…John Castagna envisioned the end of social hostilities and the start of communal solidarity in “Peace by Piece” for the IT Squad. A propulsive Mark Governor score and periodic spoken maxims helped unify a collage of gesture, pedestrian motion, social dancing and gymnastics suggesting various facets of the dying power structure.
– Lewis Segal, Los Angeles Times
John M. Castagna
serves as Resident Choreographer for the Contemporary Ballet Collective/LA since 2001.
Castagna won a Los Angeles area Emmy Award for a television special entitled Peace by Piece, a collaboration with choreographer Lori DuPeron and composer Mark Governor. Dance Magazine nominated his work Joy for Video of the Month and Castagna’s The Golden Slave won Pointe Magazine’s Video of the Month.
Castagna directed and choreographed Kimono in 2017. This short dance film has screened in Warsaw, Rome and Los Angeles. Celebration Duet, his latest short dance film, is presently being released.
Mr. Castagna’s oeuvre includes several works for Ballet Guatemala, Staten Island Ballet and Hamilton College.
Castagna holds a Master’s Degree in Choreography (M.A.) from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and a B.A. in Fine Arts.
Maestro Stefan Wenta is Mr. Castagna’s mentor.
John Castagna’s works always deal with social concerns.
— Stefan Wenta, Ballet Master, Choreographer
