Tradition ~ Rhythm ~ Community
Melbourne School Of Tarantella
Australia’s first school dedicated to Southern Italian traditional dance, bringing Tarantella to life since 2011.
Founded to preserve and celebrate the rich traditions of Southern Italian dance, Melbourne School of Tarantella offers weekly adult classes, school programs, community workshops, and vibrant performances.
We believe dance is a living language — a powerful form of communication that connects generations and cultures. Tarantella celebrates individual expression within a collective experience.
Our performing troupe, together with the Sanacori music ensemble, brings Southern Italy’s music and dance to life on stage with energy and authenticity, honoring tradition while embracing creative interpretation.
Rosa Voto
Founder and Artistic Director
Rosa Voto is an Italian-born performing artist and the founder of Melbourne School of Tarantella. Trained in ballet and jazz at Hamlyn Academy in Florence and immersed in Southern Italian music and dance from childhood through her family roots in Puglia and Calabria, Rosa brings tradition to life with innovative vitality.
Her work spans teaching, performance, and community engagement. She has developed creative dance programs for schools, community centres, and aged care, and led numerous community art projects that celebrate cultural connection and personal expression. Rosa has also collaborated with theatre companies in Australia and overseas, bringing Tarantella to stages beyond traditional settings.
She is co-founder of La Danza International Residency, the first English-language residency focused on Southern Italian living folk traditions, held annually in their places of origin.
In 2025, Rosa was awarded the Merri-bek Arts & Culture Award for her outstanding contribution to arts and culture, recognising her impact as a teacher, performer, and cultural leader.
Merri-bek Arts & Culture Award
In 2025, Rosa Voto was awarded the Merri-bek Arts & Culture Award for her outstanding contribution to arts and culture — recognising her impact as a teacher, performer, and cultural leader.
This recognition reflects the dedication of our entire community — students, performers, musicians, and supporters — who make this work possible.
Other work by Rosa:
2024: Rapture: A Healing Journey of Transformation. A multidisciplinary and collaborative exploration of the trance ritual of the Pizzica and Tarantism and stories of women.
2022: Meridiana Festival, TwoSisty, Brunswick. Celebrating 10 years of the Melbourne School of Tarantella with dance and music
2021: Pentridge Tells Movement Choir, community project.
2020: Vocabulary of popular gesture. Ongoing project.
2018: Coordinator and facilitator of dance and music program for elderly citizen at various location of City of Melbourne
2018: "Mothers and Children" art and play project manager, City of Moreland
2017: Facilitator of Creative Movement and Play at Banskia Gardens Community house-Youth engagement program
2017: Dublin Theatre Festival with Ranters Theatre
2017: Movement to Music workshops. Project REAL (Re-engagement Education and Learning Program), Outer Urban Project
2017: Place activation at Wilson Avenue, Brunswick, Sydney Road Street Party
2016: Choreographer and performer for theatre production “Come away with me to the end of the world” by Ranters Theatre
2014: Representative of Southern Italian community in Australia at Medimex Conference, Bari, Italy
2014: “TerraMare” community dance theatre project. With the participation of Kavisha Mazzella
2013: Brunswick Music Festival with Kavisha Mazzella and La Voce Della Luna
2013: Actress in movie “Partisan”, by Ariel Kleinman
2013: Conductor of folk music and dance interventions in Melbourne Eastern Suburbs nursing homes for “Memory Lane Project”.
2012: Brunswick Music Festival. Dancer for Kavisha Mazzella.
La Danza: Galatina
1st–8th September 2026 · Galatina (Lecce), ItalyCreated in collaboration with Kate Causbie, La Danza is a unique English-language residency — now in its third year — for anyone interested in delving deeper into community-based music and dance traditions in Southern Italy.
Guided by local artists and guest practitioners through workshops, lessons, and social gatherings, participants explore the rich traditions and diverse aspects of pizzica pizzica — Southern Italy's powerful dance — and experience the vibrant fusion of tradition and innovation.
This is more than a course: it's a fully immersive cultural and creative experience, connecting participants with dance, community, and heritage in a participatory and inspiring environment, in deep respect of the land, the history, and the keepers of the tradition.
Contact us
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