The People to Come is a participatory performance installation conceived and directed by Castro in collaboration with Lighting and Installation Designer Kathy Couch, Web Director Sam Lerner, Sound Artist Stephan Moore, and five performers. The work initiates from a solo choreographed by Castro, which is radically altered each night by the performers from material created by the communities surrounding the performance site and the audience attending the performances.

The People to Come website, which was developed in part during a previous MANCC residency, invites audiences to submit images, videos, and/or text as an entry into the performance.  The performance is influenced by audience contributions hosted on the site.  Ultimately, the site also serves as the archival repository for material contributed to the project by audience and community members, musical scores, and dances created in response to the material.

During her second residency for the work, Castro revisited the piece with particular focus on constructing and realizing performance strategies with the performers.  Having already performed the piece at three different venues, this residency provided the group an opportunity to delve into what had been learned from performing the work and deepen their process.  To facilitate this development, Castro opened two rehearsals for local audiences to provide feedback.  Prior to attending one of the open rehearsals the School of Dance’s MANCC Experience class contributed submissions to The People to Come website, allowing them to participate in the making of the work.  The second open rehearsal was attended by FSU scholars from the religion, theatre and dance departments. Both groups engaged in dialogue with Castro and her performers after the rehearsal session to provide feedback.
The NY Premiere of The People to Come will be at The Invisible Dog Art Center in June 2013.

The residency is made possible by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

The People to Come is a new participatory performance installation conceived and directed by Castro in collaboration with Sound Installation Artist Stephan Moore, Lighting and Installation Designer Kathy Couch, and five male dancers. The work initiates from a solo choreographed by Castro, which is radically altered each night by the performers from material created by the communities surrounding the performance site and the audience attending the performances.

During her residency, Castro and her team of collaborators including Web Programmer Sam Lerner designed, tested, and refined the accompanying interactive website. The website hosts a series of questions or “proposals” that request photographs, drawings, videos, and/or text as a response for entry into the performance. Audience members are able to respond before coming to the performance by visiting the website or contributing live during the performance. Ultimately, the site will serve as the archival repository for material contributed to the project by audience and community members, musical scores, and dances created in response to the material.

The Media Fellowship Project is made possible by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Castro explored an idea she called innocent space through developing an audience environment for this dance installation . Inspired by the psychological and biological connections between sleep, gestation and metamorphosis, the piece sought to explore the process of radical transformation with sleep as an enclosed neurological activity that resembles, in state, a cocoon, and adolescence as a period of metamorphosis.  Castro worked with the community in the development of the audience experience for Center of Sleep, attempting a space without predictable boundaries between audience and performer. Castro also facilitated a roundtable with FSU professors who were engaged in research around gestation and puberty to further inform the work.    

During her residency Castro hosted a symposium and showing with FSU Professors Dr. Curtis Altman, Joelle Dietrick, Dr. Jamila Horabin and Terri Lindbloom. 

Center of Sleep premiered February 27 - March 1, 2008 at Dance Theater Workshop.