Feast of the Tarantati

Alessandra Belloni and her performance troupe, I Giullari di Piazza, will present Feast of the Tarantati, an ancient healing ritual featuring ‘Tarantata – Spider Dance’, and other trance dances and healing chants dedicated to the Black Madonna. Adapted from Italian traditions regarding the Fast of St. John, the ritual was performed annually on June 29 for the benefit of women suffering from psychiatric disorders believed to be the result of a tarantula’s bite. The audience is invited to participate in “releasing the poison and venom from our bodies and souls.”