Making A Difference Dancing Rhythms Fund
Please, help M.A.D.D. Rhythms continue to keep making a difference...DANCING RHYTHMS!
At M.A.D.D. Rhythms we do more than just tap dance: We teach tap's history, represent its culture, and advocate for its future; We share this beautiful Black art form in order to make a difference in the under-served communities of this world; We give people a chance at a more positive life by making the arts more accessible.
The Making A Difference Dancing Rhythms (M.A.D.D. Rhythms) tap dance company was founded twenty years ago by Bril Barrett and Martin “Tre” Dumas III when they realized that there was a blight of arts programming on the South and West Sides of Chicago. Their mission: To develop the minds of under served Chicago youth and surround them with a positive environment. The result was the M.A.D.D. Rhythms dance company, which not only thrives today, but has expanded to include the M.A.D.D. Rhythms Tap Academy, a dance studio whose policy is “we won’t turn anyone away”, which has launched the careers of some of the world’s most famous tap dancers. We’re also excited to announce, as of November, 2020, the new non-profit arm of the company, the Making A Difference Dancing Rhythms Organization.
But we want to do more! Click here to find out how you can help us.
We need your help to accomplish our ambitious goals for 2021, 2022...and beyond! Our acclaimed community programming and resulting high-caliber of tap dancing are what sets M.A.D.D. Rhythms apart from other dance companies. We operate primarily on the South and West Sides of Chicago — which are both historically under-served in arts programming — which means that support from you makes an immediate positive impact in these areas.
*Learn more about our Board of Directors and the new Advisory Board on our website:
MADD Rhythms Advisory Board
We Care About Tap Dancers
We've joined forces with the Martha Struthers Farley and Donald C. Farley, Jr. Family Foundation to create the Individual Tap Artist (ITA) Grant for financial relief due to, but not limited to, COVID-19. The ITA Grant will be offered as an annual, unrestricted monetary grant of $5,000 for Chicago-based tap dancers so that they can afford, as Bril Barrett puts it, "to continue to be tap dancers." With your support, we would like to expand this grant to better help tap dancers affected by financial loss due to COVID and even the hardships of living life as an artist.
*Read about the ITA Grant in this article in BroadwayWorld:
" Tap Artists Receive Annual Unrestricted Grant Offering Support Due to COVID 19 "
Click here to see how you can help us maintain adequate and safe facilities!
Creation of New Works
M.A.D.D. Rhythms is committed to keeping the dance alive, even during a pandemic, and has a full season of new work coming out in 2021. We have new work planned to coincide with Black History Month, Women's History Month, Jazz Appreciation Month, National Tap Dance Day and more... but making these videos costs $$$! You will see your support represented every time we release new works of tap dance art. (Go You!)
*Check out our YouTube page for regularly updated examples of our outstanding work:
Click here to see how YOU can become a producer on a new work from MADD Rhythms!
The Chicago Tap Summit
In October of last year, we were able to successfully convert our annual Chicago Tap Summit dance festival to an all virtual experience and we’re looking to make the 2021 Summit bigger, better and more inclusive than ever before. We annually give out dozens of scholarships to local children on Chicago’s South and West sides so that they can experience the joys of being a part of the tap dance community and receive expert training.
*For more info on the 2021 Chicago Tap Summit, please visit our website:
The MADD Rhythms Tap Summit
Click here to find out how you can become a producer for the MADD Rhythms Chicago Tap Summit!
Outstanding Community Programming
We've always been and always will put the local community first. Helping us directly helps the residents of Chicago's South-side and West-side neighborhoods have access to physical education programs that are disproportionately inaccessible in other parts of the city.
Learn more about our community programming at:
The MADD Rhythms Tap Academy
Find out how you can support a tap dancer in need TODAY by clicking here .
Renovations, Refurbishments and Re-Invention
The M.A.D.D. Rhythms Tap Academy dance studio at the Harold Washington Cultural Center is a home-away-from-home for children and adult tap dancers alike. We are committed to creating and maintaining a modern facility that is safe, up to date and welcoming.
The Tap Academy has recently undergone several renovations, including the addition of full-length mirrors in three studios, the installation of plexiglass barriers for the safety of our receptionist (who is also Dir. Bril Barrett’s mom, Audrey Barrett, a.k.a. Mama Rhythms!), built a modern podcast recording studio and installed artwork donated by local artists William Friederking and John Nasko.
While safety and a welcoming environment are important, we are still in dire need of fundamental studio necessities such as a professionally installed sprung hardwood floor ($10,000-$15,000), refurbishment of our portable tap floor system, new electrical equipment (video, audio, lighting), marketing support, custodial maintenance and technical support.
MADD Rewards
Your donation is especially important to us and we would like to show you our appreciation with some of our MADD merch:
$49 and below
We will mention you in our weekly “thank you” posts across all our social media platforms — Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
$50
We will send you one of our #MADDSupport pins and a letter of appreciation.
$100
We will send you one of our #MADDSupport pins, a letter of appreciation and one of our popular MADD T-shirt designs.
$250
We will send you all the MADD merch listed below, plus a personalized letter from director Bril Barrett.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg! We have a whole range of ways that you can support MADD Rhythms—and become eligible for some really cool and extremely rare opportunities, like special teaching and performance options for individuals/studios, personalized messages from world-famous tap dancers and how you can put your name on a piece of tap dance history!
Click here to see our entire catalog donation and reward tiers!
Where can I see M.A.D.D. Rhythm's work?
There's so much happening with M.A.D.D. Rhythms right now and you're probably wondering: How can I keep up to date with the latest news, updates and information on community programs and see/hear new original tap dance content?
Follow along on our journey weekly across all your favorite social media platforms:
The MADD 20th Anniversary Fundraiser
www.MADDRhythms.com
www.youtube.com/maddrhythms
www.facebook.com/maddrhythms
Instagram: @maddrhythms
If you've made it this far, why not go all the way and support our mission to respect the dance. We thank you for your help and
RESPECT THE DANCE!
#MADDAppreciation #MADDSupport #MADDThanks #MADDRespect
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