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From 15 to 25 October 2026
Melbourne - Australia
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Meet the Performers
Artists from all over the world will perform at Segmento Tarantella Festival.
Concerts, workshops, and off-stage roving performances will be held by selected artists.
Headline act
Modern and Classic Folk - Campania
From Naples, Ars Nova Napoli reimagines Southern Italian folk traditions with irresistible energy, blending tarantella, pizzica, serenades and Mediterranean influences into vibrant performances where ancient music feels spontaneous, communal and unmistakably alive.
Alessandro Santacaterina
Chitarra Battente – Calabria
Calabrian guitarist, composer and researcher Alessandro Santacaterina is a virtuoso and innovator of the chitarra battente, transforming this historic Southern Italian instrument through dazzling technique, experimentation and deeply rooted Mediterranean musical expression.
Scupriri
Sicilian Folk Ensemble – Sydney
Sydney-based Scupriri invites audiences to discover the soul of Sicily through traditional and contemporary folk music, spirited rhythms, storytelling and song, celebrating the island’s layered history, language and enduring cultural identity.
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Elvira Andreoli
Sicilian Artists - Melbourne
Italian-Australian Folk Music Singer and Performer, Elvira takes pride in singing songs from the folklore of Calabria, Sicily, Campania, Puglia, Napoli, Veneto, Emilia Romagna and more. Elvira Andreoli is also Musical Director of two choirs: La Voce Della Luna Italian Women’s Choir and Coro Veneto Italian Men’s Choir, both based in Melbourne.
Lingua Madre
Italian Folk Choir
It was founded by singer songwriter Kavisha Mazzella AM in February 2023. It is an unauditioned choir of Italian immigrants and thier familily members who sing songs from all regions of Italy plus new compositions that reflect their migration experience to Australia.
Kunlasatee Kongpardpaung
Thai Traditional Dancers
The classical Thai dance performance 'Apsara Dance' is a high-art classical performance reflecting the rich cultural, artistic, and spiritual influence of the ancient Khmer civilization in the Suvarnabhumi region. Inspired by the divine motifs and exquisite bas-reliefs of celestial nymphs sculpted on ancient stone temples, this dance showcases graceful, deliberate, and fluid movements. It embodies a timeless beauty, taking the audience on a captivating journey through the region’s glorious cultural heritage.
Ciccio Nucera
“La Tarantella Crea Dipendenza” – Calabria
Known as the “King of Tarantella” and for his motto “La tarantella crea dipendenza,” Ciccio Nucera brings Calabria’s music to life with infectious rhythm, passion, organetto, tamburello and irresistible dancing energy.
QIQI
Chinese Performer - Melbourne
QiQi brings a distinctive Chinese cultural voice to the Festival, expanding its celebration beyond the Mediterranean and inviting audiences to experience how music and performance can connect traditions, generations and communities across cultures.
Kavisha Mazzella - AM
Singer-Songwriter - Melbourne
ARIA Award-winning singer-songwriter, folklorist and choir leader Kavisha Mazzella AM weaves Italian-Australian memory, migration and Mediterranean influences into songs of extraordinary warmth, poetry and humanity, connecting personal stories with universal belonging.
SANACORI & School of Tarantella
The Sanacori and the Melbourne School of Tarantella, led by Rosa Voto, unite live Southern Italian music and dance in an energetic celebration of tradition, individual expression, community participation and cultural connection.
Josephine Paone
Tarantella Folk Dancer
Josephine Paone is a Melbourne-based Italian-Australian traditional tarantella dancer passionate about preserving and sharing Southern Italian culture. Through performance, workshops and cultural initiatives, she brings the energy and symbolism of tarantella to contemporary audiences, connecting younger generations with their heritage while celebrating Calabria’s music, movement and community traditions.
MATE
Feature act
The Melbourne African Traditional Ensemble aka MATE is a powerhouse collective of master musicians from across the African continent, based right here in Melbourne. With griots, percussionists, and instrumental virtuosos from Mali, South Africa, and Ghana, the ensemble offers an immersive journey into Africa’s rich and diverse musical heritage.
Their performances weave together intricate rhythms, soaring vocals, and the timeless sounds of the mbira, kamalengoni, calabash, and talking drum—music that is deeply rooted in tradition yet alive with the vitality that ignites modern audiences. In a uniquely Australian expression of cultural connection, the ensemble also features Jason Tamiru, a proud Yorta Yorta man with mixed Aboriginal and Ethiopian heritage, on Yidaki (Didjeridoo). His playing bridges the First Nations sounds of this land with the ancestral traditions of Africa, creating a powerful dialogue that resonates across cultures.
For Segmento Tarantella Festival, MATE brings a high-energy, uplifting performance that is both a celebration of cultural heritage and a call to dance. Just as the Tarantella carries the heartbeat of Southern Italy, this ensemble channels the spirit of Africa—bridging continents, generations, and stories through the universal language of music.
Past year Festivals
COMING SOON
ECHOES OF TRADITION: THE TARANTELLA JOURNEY
A SHORT DOCUMENTARY
Segmento Foundation is about to launch a new exciting project: a documentary on the importance of cultural traditions and folklore in an increasingly modern, multicultural, lively and diverse world.
Stay Tuned for more!
Program and Upcoming Events
SEGMENTO TARANTELLA FESTIVAL 2026
​Segmento Tarantella Festival includes a series of events, workshops and musical activities from the 15 of October till 25 October 2026.
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Check the program below for more details on dates, locations and tickets.
FREE EVENT!
FREE EVENT!
And there's more
All the activities carried out at the Festival, including storytelling, workshops, shows and exhibitions, aim to present the history, the music and dances of the Tarantella as a source of knowledge, values and identity, a generational bridge and element of connection between ancient cultures like the Greek, Lebanese, Persian and the Italian ones.
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During the Festival, two sets of artistic activities will be performed:
MULTIMEDIA SCREENINGS
During the Festival, multimedia exhibitions will be projected across the various venues and activities. During some of the events, the screening of the short documentary on traditions of tarantella in Calabria and Overseas, "Echoes of Tradition: the Tarantella Journey".
by VMC, COASIT and SEGMENTO FOUNDATION
WORKSHOPS
A series of workshops (music, dance and tamburello sessions) and other cultural activities are held during the festival week encouraging communication and curiosity between CALD communities in Australia, and promoting awareness of cultural belonging among all generations.
by CALABRIA CLUB and SEGMENTO FOUNDATION
The Segmento Tarantella Festival proudly supports the Diversity and Disability (DnD) progam, part of the Migrant Resource Centre North Wes, and work together to ensure the festival is fully accessible to people with disability and the wider community.
Accessibility is key to participation, inclusion, sharing and personal development.
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SUPPORTED BY
