About Alessandra:
The only woman in the U.S. and in Italy with 45 years of performing and teaching the ancient healing tradition of Tarantella in folk dances and percussion combined with singing. Alessandra Belloni is also the proud receipient of the 2026 Heritage Fellowship award from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts for life time achievement as a Folk Arts Master.
- Artistic Director, Founder, and Lead Performer of music, theater, and dance ensemble I GIULLARI DI PIAZZA
- Artist in Residence at New York City's Cathedral of St. John the Divine
- A REMO Signature Series Artist with her own line of Italian tambourines
- Author of the book/DVD Rhythm is the Cure and Healing Journeys with the Black Madonna
LEARN MORE ABOUT ALESSANDRA HERE
Alessandra Belloni will air on State of the Arts this week!
The segment Aired on April 22nd on NJ PBS at 8:30pm, with additional broadcasts throughout the week.
WATCH HERE!
https://www.pbs.org/video/state-of-the-arts-rhythm-roots-ucoq5s/
This special 8-minute segment features my work as Master Folk Artist, and as recipient of the special NJ FOLK ARTS FELLOWSHIP in 2026!
This program is directed by a brilliant director, Nate Reninga, and produced by Jess Dotson.
The director filmed the show with my Italian Folk Music group I GIULLARI DI PIAZZA at the Bronx Heritage Hall, my healing dance and percussion workshop on the tarantella at CMDE in New Jersey, and a special interview at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, where we are artist in residence.
Alessandra Belloni - Remo Artist
Internationally renowned singer, percussionist, teacher, Alessandra Belloni - Remo Artist
Author of amazon best-selling book Healing Journeys with the Black Madonna (Inner Traditions | Bear and Company)
proudly announces her new 5th
BLACK MADONNA DRUMMING & DANCE RITUALS & PILGRIMAGE 7 WOMEN CHANTS
IN SOUTHERN ITALY 2026
SPECIAL $200 DISCOUNT
& New Ways to Pay
July 31 - August 8
Stay on the Amalfi Coast with Ocean Views at
Hotel Miramare
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
REGISTRATION NOW OPEN -- CLICK HERE!
Write to alessandrabelloni@gmail.com
New Special Feature This Year:
WOMEN SACRED HEALING CHANTS TRADITION
& ITALIAN FRAME DRUM STYLE,
combined with dance with renowned Neapolitan folk singer, percussionist and dancer MARIANNA RICCIARDI
First Time Ever:
Alessandra teaches ONLINE LIVESTREAM CLASS
during the Black Madonna Pilgrimage in Campania!
TWO SPACES still available for the Campania Tour!
Dear friends and fans around the world,
I am very happy to share that I just came back from a great and powerful experience, teaching the PIZZICA TARANTATA SPIDER DANCE RITUAL in Glastonbury, England, as part of the ceremony UNBOUND, hosted by best-selling author and healer Rebecca Campbell.
Happy to share also, that my award-winning documentary that I wrote and produced, Musical Journeys with the Black Madonna in Southern Italy, directed by Francesco Piccolo with music by composer and guitarist John La Barbera, was shown in London on July 13th, at Regents University in Regents Park, hosted by ALTERNATIVES UK, Director Venetia David.
VERY EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THAT FOR THE FIRST TIME,
I will offer
TWO SPECIAL ONLINE LIVESTREAM CLASSES
during my
WORKSHOP AND PILGRIMAGE on the AMALFI COAST!
together with my co-teacher NANDO CITARELLA,
Neapolitan singer and percussionist
August 1st, 10:30 am to 1:00 pm Eastern time
(17:00 pm Italy time)
and
August 2nd, 10:30 am to 1:00 pm Eastern time
(17:00 pm Italy time)
I will also offer a special talk about the history and traditions of the Black Madonnas and my documentary film.
MORE ABOUT THE WORKSHOPS
This workshop will be a full immersion into the ancient drumming traditions and devotional chants in honor of the Black Madonna, which can only be truly experienced in the sacred mountains and healing waters of the Mother Land. This powerful journey will introduce and transport students to a time and place where an unbroken and ancient tradition continues today with folk music, processions, devotional drumming, and dance.
Following Alessandra Belloni's vision as part of the Black Madonna Center, this summer students will have the special opportunity to study and tour the area of Naples in the region of Campania.
Special Guest Teacher Nando Citarella from Naples!
We will be joined by internationally-renowned Neapolitan folk musician, classical singer, and percussionist teacher Nando Citarella. Alessandra's longtime collaborator and friend, he is one of the most important and well-known figures in the revival of Southern Italian Folk Music. Find more at www.NandoCitarella.it.
Alessandra Belloni will take you inside the heart of this land, sharing her knowledge, and giving you an authentic, local experience.
Registration $60
VENMO Alessandra Belloni
or PAYPAL at blackmadonnacenter@gmail.com
or ZELLE (646) 322-4637
You will receive a Zoom link after you register.
Sessions will be recorded.
I hope my students from around the world will join us online for the first time from ITALY! Blessings to all!
Alessandra Belloni
SUMMER TOURS IN ITALY --
WORKSHOP NOW LIVE FROM AMALFI COAST!
August 1st & 2nd: Ritual drumming, singing & dance Workshop
During these workshops on the stunning Amalfi Coast, students will study the basic Italian tambourine and frame drumming techniques of the Tammurriata 4/4 rhythm in honor of the Black Madonna.
These powerful workshops will include the special collaboration with folk musician, percussionist, and Neapolitan singer Nando Citarella, who will guide students in learning traditional drumming, chanting, and dance.
Alessandra and Nando will introduce the ancient style of rhythm and dance known as the Tammurriata, which dates back to the rites of the Mother Earth Goddess Cybele -- protector also of all gay and transgender people -- and the Egyptian Goddess Isis, both of whom are now worshipped as the Black Madonna all over the South of Italy.
Alessandra and Nando will also lead participatory chants of devotion to the Sun (Jesce Sole), an ancient healing chant using the Lydian Scale or Neapolitan Scales, as well as authentic chants and prayers.
These workshops will take place during the days and some evenings in improvisational Neapolitan style.
I have just finished my sold-out Black Madonna Pilgrimage in Sicily -- but there are still TWO SPACES AVAILABLE for the Pilgrimage and workshops in the region of Naples from July 31 to August 8.
See link here and email me for more details, at:
https://alessandrabelloni.com/black-madonna-drumming-dance-rituals-pilgrimage-in-southern-italy-2025
alessandrabelloni@gmail.com or blackmadonnacenter@gmail.com
The World Needs Healing !
Join Internationally renowned singer, percussionist,
teacher, author Alessandra Belloni -
Remo Artist & the BLACK MADONNA CENTER
In this Special Online Series,
Now Available Again on TEACHABLE:
THE VOYAGE OF THE BLACK MADONNA
A VIRTUAL PILGRIMAGE TO THE SACRED SITES
OF THE BLACK MADONNA IN SOUTHERN ITALY
Written, narrated, produced & directed by Alessandra Belloni
Copyright (c) Alessandra Belloni 1991-2019-2021
An immersive journey into the musical & healing traditions of Southern Italy & the Black Madonnas' sacred sites in the regions of CAMPANIA, SICILY, CALABRIA, BASILICATA
Including: 8 Episodes - 3 hours of video series & lectures,
plus lyrics to the sacred chants in honor of the Black Madonna
Based on Alessandra's book Healing Journeys with the Black Madonna
published by Inner Traditions (2019), with preface by
best-selling author Rev. Dr. Matthew Fox
Happy to share the book is still a best-seller on Amazon, under Dance!
Click HERE to register and download THE VIDEO SERIES
as an online course through TEACHABLE for only $200
Also available on Teachable: Alessandra's Beginning Southern Italian Fram Drum in Honor of the Black Madonna. Normally sold separately for $150, Get both courses as a Bundle for $300 !
MORE INFORMATION ON BOTH COURSES HERE!
Read About Alessandra's Best Selling Book:
THE HEALING JOURNEYS WITH THE BLACK MADONNA
Published by Inner Traditions, with a foreword by bestselling author Matthew Fox, Healing Journeys with the Black Madonna is rated 5 stars on Amazon and has been No. 1 best selling in new releases under the categories of "Folk Dancing" and "Suggested Gifts"!
Sharing her more than 35 years of research and fieldwork at sacred sites around the world, Belloni takes you on a mystical pilgrimage of empowerment, initiation, and transformation with the Black Madonna.
An experiential guide to the ancient healing rituals of the Black Madonna:
• Reveals the practices and rites of the still-living cult of the Black Madonna in the remote villages of Southern Italy, including the healing rites of the tarantella dance
• Details shamanic chants, rhythms, and songs and how to use them for self-healing, transformation, and recovery from abuse, trauma, depression, and addiction
• Explores the many sacred sites of the Madonnas and connects them to other Great Goddesses, such as Isis, Aphrodite, Cybeles, and the Orisha Yemanja and Ochun
• Includes access to 12 audio tracks
Order now!
Read Alessandra Belloni's Best Selling Book Healing Journey's with the Black Madonna TODAY!
NOW AVAILABLE IN FRENCH!
Alessandra is proud to announce that her book HEALING JOURNEYS WITH THE BLACK MADONNA published by Inner Traditions Bear & company (a best seller on Amazon under dance) is now being published in France, translated into French by a great Publisher, LE DUC with preface by brilliant writer and teacher Marianne Grasselli.
LA VIERGE NOIRE (The Black Virgin) Rituels de Guerison de la Grande diesse.
https://espritdefemme.ch/les-vierges-noires/
https://www.editionsleduc.com/produit/2577/9791028522278/voies-de-guerison-avec-la-vierge-noire?fbclid=IwAR3T42PStTqqwwAr8_zpxWM5Etj9dPp6VQv1DZL_pY8-PzxMrbxi1Y09MFk
WE NEED YOUR HELP AND SUPPORT
Donate to Our Campaign to Preserve Our Legacy for Future Generations
CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT ALESSANDRA BELLONI AND THE BLACK MADONNA CENTER FUNDRAISER TODAY
(All Donations are Tax Deductible)
YOUR FUNDING WILL HELP US TO:
• Preserve 45 years of photos, videos, music scores, folk operas, promotional posters, program playbills, and past recordings from vinyl, cassettes, and CDs, including solo works by individual members of I Giullari di Piazza — into a digitized Master Archive;\
• Present and produce new live performances and complete ongoing projects;
• Fund educational pilgrimages and workshops in Campania, Sicily, and beyond;
• Pay adequate artists’ fees, technical crew, and administrative costs for a cast of 5 to 12 artists (depending on the scope of productions); and professional marketing personnel; and . . . .
• Our Magnum Opus: Establish officially the very first Folkloric School & Black Madonna Mystery School. To perpetuate the legacy of our deep studies, wisdom, heritage, and traditions of the Black Madonna, the school will offer TEACHER TRAINING: An intensive 3- to 6-month program with final certification, allowing the candidates to share the legacy of Alessandra’s work and passion.
OUR GOAL
We need to raise $7,000 by the end of 2025 so that we can continue this important work, to keep our programs alive and thriving, and to continue to inspire and heal future generations.
Please give what you can and share this campaign widely. Together, we can keep the voice of the Black Madonna and Southern Italy's healing dances and folk traditions alive.
CLICK HERE TO CONTRIBUTE via GoFundMe
I Giullari di Piazza is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.
Please consider keeping art alive by supporting I GIULLARI DI PIAZZA a non profit organization under the 501 c-3 code by clicking on the gofund me campaign above!
Musical Journeys with the Black Madonna in Southern Italy
Has Been Accepted In a very Prestigious IMBD Qualifying Festival!
NEW SCREENING DATE:
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 14 AT 7PM Alchemia studio
119 Knickerbocker Ave. Brooklyn NY
ABOUT THE FILM: This documentary takes us on a mystical journey of initiation, transformation, and empowerment with award-winning musician and author Alessandra Belloni as she unveils the secret healing powers of the musical traditions of the Black Madonna in Southern Italy. In footage never before seen outside of Italy, the film immerses viewers in a world of ritual and magic where ecstatic devotional music and dance powerfully transform and heal the heart and soul throughout the beautiful land once known as Magna Grecia. The film reveals this devotion in all its vibrant complexity as a living descendant of ancient women’s wisdom traditions and the veneration of mother goddesses. We follow a series of musical pilgrimages that Belloni leads each summer to the Southern Italian regions of Campania and Sicily, visiting the sacred sites of the Black Madonnas known to local folklore as the “Seven Sisters.” It is an intimate and participatory journey, with the camera closely following Belloni and her students as they learn and perform the music and dances associated with each Madonna, taking part in the feast-day celebrations and experiencing their power and mystery in the first person. It also features workshops of ritual drumming and dance featuring authentic tarantella and tammurriata in the region of Campania, led by Belloni and featuring guest artist Nando Citarella on percussion and vocals. The film includes footage of the rituals never before seen outside of Italy, as well as archival footage collected over Belloni’s forty years of fieldwork, offering a global audience intimate access to this little-known ancient tradition.
The film was made possible with funding from NYU Casa Italiana Zerilli Marimo’ (free event)
Learn more about the film HERE
To book this unique and moving documentary please email
alessandrabelloni@gmail.com and the blackmadonnacenter@gmail.com
Film is also available for purchase - Email for more information