Dante Alighieri Society of Washington
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Dantedì Flashmob – 25 marzo le 10:00 di mattina

by | Mar 24, 2020 | Notices

Dantedì

Dal 25 marzo di quest’anno si celebra il Dantedì, la giornata dedicata a Dante Alighieri. A seguito delle emergenze sanitarie che costringe tutti a rimanere a casa, la Società Dante Alighieri ha promosso un flashmob invitando tutti con #stoacasacondante, a leggere in balcone il V Canto dell’Inferno della Divina Commedia, quello più popolare, che racconta dell’amore di Paolo e Francesca. L’Amore è un sentimento che aiuta a superare ogni male, persino quello oggi rappresentato dal Covid-19 e per questo mercoledì 25 marzo alle ore 18 italiane tanti cittadini nel mondo sono stati invitati a leggere i più celebri passi del poeta fiorentino. A Seattle saranno le 10:00 di mattina. Quindi subito dopo il caffè tutti a leggere e a registrare i versi di Dante!

Amor, ch’al cor gentil ratto s’apprende,
prese costui de la bella persona
che mi fu tolta; e ‘l modo ancor m’offende.

Amor, ch’a nullo amato amar perdona,
mi prese del costui piacer sì forte,
che, come vedi, ancor non m’ abbandona.

[Dante Alighieri, Divina Commedia, Inf., V canto]

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Spring Quarter 2020 Italian Language Classes

by | Mar 24, 2020 | Notices

Dear Italian Language Students,

The commitment of all of us at the Dante Alighieri Society of Washington’s Italian Language Program is to bring you one step closer to Italy with our Italian language lessons. That commitment couldn’t be stronger in this trying time, when unfortunately we must engage in social distancing that separates us from our Italian friends and each other.

For those students whose passion for the Italian language and all things Italian cannot and will not be stopped, we will be offering classes Spring Quarter, but are switching from in-person to online lessons. Although we know that an online classroom is not the same as an in-person lesson, all the teachers of the Italian Program are determined to do everything they can to make this new learning experience as exciting, inspiring, educative, fun and effective as our lessons have always been.

We will keep a close eye on the rapid evolution of the situation and adjust accordingly.  We will continue to look into ways to improve our language classes throughout the quarter and into the future. The following is a description of how we anticipate the upcoming Spring Quarter classes will be conducted:

Students will interact with their instructor and peers through the video conferencing Zoom platform. The Zoom platform allows real time interactions between the students and the instructor. Instructors will present in real time the grammatical structures and vocabulary listed in the syllabus with the support of Zoom Whiteboard among other tools. Just as for in-person classes, students will be able to ask questions and interact with each other. Follow up exercises will be provided – some during the online connection and others to be completed offline. During each lesson, instructors will provide opportunities for conversation as a class and in groups with the aid of images, guided interviews and other aids.

At the beginning of each online session, the teacher will share the content of the lesson with the students. The duration of the live portion of each online lesson may vary from 60 to 90 minutes. Shorter online sessions will include additional offline activities for the remaining class period.

As always, we welcome your feedback. It is a vital factor in delivering the best learning experience possible. We look forward to hearing your opinions and recommendations for improvements.

Thank you for continuing to share your passion for the Italian language and the country we all love, especially during this challenging time.

Giuseppe Tassone
Language Program Director
tassone@danteseattle.org

March 25 Meeting Cancelled

by | Mar 18, 2020 | Notices

Ciao a tutti –

Following the recent announcement of Washington State’s plan to limit gatherings of 50 or more and the urging of Governor Inslee that Washington residents over 70 self-isolate immediately, as the demographic most at risk of severe infection from COVID-19, we have decided to CANCEL the next Dante Alighieri Society’s Italian Language presentation and meeting scheduled for next Wednesday, March 25.

We will continue to monitor the situation and make a decision about the April 15 Annual General Meeting  closer to that date.

We understand that this is a developing situation and, as such, our policy will be responsive and in-line with the recommendations of Washington State and King County Public Health departments.

Please take care of yourself during these stressful days.  Statemi bene!

“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.
“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

A presto – 

Dan DeMatteis,
President, Dante Alighieri Society of Washington

March 10 & 12 Winter Quarter Classes to be Held Online

by | Mar 8, 2020 | Notices

No in person classes for the last week of Winter Quarter

The health and safety of our students and instructors is our number one priority. We are following closely the guidance of our local public health experts, the World Health Organization, and the CDC regarding the threat and spread of COVID-19 and are carefully assessing the impact of this outbreak on our Italian Language Program.

In order to support efforts by public health agencies to slow the spread of COVID-19 in the region, Seattle University, where Dante Alighieri Society Language Program classes are held, has announced that beginning Monday, March 9, classes will not be held in person through the end of Winter Quarter on March 20. Most other universities in the Puget Sound region have announced similar efforts.

The Italian Language Program of the Dante Alighieri Society of Washington is following Seattle University’s lead.  Instead of holding classes at Seattle University, students will complete the remaining Winter quarter lessons on Tuesday 3/10 and Thursday 3/12 from home.  Each instructor, with the Language Program director’s coordination, will provide instructional materials and exercises to be completed at home.

Students having questions should contact their instructor or the Language Program Director, Giuseppe Tassone.

At this time we hope to be able resume in person classes at the start of Spring Quarter on Tuesday, March 31. However, we will continue to evaluate the situation over the coming weeks and will post information on our website as well as notify our students.

March 11 Meeting Postponed

by | Mar 6, 2020 | English Language Meetings, La Voce, Notices

Ciao a tutti –

The health and safety of our members remains our number one priority. We are following closely the guidance of our local public health experts, the World Health Organization, and the CDC regarding the threat and spread of COVID-19 and are carefully assessing the impact of this outbreak.

A few days ago, all news reports and public health experts stated that the risk to the general public was low, and therefore we said it was our intention to go forward with our meeting next Wednesday, March 11.

However, the situation has continued to evolve and the guidance from local public health professionals changed in the last 24 hours to strongly advise all people who were at greater risk (those who are over 60 or with a history of respiratory or immune disease issues) to avoid if possible large public gatherings. They also recommend that community group organizations either postpone or cancel events for the upcoming weeks.

For these reasons, we have decided to POSTPONE the Pasta Dinner and English Language presentation scheduled for next Wednesday, March 11.  We hope to reschedule Pat Hoffman’s talk for a date later this Spring if scheduling allows.

We will continue to monitor the situation and make a decision about whether to cancel the March 25 Italian meeting closer to that date.

We understand this is a developing situation, and as such our policy will be responsive and in-line with the recommendations of Washington State and King County Public Health departments.

A presto –

Dan DeMatteis,
President, Dante Alighieri Society of Washington

Fellini Film Festival at SAM – Postponed until April

by | Mar 5, 2020 | Notices

Festa Italiana and the Seattle Art Museum present ten films by Federico Fellini in honor of the 100th anniversary of his birth. The series begins on March 19 at 7:30 pm with a showing of “The White Sheik” and “Toby Dammit.”  Other films in the series will include “La Strada”, “The Nights of Cabiria”, “8 1/2” and “Amarcord”.  Check out the SAM website for more information and to buy tickets.

Laura Ciroi

Laura CiroiLaura Ciroi has been teaching with the Italian language program of the Dante Alighieri Society of Washington since 2003. She was born in Palmanova, in Northern Italy, a star shaped fortress built by the Serenissima Republic of Venice to protect the territory from the invasions of the Hapsburg and the Ottoman Empires. She was raised speaking Italian, French and Friulano (her native Northern Italian dialect). Laura received a Laurea in Linguistics from the Università di Udine where she specialized in Spanish and English literature. Since then she has lived and worked in Holland, Switzerland, Spain, England, America, and Italy.

Giuseppe Tassone moved to Seattle from Italy in 1993. He has been the director of the Italian Language Program of the Dante Alighieri Society of Washington since 1998 and the PLIDA coordinator since 2011. He is a language educator, coordinator, and advocate of Italian language and culture. He has a background in economics and finance (B.A. in Economics), but chooses to specialize in Italian language and culture  (M.A. in Italian Studies). He has 20+ years of experience teaching, developing curricula, coordinating, testing, and assessing in public and non-profit organizations (e.g. Seattle University, University of Washington, Shoreline College). Giuseppe reviewed and/or contributed to several Italian language textbooks, such as Da Capo, Oggi in Italia, Avanti, Piazza and Sentieri. He is the author of Ricordati di me,  Buongiorno Notte – Italian Films Series by Edizioni Farinelli and Un buon Affare – Italian for Business by Hackett Publishing Company available in print (2016) and e-book (2019). Giuseppe teaches at Seattle University and heads the Italian Section in the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures. Personal interests are: reading, traveling, cinema, economics, politics, playing and listening to music, swimming, biking, gardening and cooking.

 

E-mail: tassone@danteseattle.org

Francesca Giambartolomei

Francesca GiambartolomeiFrancesca is an Italian native, born in Cremona, northern Italy. She holds a laurea in Biology from the University of Padua and Masters of Biology from Eastern Michigan University. She left Italy in 1994 and has lived in New Zealand and the United States. She has a passion for teaching her native language, as a way of maintaining and exploring the Italian language and culture with different eyes. She has taught privately and in many institutions to students of different proficiency levels groups. Francesca is interested in literature, art and design, and in her free time, she likes reading, cooking, and making jewelry and ceramics.

Email: francesca@danteseattle.org

Damiano Pinton

Damiano PintonDamiano is a native of a small town in the Northern Italy countryside, about 17 miles away from Padua, a city famous among other things for its university, the fifth-oldest surviving in the world. He received his B.A. and M.A. Cum Laude in Japanese language and culture from Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, while specializing in linguistics and translation. He lived in Japan for three and a half years, where he continued his studies and his sociolinguistic research on (im)politeness in language. While in Japan, he also started working as an Italian teacher, discovering his passion for conveying the beauty of the Italian language and culture abroad.

Email: damiano@danteseattle.org

Roberta Punzi

Roberta PunziRoberta was born in Salerno a city located in the region of Campania in Southern Italy where in the ninth century flourished the renowned Schola Medica Salernitana; the forerunner of the modern university medical schools.  She holds a Master’s Degree in Economics and Management for Arts, Culture, Media and Entertainment from the Luigi Bocconi University, and a Master’s Degree in Piano from the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory of Music in Milan.  Roberta has been working in the field of arts management since 2008. She has served as a project manager, fundraiser and arts administrator in high-profile nonprofit organizations and music festivals in Italy.  She has taught music and Italian language in middle schools, and has held lectures in performing arts management as a teaching assistant at the University of Milan and at the Accademia del Teatro alla Scala.  She has performed many solo and chamber music recitals across Italy.  Roberta moved to Seattle from Italy in 2018, and in March 2019 she started working with Greenpeace U.S.A. as a fundraiser.  She loves classical music, visual arts, reading, traveling, hiking and of course teaching Italian.

E-mail: roberta@danteseattle.org

Valentina Robles

Valentina RoblesValentina was born in Bitonto, a small town in Puglia, South of Italy. She has a Laurea in Lettere (Degree in Humanities) and a Laurea Specialistica in Scienze dello spettacolo e della produzione multimediale (Master degree in Media Studies). During her studies, she spent seven months in Spain where she was a tutor for Spanish students enrolled in Italian classes. Her passion for the theatre and cinema brought her to work in the production department for several projects for media, theatre, and live concerts.

Email: valentina@danteseattle.org