ALESSANDRA BELLONI is a tambourine virtuoso, singer, dancer born in Rome, Italy and is committed to preserving the rich traditions of her culture. Artistic Director / Lead Performer of "I GIULLARI DI PIAZZA", co-founder with John La Barbera, artist in residence at St. John the Divine in New York City, designer of her REMO signature series Italian tambourines.

Selected as one of the best percussionists and recording artist in the world by DRUM!, The New York Times and Los Angeles Times, she is the only artist in the world who specializes in Southern Italian tambourines combined with singing and dance that she learned from the old people in drumming festivals in Southern Italy. You can learn more about her from features in Modern Drummer and Percussive Notes.

She tours extensively around the world performing and teaching in major percussion festivals, Glen Velez was her first tambourine student. Alessandra Belloni has studied acting at H.B. Studios, voice with Professor Michael Warren, and mime and Commedia dell'Arte with Dario Fo (winner of the 1997 Nobel Prize for Literature) at New York University.

AWARDS
Certificate of Appreciation by the City of Los Angeles, Italian American Woman of the Year National Italian American Women Organization, Citation of Honor by the Sons of Italy in America, Life time Achievement by the Italian Oral Institute in Los Angeles.

BOOKS & DVD's
RHYTHM IS THE CURE
DAUGHTER OF THE DRUM – sponsored by REMO
TARANTELLE E CANTI D’AMORE – Naxos World
TARANTATA: THE DANCE OF ANCIENT SPIDER – Sounds True
MOTHER EARTH LULLABIES & MEDITERRANEAN LULLABIES - GLOBAL CELEBRATIONS, Ellipsis Arts 2000
EARTH, SUN AND MOON - Lyrichord
DIVINE DIVAS - Rounder Compilation
DEA FORTUNA -& SULILLO MIO - Shanachie Records .

She is the Company’s co-director, writer, of the Folk Operas: SPIDER DANCE – "The Dance of the Ancient Spider" premiered at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center "Stabat Mater: Donna de Paradiso"(Cathedral of St. John the Divine)

THEATRICAL & FILM WORK

Alessandra has worked in both theatre and film in New York, including performances in:
-Next Stop the Greenwich Village
by Paul Mazursky
-La Lupa
with Anna Magnani
-Casanova
with Federico Fellini
-National Geographic documentary on spiders entitled “Spider Sex” reenacting the authentic tarantella.
-The Voyage of the Black Madonna
-1492-1992: Earth, Sun and Moon
Lincoln Center
-La Cantata dei Pastori (Caramoor , St. John the Divine, Smithsonian and others)
-La Lupa (St. Mark’s Church, YALE, and others)
-The Adventures of Don Giovanni & His Servant Pulcinella Carnegie Hall

PERCUSSION & WORLD MUSIC APPEARANCES

BERKLEE WORLD PERCUSSION
SEATTLE WORLD PERCUSSION
WOMAD
RHYTHM STICKS
Royal Festival Hall
PERC PAN
Italian PERC FEST
Tarantella Power
Palladium and Quirino Theatre in Rome with Women in Music Foundation
DRUMMING AT THE PYRAMIDS

UPCOMING EVENTS:
Alessandra's Event Calendar
Tarantella Spider Dance Presentation Video

IN THE NEWS: