Dancing at Dusk: Italian Folk Dancing 7/8/15

Take a fiery journey through the south of Italy featuring dances performed as ritual by the women of Southern Italy, and the authentic tarantella used to cure the mythical bite of the tarantula, as well as love songs, lullabies, processional chants and ritual drumming in honor of the Black Madonna, known as Tammorriata. The music comes from different regions of Italy, mainly Naples, Calabria, Sicily, Puglia, and has a very unique world-music sound.

A big feature of the show is the amazing stilt dancer Mark Mindek, who plays different masked characters while dancing wildly on stilts.

At the end of our concert we invite the audience to dance the tarantella or “pizzica” with red ribbons in a circle to celebrate life and good energy.

Alessandra Belloni will be teaching the following dances:

Tarantella de’600 – a Renaissance folk dance that is done in pairs and is very popular in Italy and throughout the Mediterranean. It involves both fast, energetic steps and combined arm and leg movements which improve coordination. This invigorating dance had been called “Italian Aerobics” by Alessandra’s students.

Tarantella alla Montemaranese – a carnival dance from Montemarano (Naples) played on the smaller tambourines with a very unusual syncopation on the 6/8. This rite of carnival dates back to the Roman celebrations in honor Bacchus, the god of wine.

Dancing at Dusk is a Caramoor summer tradition, enjoyed by families and those who simply like to experience joyful sounds. Held on the spacious lawn of Friends Field, D@D offers you a chance to learn about and dance to music from around the globe.