she nobili is no ordinary figure . the 38 - year - old used to be a street - dancer , and spent many summers working in italian nightclubs . she is now using her talents in a rather different direction - for when she calls " the holy dance " in a performance on tuesday night at the holy cross in jerusalem priory in rome , in support of senior catholic religious included archbishop zola ravasi , head of the vatican ' s cultural department . mother nobili tells the bbc news service that the turn from podium street person to nun happened successively .
Anna Nobili became a nun in 2002.