VERONICA CALATI was born in Miggiano (Le) and is a classically trained dancer. At a very young age, she was charmed by the folk dance of her land, Puglia, to the point of making it her main form of artistic expression. Through her art, she expresses positiveness, energy and with her passion. She has achieved great goals in Italy and abroad.
She has collaborated with many artists and musical groups, performing over the years in several festivals and theaters, including the Festival of the Italian language in Sarajevo, Banjaluka and Mostar, the South South Festival of Milan, the Basulafest and Taranta Sicily Fest in Sicily, the Locarno fest in Switzerland, the Italian Culture Festival in Sofia (Bulgaria), the Orienteoccidente Festival in Rovereto, Li Ucci Festival in Cutrofiano (LE). Over the years she has collaborated with Tarantarte company- new folk dance (come si chiama?) with which she took part in the “Calitri Sponz Festival” directed by Vinicio Capossela and the “Sziget Festival” in Budapest. In 2011 she took part in “La Notte della Taranta” in Melpignano, edition directed by Ludovico Einaudi. She received the “Neptune” awards in 2012, “Raffaello Sanzio” in 2014 and “Diego Velazquez” in 2017 by the cultural association “Italia in Arte nel mondo”, performing in the “Paisiello” theaterin Lecce next to the Master violinist Ovidio Popescu. In 2015 she performed in the play “Morsi d’amore” by Giusy Frallonardo, Enrico Romita and Raffaele Cassano performing in the theaters of Bari, Bitonto and Putignano. In 2016 she received the “San Francesco Saverio” award in Tessano (CS) and on November 20 of the same year, she inaugurated her Cultural Association TERRA BATTUTA in Conversano (BA) where she reguarly organized meetings on the folk dances of southern Italy. In 2018 and 2019 she represented Puglia in Shenzhen, China, she participated in the WszystkieMazurki Swiata festival in Warsaw, Poland, alongside the group “Salentrio” and she also participated in the Gran Bal Trad International Festival in Vialfrè, Piedmont. Since 2018 she has taken part in the International Festival Luoghi e Visioni Lineamediterranea in Monopoli, with a show of music and dance and poetic readings by Franco Arminio and in the last year she held an internship in Paris at Sudanzare, the Maison de la Tarantella. Veronica collaborates with numerous musicians from Puglia and beyond, completing her activity through shows, performances and folk dance workshops throughout Italy. She has a rich experience in the field of Salento folk dance and a personal approach of research and choreutic experimentation.