La Tarantella per la Madonna Nera

Italian American Museum Celebrates Ferragosto with 'La Tarantella per la Madonna Nera' Featuring Alessandra Belloni and I Giullari di Piazza

NEW YORK – The Italian American Museum will celebrate the centuries-old Italian tradition of Ferragosto with a vibrant afternoon of music, dance, and cultural storytelling on Saturday, August 15, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. The special presentation, "La Tarantella per la Madonna Nera," will take place at the Museum’s theater, located at 151 Mulberry Street in the heart of Little Italy.

Ferragosto, celebrated throughout Italy on August 15, combines the ancient Roman Festival of Augustus with the Catholic Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. One of Italy's most cherished holidays, Ferragosto has long been marked by family gatherings, religious processions, music, and festive celebrations. The Italian American Museum continues this beloved tradition by presenting an extraordinary performance that explores the rich spiritual and folkloric heritage of Southern Italy.

Internationally acclaimed artist, teacher, author, and master percussionist Alessandra Belloni will lead audiences on a powerful cultural and spiritual journey with I Giullari di Piazza, the renowned ensemble she co-founded in 1980 with guitarist and composer John La Barbera.

The ensemble features Alessandra Belloni, Artistic Director, on vocals and percussion; John La Barbera, Music Director, on guitar, mandolin, and chitarra battente; Sebastian La Barbera on mandolin and guitar; Mara Gerety on violin; Joseph Giannini on vocals and accordion; and dancers Peter Di Geronimo and Mark Mindek portraying the beloved commedia dell'arte character Arlecchino.

"La Tarantella per la Madonna Nera" is a fiery musical and theatrical journey through Southern Italy, featuring ceremonial dances performed as sacred ritual, processional chants, and traditional drumming in honor of the Black Madonna. The performance showcases the passionate Tammurriata of Naples alongside the Tarantella Calabrese, Tarantella Pugliese, and Tarantella Napoletana, celebrating regional traditions from Naples, Calabria, Sicily, and Puglia. These ancient musical forms have been newly arranged with a distinctive contemporary World Music sound while remaining faithful to their historic roots.

Drawing upon Belloni's extensive field research and her most recent pilgrimage through Campania with her students, the program offers audiences a panoramic journey through the sacred shrines of the Black Madonnas, known in Italian folk tradition as the "Seven Sisters." Through music, dance, and storytelling, Belloni will share the history and spiritual significance of these revered pilgrimage sites and the traditions that continue to thrive today.

The audience will experience the driving rhythms of the Tammurriata, the traditional drumming, singing, and dance form historically associated with celebrations honoring the ancient Earth Mother Goddess Cybele and, later, the Black Madonna. Belloni will explain the origins of this powerful tambourine tradition, preserved and transmitted primarily through generations of women.

The performance also features the elegant and sensual Dance of the Tammurriata, a traditional Neapolitan couples' dance performed with castanets to the rhythm of the large frame drum known as the tammorra. Its expressive choreography reflects centuries of Spanish, Middle Eastern, Flamenco, Belly Dance, and African influences while remaining deeply rooted in the devotional traditions of Southern Italy.

Sacred chants and prayers will honor Mamma Schiavona of Montevergine, La Madonna del Tindari in Sicily, and La Madonna della Libera. The program will also recognize the longstanding tradition of the femminielli—the gay and transgender devotees who have historically occupied a revered place within the annual celebrations honoring Mamma Schiavona at Montevergine.

The performance concludes with the authentic Pizzica Tarantata, the healing dance from Puglia traditionally performed to cure the mythical bite of the tarantula—a symbolic affliction believed to cause melancholy and depression, particularly among women. This ancient ritual traces its origins to the Dionysian rites of ancient Greece and remains one of Southern Italy's most compelling folk traditions.

Belloni is an internationally recognized percussionist, singer, dancer, actress, educator, and author of Healing Journeys with the Black Madonna. She is the recipient of a New Jersey Folk Arts Fellowship as a Master Folk Artist and was recently featured on the PBS program State of the Arts. Her collaborator, John La Barbera, is an award-winning composer and one of the pioneering scholars responsible for transcribing and preserving Italian folk music traditions in America.

"The celebration of Ferragosto reminds us that Italian culture is inseparable from its music, faith, folklore, and community traditions," said Dr. Joseph V. Scelsa, President of the Italian American Museum. "We are honored to welcome Alessandra Belloni and I Giullari di Piazza to the Museum for a performance that brings these timeless traditions vividly to life while connecting contemporary audiences with centuries of Italian cultural heritage."