The Interfaith Center of New York is a nice setting for the workshop to take place. The center focuses on transcending different world religions and bringing the sacred into people’s daily lives through applying the wisdom coming from all faith. The tarentella and the tammorriata dances have pagan origins from the worship of the Black Madonna in Southern Italy. At the same time, local folks perform the ritual of singing, dancing and drumming for days and nights during the week of the Catholic Ascencion in mid-August, outside of churches. So there is a blend of pagan traditions with the Catholic faith. Over the centuries this ritual has become a celebration and liberation of the female spirit.

The workshop took place in the art gallery space of the Interfaith Center, with paintings from around the world hanging on the high walls. It was a very special feeling to dance and play drums in that space with an extremely interesting group of students – dancers, musicians, music therapists, actors, director and amateurs, of course, most of whom share an Italian ancestry and wanted to seek their roots. The sense of unity of the spirit of people coming from different backgrounds became strong at the end of the day as we danced away.