Italian artists share their heritage at Spring of Culture Festival, finding common ground with Bahraini traditions
“It’s a way to create a bridge between people,” says Sara Fiorina Colonna, an Italian dance rhythm therapist, describing the power of traditional music and dance. Colonna and fellow artists Mariangela Recchia, Giuseppe Delle Donne, and Tommaso Massarelli shared the rich cultural heritage of Southern Italy with audiences in Bahrain as part of the Spring of Culture Festival. In an exclusive interview with Bahrain This Week, the group discussed their passion for preserving and sharing these traditions.
Colonna explained that dance rhythm therapy is “a practice deeply rooted in traditional music and dance,” working with the cyclical and seasonal rhythms that characterise human life. She emphasised the importance of repetition in traditional dance and rhythm, noting its power to connect people across cultures.
“It’s a different language. It’s body language,” she added, highlighting the physicality and emotional intention behind their music.
Recchia, a dancer, Italian language teacher, and intercultural mediator, shared her love for teaching Italian, emphasising that language learning is not just about grammar but also about understanding culture.
“Language is like a home,” she remarked. Recchia also discussed the traditional dances they would be performing, including Tarantella and Pizzica. As an intercultural mediator, she explained that dance can serve as a “bridge” between cultures, fostering communication and mutual recognition.
Donne showcased the “cucchiai” (spoons), a traditional instrument, describing its role in creating a sense of togetherness. Massarelli introduced his diatonic accordion, which he called “the grandfather of the accordion,” noting its global reach and its importance in the traditional music of his region, Puglia. He even gave a brief demonstration, playing a lively Pizzica tune.
The artists expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to share their traditions in Bahrain.
“It’s very important to show to the other cultures our tradition,” Colonna stated. They emphasised the importance of keeping these traditions alive, especially for younger generations, as a way to connect with their roots and discover shared connections with other cultures.
“Through that music, that dance, we can discover where we come from,” Recchia said.
The group shared their positive impressions of Bahrain, praising the warm reception they received and expressing their appreciation for the opportunity to experience Bahraini culture.
“It’s a pleasure for us and we will come back home richer,” Colonna concluded.
Recchia added, “I felt a very strong connection with Bahrain,” noting the shared meaning of “two seas” in both Bahrain and her hometown of Taranto. The artists hinted at a possible return to Bahrain, charmed by the kingdom’s unique allure.
They performed at the Cultural Hall, Manama, in the Spring of Festival an annual event hosted by the Bahraini Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA), in collaboration with the Italian Embassy. The evening was a tribute to the traditional dance of southern Italy, a journey to discover the richness of the dance and music heritage of Italy and its southern regions, in particular to Puglia. The repertoire ranged from the tarantella garganica of the Tavoliere delle Puglie, to the tammurriata, a drum dance typical of Campania, to the tarantella of the festive days of Calabria and Basilicata, in which dancing feet and fingers on the keys of the diatonic accordion dictated the joyful rhythm. The rhythmic-melodic variety and the diversity of performance styles characterise the dance as much as the sounds: frame drums, castanets, but also spoons, keys and bottles.
The performance used the ‘simple’ percussion instruments of the folk tradition, to which were added the performers’ singing, evoking the working and festive times of our ancestors, and the melodies of the accordion, an instrument that has been established in the repertoires of the oral tradition since the early 20th century.
“I believe that our folklore and traditional dances have a lot in common, starting with the use of percussion instruments and the aim of promoting social cohesion and celebrating the best of traditional life,” said Italian Ambassador Andrea Catalano in his opening remarks at the event. He concluded saying that ‘the political, commercial and cultural ties between Italy and Bahrain are the strongest ever, especially with the recent visit of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the first visit of an Italian Prime Minister to Bahrain, which he said, testified to the strength of our bilateral relations.
The event was attended by the BACA president Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, representatives of Bahraini institutions, the diplomatic world, local society and students from the “Grazia Deledda” Italian Language and Culture Centre.