Happiness Is NOW: Danny Batimana’s Mission — Then and Now
In 2012, Danny Batimana told Dance Mogul that Happiness is NOW had reached ten schools. This expanded archive edition preserves the complete original interview and follows the mission as it grew into hundreds of school visits, a national youth platform and a 2026 children’s book about movement.
When Dance Mogul Magazine interviewed Danny Batimana in October 2012, the idea behind Happiness is NOW was still young. Batimana had moved through professional dance, choreography and classroom teaching, then began combining story, music and movement in programs designed to help students think differently about passion, happiness and personal success.
He told DMM that the organization had recently visited its tenth school. That number gives the archive special value. Current professional biographies report that Batimana—now widely presented to young audiences as Cousin Danny—has taken his movement-centered message to more than 600 schools nationwide.
The complete 2012 Dance Mogul interview
Dance Mogul: What drove you into your field of work with the youth?
Danny Batimana: After I pursued a career as a professional dancer in the late 1990s and early 2000s, I decided it was not stable enough for me, so I obtained a single-subject teaching credential at Cal State Fullerton. I was a former high school teacher at the following schools:
- Savanna High School in Anaheim, California — one year teaching mathematics, computers and keyboarding
- West Covina High School in West Covina, California — four years teaching mathematics and leadership
- Western High School in Anaheim, California — two years teaching professional dance
I love to dance and have a strong passion for the arts. Youth connect well with music, dance and the arts, so this is probably the reason I was driven to this field of work.
Dance Mogul: Briefly explain the origins and goals of your organization.
Danny Batimana: I spoke at a TEDxYouth conference in San Diego last November. After a great response from the audience and the organizers, I decided to continue the idea through the Happiness is NOW tour. Our manifesto below embodies our why:
“To inspire people to do things that inspire them. Using the power of story, music and dance, we inspire and motivate middle-school and high-school students alike, touring the country through our live shows. Happiness is NOW brings ‘happy’ back and demonstrates the importance of finding your passion in achieving ultimate happiness and redefining personal success.”
Dance Mogul: How has your organization bridged the gap between arts and education?
Danny Batimana: We strongly feel that those who have a passion for the arts will have a stronger connection to schools and education if it is embedded into the school’s vision and curriculum.
Dance Mogul: What are some growing problems in our society that youth are facing that your program is trying to combat?
Danny Batimana: We are facing large budget cutbacks in arts programs, and we are bringing light to the importance of these programs. Also, the lack of motivation among many members of the older generation of teachers is not, by any means, inspiring our young, impressionable youth. We also need to recruit, retain and foster new teachers into the profession.
Dance Mogul: What is unique about your organization?
Danny Batimana: We know why we do these presentations and stick to what we are good at: entertaining, educating and inspiring.
Dance Mogul: Where do you see your organization in five years?
Danny Batimana: Traveling all over the country, spreading “Happiness is NOW.”
Dance Mogul: In closing, list some of the organization’s accomplishments and anyone you would like to thank.
Danny Batimana: We recently visited and presented at our 10th school. We are appearing at our second TEDxYouth Talk on November 18 and performing at more CADA events. I would personally like to thank my dancers and staff members who tour the schools with me for the purpose of giving back and inspiring others. Together, we will change the world’s thinking about the importance of finding your passion, creating your happiness and redefining your personal success.
The mission was built from several careers at once
Batimana’s path did not begin with motivational speaking. He danced from childhood, studied jazz and ballet alongside hip-hop influences and began choreographing while still young. A 2024 STEEZY profile recounts that he choreographed for NBA dance teams, including work connected to the Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers.
He also founded Team Millennia, a long-running dance organization that became an important training and community space. Later, as a credentialed educator, he taught subjects including mathematics, leadership, computers and professional dance. Those experiences helped him understand movement from multiple angles: performer, choreographer, director, teacher and organizer.
From Happiness is NOW to Cousin Danny
The 2012 DMM interview described a touring presentation using dance, music and story to inspire middle- and high-school students. Today, Batimana’s public youth-speaking platform focuses primarily on elementary audiences and uses movement to support confidence, motivation, focus and emotional well-being.
The name Cousin Danny makes the relationship feel familiar rather than distant. The program is designed to be participatory: students are not only watching a speaker. They are moving, responding and learning through the body. That approach carries forward the original idea that dance can be a connector between education and lived experience.
In 2012, the program had reached ten schools. Current biographies report more than 600 schools—a rare, measurable example of an early vision becoming sustained work.
Movement becomes the message
Dance education is sometimes treated as separate from academic or emotional development. Batimana’s work argues for a more integrated view. Movement can help children participate, express energy, practice coordination, experience accomplishment and connect with a group.
His school programs address themes such as mindset, healthy habits, motivation and emotional awareness. The movement is not included merely to keep students entertained between talking points. It is the method through which the message becomes memorable.
The Team Millennia connection
The continuing presence of Team Millennia adds another dimension to the story. STEEZY’s profile describes the organization as a decades-long dance community and notes Batimana’s continued role as an adviser. That continuity matters because it shows that his youth work did not require abandoning dance culture. Instead, the skills developed through crew leadership, choreography and training were redirected toward education and public service.
For dancers considering how their gifts might evolve, this is an important model. A dance career does not have to end when performance is no longer the only goal. Movement knowledge can become curriculum, mentorship, community programming, entrepreneurship, publishing or advocacy.
A Kids Book About Movement
In May 2026, DK Children published A Kids Book About Movement by Danny Batimana. Penguin Random House describes it as a guide for children ages five to nine that presents movement as a way to unlock joy, energy, creativity, expression and health.
The book extends the same core idea that appeared in the 2012 interview: young people are more likely to understand a message when they can feel it, perform it and connect it to their own lives. What began as a live school experience now has a form that families and classrooms can revisit after the assembly is over.
Where Are They Now?
Verified public-record update, July 2026: Danny Batimana is now widely presented to youth audiences as Cousin Danny, a choreographer, educator, youth speaker, Team Millennia founder and children’s author who uses movement to teach confidence, healthy habits, emotional awareness and motivation.
In the original 2012 DMM interview, Batimana celebrated reaching the program’s 10th school and said he hoped Happiness is NOW would travel across the country. Current professional and publisher biographies report that his work has reached more than 600 schools nationwide. He has also remained connected to the dance community through Team Millennia and movement-centered education.
On May 5, 2026, DK Children published A Kids Book About Movement, extending the live school message into a book for children and families. The path from dancer and classroom teacher to national youth presenter and author shows that the purpose described in the original interview did not disappear; it expanded into new formats.
This section is based on publicly available biographies, publisher information and professional profiles. It is not a new interview with Batimana.
What the DMM archive reveals
The original interview is not obsolete. It documents the stage when Batimana was still describing where he hoped the organization would be in five years. He imagined traveling across the country and spreading the Happiness is NOW message. The present-day record shows that the central direction survived even as the audience, branding and delivery evolved.
That is why this expanded edition keeps the original interview on its existing URL. The 2012 voice remains intact, while the added sections allow readers to understand what happened after the early vision was documented.
Lessons for dancers building purpose beyond performance
- Let experience accumulate. Performance, choreography, teaching and leadership can become parts of one larger mission.
- Translate the gift. The same movement knowledge can serve a stage, a classroom, a community program or a book.
- Measure the journey. “Ten schools” and “more than 600 schools” make growth visible and preserve organizational history.
- Keep the audience active. Participation often creates a stronger learning memory than passive observation.
- Do not confuse evolution with abandonment. A dancer can change roles while remaining rooted in dance culture.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Danny Batimana?
Danny Batimana, also known as Cousin Danny, is a choreographer, educator, youth speaker, Team Millennia founder and author who uses movement in school programs.
What is Happiness is NOW?
Happiness is NOW began as a dance-, music- and story-based youth program focused on passion, motivation and personal definitions of success. Its ideas continue through Cousin Danny’s school work.
How many schools has he reached?
Current professional and publisher biographies report that Batimana has presented at more than 600 schools nationwide.
Where is Danny Batimana now?
As of the July 2026 public-record update, Batimana works as Cousin Danny, using movement in youth programs, remaining connected to Team Millennia and extending his educational mission through A Kids Book About Movement.
What is his 2026 book?
A Kids Book About Movement is a 64-page children’s book published by DK Children on May 5, 2026 for readers ages five to nine.
Why did DMM expand the 2012 interview?
DMM expanded the original page so the complete 2012 interview and the verified “Where Are They Now?” update can live together on the same established URL.
Sources and further reading
- Dance Mogul Magazine — original 2012 interview
- Penguin Random House — Danny Batimana author profile
- Penguin Random House — A Kids Book About Movement
- Top Youth Speakers — Cousin Danny program biography
- STEEZY — Team Millennia and Danny Batimana profile