Jess Castiglione, a freshman biology major originally from East Brunswick, NJ, has been a dancer since she was three-years-old and has attended the Rockettes Summer Intensive Dance Program for the past five summers. Jess is following her dreams both on stage and in the classroom.
In addition to training as a dancer and aspiring to become a Rockette, Jess is also a double bassist in the Stevens Orchestra, and also teaches tap dance classes and sings. While she loves the stage, Jess also enjoys watching live productions, especially on and off Broadway shows , like “West Side Story,” “The Lion King,” and “Beauty and the Beast.”
Jess grew up being constantly surrounded by music and dance, despite the fact that neither one of her parents has a background in dance. The dance story begins with Danny, Jess’ oldest brother, who is three years older than her. Danny ended up loving ballet, and thus became the first dancer in the Castiglione clan. As the youngest of three, Jess looked up to her brother and wanted to be just like him, so her mom put her in ballet and tap dancing classes, as well.
Through her newfound love of ballet and tap, Jess turned her focus to training to be a Rockette. At age nine, Jess fondly remembers watching the Rockette show and smiling and then suddenly began to cry due to the sheer beauty of it all. In that moment, she knew that one day she wanted to be on that same stage making a little girl feel the same way she had in that moment.
Like a science, dance is technical. There is choreography that every dancer must follow in a routine. The same is true in any science, like biology, especially in experiments, where every step is critical. At the same time, dancing and science are creative pursuits that require imagination and risk-taking. Looking to explain new phenomena or creating a new dance all requires an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and determination.
Jess, both a biology major and devoted dancer, melds her interests in the two by being both technical and creative simultaneously. Jess has always had an interest in biology and has come to realize that it is similar to dance because both require the memorization of various steps so that everything can come together to form a complete picture.
What Jess likes most about dancing is “that you can express yourself. The adrenaline, the music, everything! It’s gotten to the point where I hear a song on the radio, and I am choreographing to it in my head.” Thus, music is a place to temporarily escape and find solace.
In the grand scheme of things, life is in many ways like a performance. It is how people can perceive and understand you. Jess explains that when performing, her nerves are crazy and that she does not like to mess up when she dances. Yes, that is the perfectionist side of her coming through, but a lesson she has learned through her dance career, which can also be translated to everyday life, is the importance of living in the moment.
“Leave your heart on the stage,” Jess explains. “When I step on stage, the lights are shining, I’m doing what I love, and the audience is supporting me. It’s a great feeling. I feel at home.”
Through her many years of ballet and tap training, Jess has learned a lot about life and balancing everything. Time management, passion, and learning that there is always room for improvement have all been valuable lessons for her.
Lastly, some parting advice from Jess is that, “It is possible!” When it comes to dreams, do not limit yourself. Time management is of utmost importance. Jess suggests to make a schedule. For aspiring dancers in particular, she suggests that especially when you are feeling stressed, that is a great time to go dance. And of course, never give up!
If you are a star, please contact me at mhildebr@stevens.edu. Per aspera ad astra!
