José María Velasco Maidana

José María Velasco Maidana (c. 1899 – 1989 ) was a Bolivian film director, composer, conductor, actor, painter and dancer. He was the estranged son of a Bolivian president. He was married to Texas painter, Dorothy Hood.

Le Courrier describes his portrayal of indigenous Bolivians as shaped by the assimilationist ethos of his time, but also as progressive for the era, highlighting the condition of indigenous peoples, denouncing racism, and raising the question of their role in society.

From then on, he worked exclusively on music, and also left Bolivia to work abroad. Among his notable ballets is Amerindia (1940).

Maidana was introduced to Dorothy Hood in Mexico. He married Hood in 1946 and during that time, they traveled, following his conducting jobs which took them between Mexico City, New York and Houston, Texas.

In the 1960s, Maidana had to quit conducting because he was showing signs of Parkinson's disease. He and Hood moved to Houston for better medical care. He died in Houston in 1989.