Amaraterra

Amaraterra is the first pizzica ensemble in London – the traditional
music dance and music from Salento, the “heel” of Italy.

The millenary stratification of greek, roman, byzantine traditions and the relative insularity of the Salentine peninsula has conjured to keep alive a timeless musical treasure.

“U pizzicu” is the poisonous bite of the tarantula spider: in rural Salento, the traditional exorcism to “heal from the bite” is to dance relentlessly to the frenetic, hypnotic beat of the tambourine till a state of trance is reached and healing is achieved.

However, pizzica and tarantella are also the dances of the village fete all over southern Italy, an always welcomed opportunity to socialize and flirt (“pizzica de core”) or friendly settle scores through simulated fencing (“pizzica scherma”). Tarantellas and popular ballads are the backbone of Italian folk tradition, one of the richest and oldest in the world.

One of the oldest musical expressions of the Mediterranean is brought to you by a group of passionate musicians and dancers living in London and enriching its great and diverse cultural life. The ever present tambourines are accompanied by a variety of instruments – mandola, guitar, mouth organ, recorder, accordion, castanets, the hypnotic singing, and the thumping of dancing feet!

Enjoy a night of music and dance in the great setting of the Green Note; let yourself go, heal from the bite of the spider!