'THE VOYAGE OF THE BLACK MADONNA' - An Interactive Performance with Alessandra Belloni and Steve Gorn
Company:
Alessandra Belloni and Steve Gorn
Internationally renowned singer, percussionist, teacher
ALESSANDRA BELLONI
artist in residence at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine
presents
'THE VOYAGE OF THE BLACK MADONNA'
Celebrating The Black Madonna on the Summer Solstice
Uniting with the Divine to Heal Mind & Spirit
An Interactive Performance with Alessandra Belloni and Steve Gorn
with Wilson Montuori, guitar - Mara Gerety, violin
dancers Francesca Silvano and Peter De Geronimo
Friday, June 23rd at 7 PM
Open Center, 22 East 30th Street
Tickets: $28; $33
Reservations: 212.219.2527 or www.opencenter.org
"...an evening of dance, myth, history and spiritual healing at the hands of the incomparable Alessandra Belloni." Humberto Capiro, Redcat, Los Angeles
"With her compelling stage presence, throaty mezzo, and raging tambourine, Alessandra Belloni is a force of nature." Jane Rosenberg, Los Angeles Times
"Belloni and her music and dance are positive proof that artistic creativity can be part of the solution to some of society's deepest and most painful problems." Jean Ballard Terepka, www.theaterscene.com
"For 25 years, Belloni has studied ancient sacred chants, drumming, and healing trance dances from Southern Italy. She can carry any show, without the aid of a company, so clear is her attack, her rhythm, her range of texture and pitch." Stage Buddy
Internationally renowned singer, tambourine virtuoso and acclaimed reviver of ancient southern Italian music, Alessandra Belloni, will join world famous master bansuri flautist Steve Gorn in a special performance to celebrate the Summer Solstice. The artists will blend healing chants, dances and drumming inspired by authentic ancient southern Italian spiritual teachings that honor the Black Madonna, revered in that region as Jesus' mother, Mary, who represents all souls seeking union with the Divine.
The ensemble will take the audience on an enchanting journey of discovery of the seven Black Madonnas, following the ancient Neapolitan legend known as the "Seven Sisters" in Southern Italy. Ms. Belloni is considered a true scholar of the ancient traditions and will share her knowledge, gathered over 35 years of field research, of the power of transformation connected to the Black Madonna, a Christian tradition with roots in the pre-Christian worship of the Earth Mother and the archetype of the African Mother. She is the all-embracing compassionate mother aspect of the Divine and female aspect of God, who guides all humanity regardless of race, class, or religion. The Black Madonna archtype takes different guises in many cultures.
Alessandra will also share mystical teachings and physical movement that can help us calm our minds, relax our bodies, and let go of emotional blockages. The Black Madonna architype takes different guises in many cultures. In Brazil, by way of African traditions, she is called Yemanja (Madonna of the Sea), and Alessandra will also share techniques that help us access Yemanja's healing powers
In this special interactive performance, the audience will learn musical mystical traditions associated with the Black Madonna from Southern Italy, Spain, France, and Brazil, connecting her to the pre-Christian devotion to the Goddesses Cybele, Artemis, Isis, and Aphrodites, Participants will also learn the ancient healing chants in honor of the Black Madonna and the Sun, which uses a modal Lydian Scale and has the power of calming the mind and de-stressing. Through the use of the ocean drum as it creates the sound of waves, the audience will be guided in a final relaxation invoking the healing power of the water, along with invocations to the Black Madonna and the Goddess of Water and Love (Yemanja/Madonna del Mare).
The concert will end with the sensual dance and powerful tambourine style called TAMMORRIATA, which dates back to the rites of the Mother Earth Goddess Cybele, now worshiped as the Black Madonna. The music has the power to release blockages of emotional and sensual energies, making the participants feel part of community-healing rituals as they use their bodies in movements that help to stay grounded and open the energy points.
Audiences are transported into another realm where dancing and music can heal, where spirituality and sensuality are not diametrically opposed, where all things are truly possible. In this interactive event, theaudience will be invited to participate in the chants, and there will be a Q&A to conclude the program.
Share Your Audience Review. Your Words Are Valuable to Dance.
Are you going to see this show, or have you seen it? Share "your" review here on The Dance Enthusiast. Your words are valuable. They help artists, educate audiences, and support the dance field in general. There is no need to be a professional critic. Just click through to our Audience Review Section and you will have the option to write free-form, or answer our helpful Enthusiast Review Questionnaire, or if you feel creative, even write a haiku review. So join the conversation.
