Saw Tarantella, which featured performances by Alessandra Belloni, Antonio Fini and Joe Deninzon, at the College of Charleston's Italian Fest. I had been rushing about on a Friday afternoon, finishing my work, running to the bank, and arguing over getting everyone to his/her event and what order, then running too late to ride with my friend to the show.
"The Tarantella Dance music is one of the most recognized songs of all the Italian folklore music." Belloni, known as one of the greatest of percussionsists uses her own signature series of Italian tambourines - wonderfully large and some hand-painted to represent Ava Maria. Masks, live flowing music and changing costumes and characters made for a rich experience and step back in time. The lively dance is characterized by light, quick steps and teasing, flirtatious behavior between partners and even the dancers and musicians. And in the tradition of the Greek stage, gender and role playing becomes irrelevant. The stories were short tales from Greek mythology which require us to get involved in the magic.
My resistance and focus on the obstacles of my daily struggles began to recede. I became present to my senses and was made lighter... much more open to experiencing the evening and my companions. Once I relaxed I was transported back to myself.
It seems rare today to get beyond our "Doing" and our lists. (If you don't know what that means, you might really be in trouble.) But there is hope in Art, Music, and Dance. Dance is a unique expression of the Human Experience - one that we can't grasp in 6 seconds or have flash thru our GPhones.... I was reminded of the importance of these forms in keeping us connected to our cultures and each other in a PROCESS or JOURNEY...Thanks and gratitude to Belloni and her troupe of artists for their devotion.
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