M.A.D.D. RHYTHMS
is led by Bril Barrett (Porgy and Bess, The Tap Dance Kid, Riverdance, The Oprah Winfrey Show and Jenny Jones), Martin “Tre” Dumas III (The Tap Dance Kid, The National & International tours of Riverdance, Gus Giordano Dance Center and the New York City Dance School of Stuttgart, Germany) and Jumaane Taylor (ETA Creative Arts Foundation, Grand Prize winner of The Chicago Tap Off, and Grand Prize winner of the Bring in the Noize, Bring in the Funk Contest) and is composed of young, talented tappers from all over the city of Chicago. Their ages range from 11 to 26, and their backgrounds are as equally diverse. The one thing they all have in common is a love for “the dance”.
M.A.D.D. RHYTHMS’ mission is to preserve and promote tap dance, not only as a means of entertainment, but also as performance art in its truest sense. Our goal is to demonstrate, through rigorous hours of training and rehearsal, methods of honestly expressing one’s self through “the dance”. Thereby, not only entertaining, but communicating with the audience and each other on a primal level through rhythm and movement. Second, but no less important, is to set examples of professionalism and discipline on and off stage. We aim to teach and enforce habits that will filter into other areas of life. Our company members, students and associates will all become positive role models in the eyes of their peers. As role models, they will show their peers that perseverance, determination, positivity and passion are the key ingredients to achieving success in any endeavor!
M.A.D.D. RHYTHMS’ performance opportunities have included: Dance Africa Chicago, Dance Chicago, The Next Dance Festival, An Expo for Today’s Black Woman, Kwanzaa Festival, The African Festival of the Arts, Chicago Human Rhythm Project, Saint Louis Tap Festival, Miami’s Art-Deco Festival, Boys and Girl’s Clubs National Conference, the Chicago Historical Society’s Summer Performance Series, and DuSable Museum’s educational theatre series. They have also produced and performed in Percussive Dance: Connecting the Rhythms, Breaks, Beats and Rhythms: A Positive Journey Through Hip-Hop, M.A.D.D. Rhythms: No Explanation Necessary (their one-year anniversary extravaganza) and most recently they presented international tap legend Dianne Walker for Tap dancers Tap-dancing. In an effort to continuously give back to their communities they have also worked with many public and private schools, and volunteered performances for various community affiliated organizations including A.C.E.S. (Athletes Committed to Educating Students), Children Affected by AIDS Foundation, Nikola Tesla Alternative High School for Girls, TCA Health and Nutrition Fair, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. and Rainbow House.
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