MADD Love, MADD Respect & MADD Thanks

It is with a great debt of gratitude, strong sense of accomplishment and extreme humility that I extend this heartfelt “Thank You” to each and every one who made “The Chicago Tap Summit 2018” and “FEELING GOOD: A MADD Tribute To Nina Simone” a resounding success! For 3 days straight, we immersed ourselves in the history, culture and rhythms of tapdance and came away with a renewed commitment to the legacy of the “HOOFERS” and the legacy of “JAZZ”

THANK YOU Jimalita Tillman and the Harold Washington Cultural Center for giving us a culturally rich and historically Significant HOME. THANK YOU Ted & Susan Oppenheimer and The Oppenheimer Family Foundation for generously supporting our mission to uphold the traditions of Tap and Jazz Thank You Tillman-Hunter Enterprises, Dancing Fair, Chicago South Loop Hotel, Northwest Chiropractix, GR33NINK, Chloe & Maud, O’Mara Sprung Floors and MartyBoard  for your years of unwavering support. Thank You Conscious Plates for being new supporters and bringing healthy eating into the festival. THANK YOU WDB Marketing & Sol Designs for creating all of our imagery and Branding.

OPPENHEIMER FAMILY FOUNDATION

THANK YOU Sarah Savelli for your willingness and your constant and continuous contributions to the artform. Thank You Martin “Tre” Dumas III for having my back and sharing your wealth of tap knowledge unselfishly. Thank You Victoria Jones, Ja’Bowen Dixon and Latrell Garnett for staying connected to the family and always being just a phone call away. Thank You Jumaane Taylor for coming through in a clutch! Thank you Star Dixon, Donnetta Jackson, Tristan Bruns for being my support system from inception to now! Thank You Alexandrya Fryson and Andrew Carr for coming out the gate swinging! The future of tap sounds good! Thank You Time Brickey, Carmen Paquette & KJ Sheldon for attending countless meetings and doing so much extra work. Thank you Devin Mosely, Ivy Anderson, Izaiah Harris, Brennen Parker, Keyana Latimer, Molly Sute and Rachel Benzing for supporting our mission in various ways! Last, but not least, Thank You Megan Davis for, once again, taking on more than any one person should take on…..present company included……without you, this would not have happened! I am in your debt!

Thank You Peggy Sutton and Muriel Foster for taking the time to share your stories and the legacies of Tommy Sutton, Sammy Dyer & Jimmy Payne Sr. We owe a great deal of appreciation and gratitude for the sacrifices made by our ancestors, so that we can tapdance! #NeverForget #RespectTheDance #History

THANK YOU Audrey Barrett aka Mama Rhythms for having me, raising me and supporting me in everything I do! Thank You to all the Apprentices and your families for being totally invested in M.A.D.D. Rhythms. Thank you Bemaji Tillman, Robert Hayes and Phoenix Singleton for making sure that we could be seen and heard on that stage! Thank you Ben “Jammin” Jonson for going above and beyond on this project. You believing in my vision made it so much more! Thank You Dee Alexander, Maggie Brown, Joan Collaso and Tecora Rogers for lending your voices and your energy. You all brought Nina Simone to life in a way, that even, I couldn’t imagine. Thank You Buddy Fambro, Chuck Webb and Theodis Rogers for bringing JAZZ to everyone’s ears, hearts, souls and soles! Thank You Sammy Dyer School of the Theatre & Hip Hop ConnXion for showing up and showing out!

If I forgot to Thank anyone, please charge it to my head, not my heart! See you 2019!