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Linda D. Sutton

Dear Supporter of the Arts:

PROVIDING ON-SITE PROGRAMMING
Many of you know that I teach dance and other cultural arts to youth but may not be aware of the
extent of that work. This summer, I had the wonderful opportunity to work with three youth sites in
Charlotte and one in Norfolk in dance residencies. In Charlotte, the three sites learned and
replicated the dance and drum tradition of Uruguay called candombe (the mother tradition of
Argentine tango), while the Norfolk site experienced not only candombe but also partner dancing
with the teens, merengue with the young girls, and South African boot dance with the young men.

SPECIALIZING IN LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCES
I remember the first day of my partner dancing with the adolescent men who were “hemming and
hawing” about having to dance with the girls. “Eww, yuck” and other reluctant responses were
muttered. Fifteen minutes into the class, I demonstrated an underarm turn and the young men’s
faces lit up. One asked, “you mean we get to touch the girls?” All of the counselors laughed at
this rather curious question. At the end of the class, one young man, Khari, approached me
distressed about his ability to dance with the girls who were all so tall. After ten minutes of tips
and practicing with me, his confidence soared and he ran off to get the tallest girl in the class to
practice with. He became the star pupil and won several awards, including one in dance, this
summer.

Young Darrell, who had disciplinary problems in school, ran home to practice his partner dancing
(chicago style steppin’) with his mother. At a previous residency at Chukker Creek Elementary
School in South Carolina, one father took a day off from work and came to participate in the week
long residency. “I had to see for myself what you were doing to my daughter. When she came
home, it was all she talked about and insisted that we allow her to teach us what she was
learning. I could not believe her energy and enthusiasm. She is normally shy, especially about
dancing and doing things in front of people. I had to see your class for myself.”

OUR COMMITMENT
I began this journey of cultural dance instruction with my first class in 1995, and over the past
twelve years, I have served audiences of all ages, from 3 to 85 years. We have conducted dance
residencies at as many as ten community sites simultaneously. From schools to universities, to
conferences, community centers, and churches, it has been an honor to bring the spirit of world
dance, as well as its lessons and wisdom to people around the world. We have spent a great
deal of time serving low-income neighborhoods and at-risk populations of all types. This work
truly resonates with them and has an impact on their lives.

OUR VISION
This upcoming year, we are formally piloting several curriculum we have facilitated for years that
uses cultural dance to assist youth with character development skills, most notably anger
management and conflict resolution for youth at risk for gang activity and hand gun violence. In
addition, we are formally testing materials developed to assist community center directors in
implementing these programs in at-risk communities.

In our work, we have often discounted programming and offer free classes for those sites with
smaller budgets and resources. However, we find that when programs have the full funding
required for implementation, they are more effective at achieving the projected outcomes.

This pilot program will be rolled out to five initial sites. Our ultimate goal is to impact 1000
communities and neighborhoods with this work, potentially transforming the lives and
communities of up to 3 million people.

If you have ever taken a class with me or seen my work, I am sure you are aware of the energy,
enthusiasm and wisdom of these projects.

HOW CAN I CONTRIBUTE?
For as little as the cost of one adult drop in dance class, you can “sponsor” a child at a
community center for a mini-series of classes ($20). For the cost of a class series, you could
sponsor a portion of performance or workshop for 50 kids ($100). The cost of eight private
lessons could provide a performance for an entire school of youth ($600).

We are currently fund-raising for the seed monies to run this pilot program and be able to present
this proposal to our educational partners in VA, NC, and SC. Our fund-raising goal is $48,368.
Your contribution will reach youth and audiences across three states and abroad.

Any amount will go a long way to bringing this vision to life and assisting in reaching even more
youth. $20, $50, $100 or more will bring all of the benefits of dance and cultural wisdom, self-
esteem, and personal development to these young people. As a young lady whose family could
not afford dance classes growing up, I truly know the value of all these experiences. Please
make your donation today! Your contribution will go a long way towards enriching the lives of
young people. Though your contribution is currently not tax deductible, we hope that you will see
the value in how dance can transform lives and be a program "angel".

Thank you so much for your assistance in making this dream come true. Today, you help us
plant the seed.

Thank you for all your love and support.

In the spirit of dance,

Linda D. Sutton

SPONSOR A YOUTH CLASS TODAY!