Alessandra Belloni

HANDS-ON TAMBOURINE & FRAME DRUM WORKSHOP, Based on her book Rhythm is the Cure with Mel Bay Publications. This workshop will focus on the tarantella fast 6/8 rhythms and its many variations. Alessandra will also teach chants and songs, sung as devotion to the Black Madonna (Montevergine near Naples the Sun (Jesce Sole), Pugliese, Calabrese and Sicilian chants.   Alessandra Belloni is the only woman in America (and in Italy) who uses this powerful tambourine style combined with the singing and dancing, and she’s very proud to be able to bring this ancient healing women tradition back to life. She’s also a REMO Artist, with her own line of signature series tambourines made by REMO.   The purpose of this workshop is to introduce general audiences to a very rich tambourine and folk dance culture with an active current performance practice in Southern Italy and also to bring women back in touch with their lost tradition of drumming tradition.   During these series of workshops, the participants will learn:   * The basic technique of holding the drum, with emphasis on arm movement, wrist and elbow technique, which requires a lot of strength, to create the bouncing sound of the triplets.   * Playing Hand technique of the Tarantella and Pizzica style with the palm and the fingertips in both a basic and accented fast 6/8 rhythm   * Tammorriata a 4/4 rhythm played on the large drum called the Tammorra, originally from Naples with a strong African influence in the rhythm. The Tammorriata is an improvisation of drumming and singing, and it is danced during the rituals held in the summer in honor of the Black Madonna (originally ancient rites for the Earth Goddess Cybele)    * Calabrese  Tarantella di San Rocco which involve different variations of hand technique including finger trills on the tambourine skin.   The tambourines for the workshops can be made available through REMO RMC.