Returning Choreographic Fellow | May 30 - June 11, 2014
Castro’s second residency for Court/Garden focused on creating a new dance practice for the third act of the piece. Where the first act focused it’s movement vocabulary on the Canary, a 17th Century court dance, the third act looks at the rhythms and patterning that emerges from the group.
Castro sought a communal dance, a dance that is shared and passed on between the performers and held by the audience. To that end, Castro worked with improvisational techniques to foster the development of a new way of working for herself and her collaborators.
While in residence, Castro met with two scholars from FSU’s School of Communication, Dr. Patrick Merle and Dr. Jennifer Proffitt. Castro’s discussion with Merle offered insight into the ways America differs from other countries in the realm of politics and media. Castro’s meeting with Dr. Proffitt centered around engaging audiences. Proffitt's research focus is television and radio, which offered useful insights on the ways that viewership is changing for contemporary audiences.
Castro held a work-in-progress showing at the end of the residency to explore how the audience might engage with the work. The work was performed with the audience standing in a circle around the performance space, challenging the more traditional proscenium stage. The showing was followed by a feedback session with Castro and collaborators.
This Returning Choreographic Fellow residency was made possible by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.