Mickela Mallozzi is the four-time Emmy Award-winning host and executive producer of “Bare Feet with Mickela Mallozzi,” a PBS series that highlights the diversity of dance with episodes filmed around the world. Born and raised in Connecticut, Mallozzi tells Fra Noi about her Italian roots, the path that led her to create the show, and filming with her nonna in Italy. Elena Ferrarin: Did you grow up connected to your Italian heritage? 

Mickela Mallozzi: My parents are emigrants from the same town of Minturno (in Italy’s Lazio region). I definitely grew up connected to my Italian heritage — from jarring tomatoes every August to my father making his own wine every October, to Sunday dinners to family cookouts with my zii and cousins, and talking to my nonni over the phone every weekend. The language (our own dialect) has always been prevalent in our house, as well as the music and dance traditions. Growing up in an immigrant household had such a huge impact on my life and my career.