“Jon Pareles of The New York Times, reviewing an I Giullari di Piazza show, remarked that Ms. Belloni sang in an exultant voice. The songs blazed with an age-old momentum."  Invocations and work songs, exorcisms and lullabies shared the program of RHTHM IS THE CURE in the Chapel of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.... Driven by tambourine patterns so fast that the drummer’s hands became blurs. Ms. Belloni sang in an exultant voice. The songs blazed with an age-old momentum" .” - Jon Pareles

“ Belloni Heightens Impact of Italian Song, Dance World Music Review October 23, 2000 |DON HECKMAN | SPECIAL TO THE TIMES Mention the words "music" and "Italy" in the same sentence and the next word that comes to mind for most people is "opera," followed by the names Monteverdi, Rossini, Verdi and Puccini. But Italy has its traditional music as well, a rich subliminal flow that has been, and continues to be, ever present in city streets and village squares, at weddings and in taverns. Alessandra Belloni, a singer, dancer and tambourine virtuoso, spent last week at a variety of venues around the Southland making a convincing case for the remarkable diversity of this music. Appearing at percussion clinics, leading workshops and seminars at UCLA, discussing the ethnomusicology of Italy's traditional culture, and performing the music from her stunning new album, "Tarantata: Dance of the Ancient Spider," she offered an intellectual rationale for the music as well as an engaging opportunity to experience its emotional impact. On Saturday night at Luna Park--not, unfortunately, the ideal arena for her music--she made the best of a small cluttered stage and distracting noise from the club's other areas. A small woman with a wild mane of black hair and an enormously powerful presence, Belloni sang and danced with a concentrated intensity that quickly transformed her surroundings. Her material included songs from Calabria, Sardinia, and Brazil--the last linking Bahia's Yemanja goddess with Italy's Madonna. She demonstrated her articulate skill with various tambourines, and in a climactic closer, she sang, danced and played the whirling, ecstatic, trance-like music of the traditional tarantella. It was a remarkable performance, enhanced by a group of superb accompanying musicians--flutist/saxophonist Steve Gorn, violinist Joe Deninzon (who joined Belloni in dancing the tarantella) and guitarist-lutist John La Barbera. Belloni deserves a repeat Southland performance at a venue--perhaps Royce Hall--that would allow a full exposition of her compellingly entertaining and informative view of Italian/Mediterranean  ” - Don Heckman

“ Sounds from uncommon spaces by photographer Ozier Muhammad:  "When I first came to the Church and saw the drum set near the altar I knew this was the church for me " ... Alessandra Belloni i part of the Church on the edge , in Edgewater NJ, where she practices drumming on Tuesdays, and artist in residence at the Cathedral of S John the Divine,  Ms Belloni is a percussionist that also sings. Many of her songs are a mix of chants, prayers and folk songs from her childohood growing up in Rome. Link to the New York Times article  http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/06/ NY_Times.pdf” - Ozier Muhammad

“Extraordinary vocalist, hand-percussionist and dancer Alessandra Belloni creates a voluptuous exploration of Tarantella—
the frenzied ritual dances that enact the release of built-up erotic desire— in a contemporary incarnation of the southern Italian folk form. In the traditional “Pizzica Tarantata” healing rite, performers suffering the effects of spider “love bite” are accompanied by furious percussion as they spin, stomp, writhe and otherwise work up an ecstatic lather in a bid to purge the “venom” from their bodies. Belloni uses both traditional and modern instrumentation to dramatize an account of the curative power of the ritual.”

“The evening began with the "Tarantella Di Sann'lcandro" from the southern region of Puglia, as two lovers feel the bite of the tarantula spider and go into an erotic frenzy and make love. Accompanied by a 10-piece orchestra to the left of the stage, Belloni entered striking an Italian tambourine while wailing with her operatic strength voice as she accompanied the dancers. Joining her on the stage was talented Italian violinist Concetta Abatte, John Paul Tobin (viola), Wilson Montuori (acoustic guitar), Massimo Cusato (drums & tambourine), Greg Dormani (guitar, mandolin) and several percussionists on the box drums. This was the start of the myth of the Tarantula and the beginning of the ritualistic healing power of the tarantella dance as explained and presented to us by the energetic and charismatic Belloni, accompanied by actor Randy Vasquez as the voice of Dionysus. Made up of local and international artists, the I Giullari Di Piazza Dancers performed the very intricate and sometimes hypnotic pieces with passion, including the mesmerizing Francesca Silvano who along with Peter DiGeronimo were featured in most of the dance segments throughout the evening. Headed by singer Vida Vierra and the wonderful dancer Dani Lunn, this show stopping number capped off an evening of dance, myth, history and spiritual healing at the hands of the incomparable Alessandra Belloni.” - Humberto Capiro

“With her compelling stage presence, throaty mezzo, and raging tambourine, Allessandra Belloni is a force of nature. Through Southern Italian folk music, chant, and dance, Belloni and her company explored the sound and movement world of tarantella trance dancing at Disney Hall's Redcat. Belloni's virtuosity on the tambourine is without question. Along with traditional instruments played onstage by an ensemble of musicians, her music director, Joe Deninzon adds modern electronic dance beats.” - Jane Rosenberg