Presidential Scholar Gretchen Castelloe ('23) is no stranger to hard work. This month she performs in the Wake Forest Fall Dance Concert as well as in Asheville at the Black Mountain College conference. But inhabiting multiple spaces simultaneously is nothing new for Gretchen, who has danced in multiple forms from a young age.
Tell us a little about your background
I grew up in a rural town east of Charlotte, NC. Despite our town being rural, there was a really great dance studio nearby where I danced from the time I was 3 years old until I graduated high school. I studied ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, modern, acting, and singing at this dance studio and performed at dance competitions and in local performances. My friends and teachers at my dance studio became a second family and I am grateful for the dance training and life skills I gained from my time there.
Being a Presidential Scholar has allowed me to feel more at home in Wake Forest’s Dance program.
As a fairly timid freshman, the honor of being awarded the presidential scholarship boosted my confidence in my dance classes and gave me more confidence when auditioning for my first Fall Dance Concert. As an involved member of the Dance program, I have become close with several members of the Dance faculty and have become a leader among my fellow dancers. The Presidential Scholarship also impacted my decision to minor in Dance. I have met many of my closest friends at wake through the Dance program, and my involvement in dance has opened doors to other arts departments at Wake.
During my sophomore year, my dance experience was unfortunately limited by performance restrictions for covid, but because of my involvement in dance and affinity with Wake’s Theatre program I was able to live at the Theatre house, an off-campus house with 12 other students. I made several very close friends at the Theatre House and honestly believed that living with such a fun and compassionate group of individuals made the “covid year” much more bearable.
In a word, the rehearsal process for Fall Dance has been joyful.
It was such an amazing feeling to know that we would be able to perform again after three semesters of no dance performances. I was more excited for Dance Company auditions this year than any audition I’ve ever attended. During the auditions, it was so much fun to see old friends and new talent the Dance Department had gained over the past two years, and experience the contagious support and encouragement dancers were giving to one another. This year, I am dancing in three modern pieces, and the rehearsal process for each has been unique.
Christina Soriano’s piece is a restaging of a solo she choreographed almost 10 years ago, so it was a challenge to learn movement from a recording and then turn the solo choreography into a duet. Monet Beatty’s choreography has such a beautiful flowing energy and it always feels cathartic to perform her piece. Bekah Downing’s style is powerful, quirky, and animalistic and I have loved exploring her style of movement.
In total, it has just been an amazing experience to be in the studio learning choreography again. I have definitely missed it.
I’m also excited to show our work to an audience at the Black Mountain Conference that would not ordinarily attend the Fall Dance Concert and watch other performers that I wouldn’t normally be able to watch. I’m excited to honor John Cage, whose voice is featured in our dance’s soundtrack, and see how others do the same.
What's next for you?
I definitely plan to enjoy the remainder of my time in Wake Forest’s Dance department by taking as many classes as I can, performing in my next Fall Dance Concert and possibly choreographing a piece of my own in the Spring. I’m not entirely sure what my plans are for after graduation, but I definitely plan on working in the field of environmental science (which is my major). I hope I can continue dancing, or teaching dance in the future. I know it’s possible because of my choreographers, Monet Beatty ('20), a Wake graduate and Presidential Scholar, currently works for a local environmental non-profit and teaches at multiple dance studios. I’m definitely excited to see what the future holds.