Rhythm is The Cure: Southern Italian Tambourine

Alessandra Belloni is the Artistic Director, Founder and Lead Performer of "I GIULLARI DI PIAZZA", an Italian Music, Theatre and Dance Ensemble who is Artists-in-Residence at the Cathedral of St.John the Divine in New York City. She is also the designer of a line of signature series Italian tambourines made by Remo. She is the only woman in the U.S. and in Italy who specializes in traditional Southern Italian folk dances and percussion combined with singing that she learned in Southern Italy.

   An award winning tambourine virtuoso, singer, dancer and actress, Ms.Belloni was born in Rome, Italy and is committed to preserving the strong and rich traditions of her culture. Author of the book ‘HEALING JOURNEYS WITH THE BLACK MADONNA” published by Inner Traditions- Bear & Company. With foreword by best selling author Matthew Fox.  

Recently knighted as Dame of Honor by the Orthodox Order of the Knights of St John.

Collaborated as consultant on the Broadway show ‘THE ROSE TATTOO’ with award winning actress Marisa Tomei in the fall 2019. 

For the last 19 years she has been holding her special dance & drumming workshop in Tuscany RHYTHM IS THE CURE, with students that come from all over the world. Recepient of the Folk Arts Master Grant from the New York State Council on the Arts 2016 & 2018.

Her work as teacher and healer brought her to be featured on CUNY TV with her workshop RHYTHM IS THE CURE, and  main feature of the Russian TV Travel Channel The Dancing Planet, a documentary film about her as artist and healer by Manex Ibar. her TV appearance include: ABC TV live in Chicago, National Geographic documentary SPIDER SEX on the Tarantella, WORLD BEAT on CNN, , GLOBO BRAZILIAN TV, RAI UNO MATTINA,

Also featured on the PBS documentary, "LA FESTA"

with The Voyage of the Black Madonna. She leads healing drum circle at UNITED HEBREW Nursing Home since 2011.

 She has spent many years also participating in authentic drumming festivals in remote areas of Southern Italy, held as rituals of purification in honor of the Black Madonna.. She has performed extensively with master drummer Glen Velez (her first tambourine student) and was invited by Nana Vasconcellos and Gilberto Gil to perform in PERC PAN '98 in Bahia, Brazil. Voted one of the best female percussionists in the world by Drum Magazine, featured in Modern Drummer magazine and has written articles for Percussive Notes.   Her CD’s "Tarantelle & Canti D’amore" released by Naxos of America on 2003 has been considered the second best percussion CD of the year by DRUM Magazine and has received many favorable reviews from major press.

   The CD "Tarantata: The Dance of Ancient Spider" (on the Soundstrue label) released in 2000, has received a wide critical acclaim and distribution. It was also nominated one of the best CDs of the year (2002) by Jon Parales from the New York Times and Dan Hackman from the Los Angeles Times, and won the Best World Percussion CD of the Year by DRUM Magazine.