Alessandra Belloni Brings MUSIC FOR THE BLACK MADONNA to Open Center 6/23

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, the audience will be invited to participate in the chants, and there will be a Q&A to conclude the program.

Links: Alessandra Belloni will also describe her personal research and experiences during the annual Pilgrimage to the Sacred Site of the Black Madonna in Southern Italy, which she has been leading for four years. For more information, please visit
www.alessandrabelloni.com/BlackMadonnatour

The voyage of the Black Madonna documentary promo by Alessandra Belloni about her field research in Southern Italy during the feasts of the Black Madonna filmed between 1991 and 1997 by Dario Bollini
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsvmSOI1PEQ

Alessandra will speak about her personal healing journey with the Black Madonna, and her unique research that led her to write together with composer John La Barbera the theater and dance piece in 1991 and brought her to be Artist in residence at the Cathedral of St John the Divine.

'THE VOYAGE OF THE BLACK MADONNA " segment filmed at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine Crypt Theater by CUNY TV in 1991 https://youtu.be/xBAWpVPTJzw Link from show on THURSDAY - SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 at NYU - CASA ITALIANA https://youtu.be/vrXtYQCyAzI