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Italian community bring back annual charity dance
An annual Italian community charity dance that has not been held in 20 years, will be making a comeback.
The 50-year-old tradition is being brought back in aid of Alzheimer’s Society. The event will be held at Arnos Manor Hotel (a historic venue for the dances) on Saturday, November 9. With less than a month to go, tickets have already nearly sold out.
Calogero Rizzo, son of Sicilian parents and owner of Rizzo’s Sicilian food, is the man behind the dance’s return.
is needed now More than ever
The return of the event was prompted by Calogero’s own personal connection to Alzheimers, with his mum having been diagnosed with the disease around seven years ago.
He says he wanted to give back to the charity, so, when he was mulling over all the ways he could raise some money, his initial thought was a marathon. But with a chuckle he says: “I did a few laps around the block and I thought I’m not going to be able to do that.”
Eventually they settled on a dance. When he posted in their Facebook group – Italians of Bristol – he tells me, the response has been “unbelievable.”
People have been reaching out to tell him stories of how they met their partner at some of the former dances and what an important part of Bristol history this is.
But more importantly, he tells me that people have been opening up to him to speak about their family’s own experiences with Alzheimers disease and other similar challenges. He reflects, “It’s really nice to hear that other families have been able to talk to me about their struggles.
“We’re going to use this as a real platform, for the Italian community, to say, I’m going through this as well.”
Calogero and mum Anna Rizzo – photo: Calogero Rizzo
According to Calogero, her condition has gradually worsened since the passing of his father six years ago. “That was like the turning point for my mum, because my dad was kind of masking what my mom was going through, guiding her to do things as a task orientated thing.”
He adds that while his family made the difficult decision to put her in care, there is still a stigma attached to that, “It’s frowned upon a little bit within traditions.
“We’ve got parts of that Italian community in that event that are not putting parents in care homes and getting that support, they’re just struggling at home.
“And they’re the people, the personalities, that have reached out and said, I know what you’ve gone through. I know how it feels, it’s hard work, you know.”
While Calogero’s own mum won’t be able to attend the event due her condition, he says that she’s much more settled.
The event he tells me used to be a night where people would come together, “share stories, mingle, have a drink, a bite to eat and dance to good music.”
Ultimately it was night to show unity, to put any disagreements aside and raise money for charity. He informs me, these specific events aren’t a thing in Italy, as they would constantly have get togethers, so these are unique to the UK.
Even within the UK, you would have Italians from different pockets of the UK throwing their own events in their local area, such as London, Bedford and Manchester.
And it wouldn’t just be the one dance, “It was always about three a year. You would always have, like a Valentine’s one, an Easter one, and then one around Christmas.”
But sadly many of the elders who organised these events passed away, causing a lot of “heartbreak”, which is why Bristol hasn’t had an event like this in so long.
The event Calagero hopes will elevate the Italian community and raise awareness of the charity. The charity is sending two representatives, who will be collecting donations and selling merchandise.
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He knows that many of the first and second generation Italians will know what to expect, but that the third generation and those who have just emigrated here are in for a surprise.
The event will be a real family affair with his brother-in-law Legendary Italian DJ Tony Mercato playing the event and his son who is more well known by their international drag star name Alyssa Van Delle, will be performing a number of Italian songs. There will also be a raffle and the chance to get involved in what hopes to be a viral social video.
You can get your tickets for £12 from headfirstbristol.co.uk.
Main photo: Calogero Rizzo
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