Ballarija - Mediterranean Dance and Music Festival

Ballarija 2025, the third edition

From August 8 to 10, 2025, Controne hosted the third edition of Ballarija, organized by the Echi del Mediterraneo association together with the Municipality of Controne, with artistic direction by Maria Grazia Altieri.

Three days divided between daytime workshops and evening dance concerts, with a program that showcased the great families of Southern folk dance: pizzica, tarantelle, Sardinian dances, and Balkan rhythms. Among the groups present were Niuri te Sule from Puglia, Felici&Conflenti from Calabria, the Ballo dei Monti Lattari for Campania, the Suoni e Balli della Tradizione Sarda, I Suoni del Sirino from Lucania, 'A Paranza d'o Tramuntan, and Popolo Vascio.

The guest of honor for the edition was the Carlo Faiello Ensemble. Evening concerts were free, while a participation fee was required for dance workshops. The public success recorded in 2025, with attendees arriving from various Italian regions, convinced the organizers to expand the following edition to five days.