Meet Angel Castro of HALO Movement Collective in Phoenix Metropolitan Area

Today we’d like to introduce you to Angel Castro.

Angel, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started my career in dance VERY late. I started when I was only 18 in high school. I auditioned for the Arizona State University Dance program and was accepted. At this point, I knew that dance would forever be a part of my future. Throughout college, I immersed myself in as much dance as I could. I started my apprenticeship with Dulce Dance Company but after an injury had to step down. Soon after I joined EPIK Dance Company and Scorpius Dance Theatre. At ASU we were encouraged to explore and discover new facets of our artistry.

Growing up fashion was a huge deal in my household. My Mother attended design school and taught me things here and there. During my senior year at ASU, we had an assignment to research a city we were moving to or create a plan for staying in Arizona. Well HALO Movement Collective was that project. I drafted plans on creating a dance company that merged dance, art and fashion to create a unique brand of dance that would be easily identifiable. At no point did I expect this college assignment to blossom into a sought after dance company now in its 7th season.

We started from a free show to creating installation and fashion heavy work that is flexible and accessible to both concert dance goers and commercial dance lovers. My work with HALO Movement Collective is abstract, androgynous and autobiographical as I often draw from personal experience. My work is intersectional as all facets of my life meet on the HALO Stage.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has absolutely not been smooth. Funding for the arts let alone dance is sparse. Most if not all of HALO Movement Collectives work has been self-funded, or with grassroots fundraising. Obstacles are not always presented by outside forces but unfortunately sometimes by people within the same community you operate in. In college, I felt like I was being forced to create a certain way by peers and my work was deemed not valid because it did not fit the concert dance world mold and it did not quite fit the commercial dance world. This is why I decided to create my own brand of dance.

I created my own lane. I refused to sacrifice my artistic integrity to please anyone. Even after seven years of working endlessly to create professional opportunities that compensate dancers who choose to stay, I receive some push back from members of the community. It’s hard being an artist. You truly have to adopt the mindset of “you can’t please everyone”. You also have to remain grounded in your motivation behind creating. Mine is to reach someone, to inspire/motivate some sort of connection, to create professional and PAID opportunities for dancers. I tell myself, if I can check the box next to those with each project that I do then I am winning.

Tell us more about your work.
I am an Artist. I normally do not like to label myself as a Dance Artist even though my main form of art is Dance and Dance choreography. My process oftentimes does not start with dance. It can start with anything. I have started creating by sewing a costume, painting, sketching an installation drafting plans for a structure and that ultimately informs what the movement and choreography will look like. What sets HALO Movement apart is that we marry our work with the seasons of the fashion industry. That is one of the most innovative and revolutionary industries in terms of reinvention and cross-collaboration.

In collaboration with the Dancers of HALO Movement Collective we have worked tirelessly to establish a visually distinctive dance company. Our goal is to have our audiences immediately recognize the work of HALO Movement Collective wether in be the performance venue, costumes or visuals. Another pillar of our work is to expose young talent to the possibilities HALO Can offer as far as professional opportunities at a young age.

Arizona is a breeding ground for nationally recognized dance talent and for a lack of opportunities they relocate to other states. We are looking to help shift this to retain our talent by offering the only nondance studio affiliated pre-professional training program, The HALO Institute. This program targets dancers who are looking for fast track training and experiences in the professional dance world.

When you look back, what are you most proud of?
My proudest moment definitely in 2017 when my former students became my colleagues in the professional dance world here in AZ. I felt a sense of accomplishment and pride that now I get to share the stage with the young minds I had the privilege in shaping in their youth and in 2018 when the HALO Institute performed their rendition of Underland White Nightmare which was the very first show HALO Movement Collective created and performed in 2012. It definitely felt like a passing of the torch and it solidified for me that we were definitely impacting the next generation of dance artists in Arizona. 

Contact Info:

• Website: WWW.HALOMOVEMENTCOLLECTIVE.COM
• Email: angel@halomovementcollective.com
• Instagram: @halomovementcollective @macangel
• Facebook: /HaloMovementCollective
• Other: photography and styling business www.juneandco.net

Image Credit:
Photography by
Angel Castro
Rachel Hawkinson
Courtesy of HALO Movement Collective

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