goal was to dispel the fears and educate. Mr .Whiturscontinues to do the work necessary here in Dallas Texas. He is persistentin being a voice through the arts to fight injustices in communitieseverywhere. Mr. Whiturs knows that he cannot do it alone. He is a firmbeliever that “It takes a whole village to raise a child” even the childwithin ourselves. HappyNia Dance Theatre Productions invites anysupport from positive activists in the community who wishes to make adifference in changing the negative cycle that has been given to ourcommunity. Mr. Whiturs is a writer and choreographer who uses hisartistry to speak authentically and truthfully about what’s wrong in ourcommunity and what we can do to change it.

Carl Edward Long,Happy Nia Co-Artistic Director (SacredDance Division) He has studied dance since he was 15 years old. Avocal performance & dance major (Trinity Valley College) where hereceived an Associates of Arts. At TVC he was the student danceinstructor and choreographer for the world famous "Cardette" precisiondrill team, choreographed for the Miss Texas America Scholarshipprogram. Currently he serves as the Artistic Director of the Pilgrim RestBaptist Church Dance Ministry where he provides creative and spiritualgrowth of the dancers. At Pilgrim Rest, The Tribe of Judah, Shabach,Essence of Praise and the WFAM Steppers are the adult, teenage,children’s and Step ministries respectively that were created underMinister Long’s leadership.The former Co-Artistic Director of theMahogany Dance Theatre, Carl has studied ballet, jazz, & tap dancingwith notables: Arthur Mitchell, Buster Cooper, James Clouser, MelvinPurnell. He has danced with the Houston's Theatre Under the Stars,Houston Grand Opera, Houston Vaudeville Theatre Co. Carl was also acamp instructor with the World Cheerleading Council. Currently he worksfor The Dallas Morning News where advertising system management ishis profession. At the News Carl also founded a vocal ensemble formed athis workplace called the"Voices of News", a group of singers thatappeared on “Good Morning Texas”. Every year he coordinates &choreographs 200 praise dancers for the Martin Luther King Civic RightsConcert at the Meyerson Symphony Center which is nationally televised.

Minister Long has choreographed for the National Baptist Convention and TheGospel Music Workshop of America (Metroplex Chapter), Worship Alive - PraiseDance Celebration annually at the Black Academy of Arts & Letters, "Gut BucketGospel" a Gospel Musical Revival featuring Dallas based Gospel Artists with theBlack Academy of Arts & Letters. Under Carl's leadership the Pilgrim Rest DanceMinistry The Adult Group “The Tribe of Judah” was awarded the 2003 Steepleaward as the Most Outstanding Adult Praise Dance Group for excellence inChristian Ministry. The Tribe of Judah was the focus and study of an article inThe Wall Street Journal “Spirited Debate, Dancing in the Church.” This articlewas published nationally. In 2007 The Gospel Announcers Guild voted CarlChoreographer of the Year.“God has given me the awesome responsibility ofspreading His message through the dance. “No accomplishments in my lifeequals the joy and fulfillment I receive when worshipping and praising God withthe dance. God will grant you the desires of your heart. I thank Him every dayfor what He has given me”. "Whatever you do, whether you eat, drink or sleep,do it all for the glory of God!