Tarantella Trance Rhythms - Hands-On Workshop
TRANSnDANCEnDRUM Center, 415 Main street, Rosendale, NY
INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED SINGER, PERCUSSIONIST DANCER ALESSANDRA BELLONI REMO Signature Series Artist – presents: TARANTELLA TRANCE RHYTHMS HANDS-ON TAMBOURINE WORKSHOP Based on her book Rhythm is the Cure with Mel Bay Publications www.alessandrabelloni.com www.youtube.com/alessandrabelloni www.facebook.com/alessandrabelloni
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 23 from 2:00 to 5:00pm fee $30.00 TRANSnDANCEnDRUM Center, 415 Main Street, Rosendale NY 12472. email: info@transndancendrum.com 1.Alessandra Belloni LESSON 3: Pizzica rhythm and lesson on tambourine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfCWGQ6URds2.Alessandra Belloni LESSON 3: TAMMORRIATA RHYTHM for the Black Madonna http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_RPEG4Ae9w
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 this workshop, 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. * Hand technique 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)
*DANCE AND RHYTHM OF SAN ROCCO- a healing trance 6/8 rhythm from Calabria done in honor of SAN Rocco to send away fear of death by the plague from the Medieval Times. * Pizzica Tarantata , a very fast 6/8 rhythm from Puglia, with different accents - which originated as music therapy to cure the mythical bite of the tarantula. This wild rhythm, played mainly by women on medium size tambourines with a double row of jingles and the dance were performed as a musical exorcism to cure a mental disease called tarantismo, which afflicted mainly women (tarantate), who fell into a hypnotic state of mind, and in a trance they frantically danced for days during the Summer Solstice.
Alessandra Belloni’s links to TV appearances:Alessandra Belloni Live Appearance on ABC-TV7 Chicago http://youtu.be/3J9ZlzKLzPw Alessandra Belloni featured on CNN Worldbeat http://youtu.be/IkOqBrpcB9Q Alessandra Belloni "Spider Sex documentary " on National Geographic http://youtu.be/vp8dE3jJnq0 ABC/Commedia video http://youtu.be/qXSMdLhZdAU Alessandra Belloni on Brazilian Globo TV July, 2012 http://youtu.be/jwX0PNwZjKM
Tambourine virtuoso/singer/dancer/actress Alessandra Belloni is renowned in her field and travels worldwide to perform group and solo concerts in theaters, universities, and international percussion festivals. Belloni began her career in her native Rome with the great actress Anna Magnani in "La Lupa," and with legendary film director Federico Fellini in "Casanova." She is Artistic Director/Leading Performer of I Giullari di Piazza, an ensemble of musicians/vocalists/dancers that specializes in authentic Southern Italian music and theater events, dating back to the 13th century. Belloni is a REMO artist and designer of her signature series of Italian tambourines; she is also author of the book & DVD "Rhythm is the Cure," published by Mel Bay. The only artist in the world who specializes in Southern Italian tambourines combined with singing and dance, Belloni was selected as one of the best percussionists in the world by DRUM! Magazine, and has been acclaimed in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, featured in Modern Drummer and Percussive Magazine. She has been invited to appear in percussion festivals in London, Brazil, Poland, France, Italy, Australia, Rome, and throughout the U.S. Don Hackman, writing in the Los Angeles Times, found that "Alessandra Belloni and "Tarantata: Dance of the Ancient Spider" is a revelation, utterly fascinating." Drum Magazine noted that "Italian-born virtuoso Alessandra Belloni is established as a unique phenomenon, not just a percussionist, but also an actress, lecturer, entertainer, and healer." Jon Pareles of The New York Times, reviewing an I Giullari di Piazza show, remarked that "Ms. Belloni sang in an exultant voice. The songs blazed with an age-old momentum."