Help Alessandra Belloni's Healing & Her Mission

Dear students, friends, fans and supporters of Alessandra Belloni and her work,

I’m writing to you as Board Chair for I Giullari di Piazza, the non-profit that Alessandra created over four decades ago, as well as her student and friend. Alessandra needs to have knee surgery on December 21st and will need about 8 weeks to recover, if hopefully everything goes as smoothly as possible. I hope we can raise $ 5,000 funds to cover her medical and living expenses for at least 2 months.

As many of you know, Alessandra relies on her teaching and performing to support herself financially. Not being able to work for two months presents a serious financial challenge for Alessandra right now, especially since I Giullari is in dire straits financially right now.

This situation is a result of a number of factors. One of them is, of course, the impact of the pandemic and how that changed the landscape for many artists. Another important factor is that Alessandra strongly believes that her work needs to be as accessible as possible. This means that she set the price for her lessons and retreats at the bare minimum to cover essential expenses. Many students have benefited from Alessandra’s commitment to financial accessibility, driven by her deep devotion to the Black Madonna and the folkloristic musical and dance traditions of Southern Italy.

Now it’s the time for us to show our gratitude and support for Alessandra and her work. I know that Alessandra needs some financial security to be able to let herself have the time she needs to fully recover from her knee replacement. Having supported my own mother through her first knee replacement, I know how challenging the physical therapy and recovery post-surgery can be. I hope that we can collectively give Alessandra the gift of financial stability for the next three months so that she can focus on her healing before going back to performing and teaching the beautiful traditions of my own land.

You can support Alessandra’s work in the following ways:

You can donate to this personal fundraiser;

You can donate to the separate fundraiser for I Giullari di Piazza;

You can support her Patreon;

You can share what Alessandra’s work means to you with your own circle of friends and family and ask them to support Alessandra in this moment of need.

If you’re local to New York, you can also attend the fundraiser at Lunella on December 17th at 5pm, which I know will be a fantastic time of celebration. Tickets are limited and can be bought here.

However you choose to support Alessandra during this challenging time, please know that your presence in her life is appreciated.

Thank you for your support,

Dr. Alex Iantaffi

Below are some words directly by Alessandra about her work and what she plans to keep working on moving forward. As you can read, she is still very much focused on supporting the work. I hope we can support her as she does this!

Dear friends and supporters around the world,

I hope that you are doing well and that this letter finds you in good spirits.

We know there have been challenging times, and the world has changed tremendously. I have been working very hard these past three years to adapt my life as a touring artist, teacher, and performer by creating an online center/school with my company I GIULLARI DI PIAZZA.

The world is reopening, and we are happy to announce that we we have been performing live again! I am so grateful for your ongoing support over the past 43 years of beautiful artistic and educational projects with I Giullari di Piazza a non profit organization artist in residence at the Cathedral of St John the Divine where we hold our home base performances in New York City.

As you know, most of my work is in devotion to the Black Madonna in all her manifestations around the world, with a focus on Southern Italy and the healing tradition of the ancient tarantella. I have been exploring these traditions and practices in performance and workshop settings for many years.

Many people who know me in New York, remember that we normally hold a special Winter Solstice show usually at Theater for the New City and hold a holiday fundraiser. Like years past, we are holding our annual the holiday fund raiser Italian style, on December 17 at LUNELLA Restaurant in Little Italy (more information below) celebrating the 43rd anniversary of I GIULLARI DI PIAZZA, sharing food, drink and wonderful music while we celebrate four decades of my work with our company and non profit organization.

This is a special year though, as I am also facing a personal challenge and will not be able to hold our regular Winter Solstice shows. I am going for knee replacement surgery December 21, and will need time to recover. As many artists, I count on the support of my audience and fans and artistic activities which I hope to resume by the end of February.

I personally will need time off after the surgery and 8 weeks rehabilitation which means I will not be able to do the same work, performing or teaching and focus on getting stronger to heal quickly. I will also have to postpone my annual retreat in Hawaii to a later date which is very tough for me and I will lose my main source of income in the winter.

To put it simply, we are currently in a financial crisis and need the support of our fans and friends to continue with our mission and keep presenting these unique and powerful programs in the United States and Italy.

As our work grows in scope and more people find their way to the Black Madonna, I have joined with my nonprofit and board members to create THE CENTER FOR THE BLACK MADONNA.

This is my life’s work, but I can no longer do it alone. Nor can I solely rely on volunteer help or my nonprofit board.

This is an educational space (both in-person and virtual) that honors the Black Madonna and the ancestral lineages of Southern Italy by teaching, performing and reviving interest in these ritual and artistic traditions. We offer online lectures and live sessions featuring members of our ensemble, I Giullari Di Piazza, as well as intensive workshop/pilgrimage retreats in Southern Italy.

We have many projects coming up and I will need all my strength and healing energy to be able to resume all my artistic activities.

For the year 2024, we are planning and concerts and presentations in New York at the Cathedral of St John the Divine and Theater for the New City to name a few. During the summer I plan to offer our intensive Italian workshops and pilgrimages in Sicily, Campania, and Calabria. We can only achieve all our goals with your support.

MY RECENT ACHIEVEMENTS:

I am proud to share that on October 22nd I received a wonderful and important award from the Italian Charities of America, the Renaissance Award, for my lifetime dedication to the studies, research, performance and teaching of authentic southern Italian folk music, dance and theater. This award made me realize how important it is for me to receive support from the Italian Community and to be acknowledged for my hard work of 43 years dedicated to the presentation of Italian Folkloric traditions

I am excited to announce that in January I will be featured in a documentary series, on PBS titled DREAM OF ITALY, filmed in the south of Italy in 2022, also featuring academy award winning actress Marisa Tomei, who has been a student of mine.

I am also happy to announce that our documentary filmed this summer during my workshop and pilgrimage in Sicily we made a very special film : MUSICAL JOURNEY TO THE BLACK MADONNA IN SICILY & THE SUMMER SOLSTICE Celebration which will premiere on December 13 at New York University Casa Italiana. It was filmed and directed by a wonderful Sicilian film maker Francesco Piccolo , and produced by me, I Giullari di Piazza & The Black Madonna Center. On December 13 we will also feature live music before the film screening with my group I Giullari di Piazza and the Sicilian artists live on zoom.

see trailer here:

If you believe in my work and our Black Madonna center mission, please consider making a donation to our GoFundMe campaign. The proceeds from the separate fundraiser for I Giullari di Piazza will go to our non-profit organization artistic projects and your donations to that campaign are tax deductible.

I will keep you informed of how the surgery goes and my rehabilitation and recovery, open to resume at least teaching online soon.

Finally, if you donate to the fundraiser for I Giullari and me, we have added some incentives for donations given before December 31. We included this in the main fundraiser as well as below:

● $100: you will receive your name on the program

● $150: my book Rhythm is the Cure and your name on the program

● $200: My Book Healing Journeys with the Black Madonna - your name on the program

● $250 Both my books & your name on the program

● $500 – SPECIAL download of my Virtual Pilgrimage to the Black Madonna, your name on the program.

Grazie and blessings to all,

Alessandra Belloni

Artistic and Executive Director for I Giullari di Piazza

Here are some moments of my workshops and performances: