Alessandra Belloni is the Artistic Director and Founder of I Giullari di Piazza, an Italian music, theatre, and dance ensemble in residence at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. A Roman-born singer, actress, and internationally recognized tambourine virtuoso, she is the only woman in the U.S. and Italy who specializes in Southern Italian folk music and dance, blending ancient rituals with powerful performance.

Belloni is the author of Healing Journeys with the Black Madonna (Inner Traditions) and has been featured in PBS, CNN, National Geographic, and RAI TV. She is the designer of a signature tambourine line for Remo and was recently knighted as Dame of Honor by the Orthodox Order of the Knights of St. John.

Her acclaimed CDs Tarantata and Tarantelle & Canti d’Amore received international praise, including honors from DRUM Magazine and The New York Times. She has collaborated with Glen Velez, Gilberto Gil, and Marisa Tomei, and created the off-Broadway-bound show Tarantella Spider Dance. Belloni also leads Rhythm is the Cure, an annual healing retreat in Hawaii, and recently founded the all-women percussion group Daughters of Cybele.  Alessandra also leads pilgrimages to the Black Madonna in Sicily and the region of Naples in the summer.