Alessandra Belloni

Alessandra Belloni presents: HONORING THE SEA GODDESS,

Presented to sold out audiences at the New York Open Center, Cathedral of St . John the Divine, Venice , Lerici, Perc Fest and Salsomaggiore Italy.

The concert is inspired by two geographically distant but thematically parallel traditions. Southern Italian and Brazilian purification rites and procession performed in the summer to honor the archetypical sea goddess. In Brazil she comes from the West African Yoruba culture and is called Yemanja , in Italy she is called the Black Madonna of the Sea (once called Aphrodite) . Internationally renowned singer, percussionist, dancer and REMO Artist Alessandra Belloni will be playing the ocean drum, recreating the sound of the waves of the ocean , her Yemanja drum made by Remo that combines the sound of the water with the drum, her line of Southern Italian tambourines and frame drums accompanied by a small ensemble of women percussionists, dressed in white and blue to honor the sea.

Featuring:

ALESSANDRA BELLONI: voice, tambourines, frame drums, ocean drum, ritual dance

Special guests;

Rowan Storm | riqq, duff, dumbeck

Vida Vierra | percussion, vocals

Dani Lunn | percussion, vocals

Cynthia Jimenez | drums

They recreate rituals with songs, chanting and dancing, drumming and offerings of flowers to the images of Yemanja and the Black Madonna. The music played will include fisherman;'s songs, and love laments, from Southern Italy and Brazil, as original songs written by Alessandra Belloni inspired by her trips to Hawaii and Brazil written in honor of Yemanja. This is unique passionate show with great music and joyous ritual that invokes the healing power of primordial waters, was presented in Italy (Venice, Salsomaggiore Thermal resort, PERC FEST, New York OPEN CENTER, Los Angeles Italian Culural Institute.

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."

Alessandra Belloni is a world-renowned percussionist, singer, dancer and actress born in Rome, Italy. Her extensive body of work focuses on traditional Southern Italian dances, percussion and singing. Belloni has spent many years participating in drumming festivals and ceremonies in remote areas of Southern Italy, interviewing elders, researching women's spirituality, ethnomusicology and religion. An award winning tambourine virtuoso, she is committed to preserving the rich traditions of Southern Italian folk rituals and culture where music and dance are rites of purification and healing.

In Los Angeles, Belloni will present Tarantata: The Dance of the Ancient Spider, and the Healing Journey of the Black Madonna. Her performance is a syncretic mix of pagan and Catholic elements, in which music and dance create a magical space to heal and cure. Be ready for an emotional tour-de-force of frenetic dances, sacred songs, chants and rhythms.

The Italian American Museum of Los Angeles (IAMLA) is a twenty-first century interactive museum that documents the history and contributions of Italian American in Southern California and the nation, and showcases a seldom examined chapter of the Italian diaspora. The IAMLA features exhibitions and a variety of cultural educational programming and it is collaboratively operated by the City of Los Angeles. The museum is located in the Italian Hall, which was constructed in 1908 to serve as a community gathering place. Today, the Italian Hall is among the oldest remaining structures from Los Angeles' historic Little Italy and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The IAMLA is a 501(c)3 charitable organization.