Jana Castillo
Performer
Jana grew up in Wodonga, and completed her schooling at the Victoria College of Arts Secondary School. She then went on to study at the New Zealand School of Dance, graduating in 2009.
Jana has worked with leading artists across dance, theatre, opera and film. Since 2010 she has toured Nationally and internationally with Australian Dance Theatre, Legs on the Wall, Shaun Parker and Company, Force Majeure, Dance Integrated Australia, Opera Australia, Nimby Opera, Projections Dance Company, Prue Lang, Craig Bary and Meryl Tankard. Performing in prestigious dance venues including London’s Sadler's Wells Theatre and New York’s The Joyce Theatre, Jana has also been featured in a number of music videos.
Jana’s Aotearoa-based projects include working with Okareka Dance Company, Footnote NZ Dance Company’s ChoreoCo, The Conch, Kowhiti Festival, the World of Wearable Arts and Borderline Arts Ensemble. In 2018 Jana was awarded the Australian Dance Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Dancer for her role in construct by Tanja Liedtke Jana’s film credits include: motion capture stunt woman for Weta Workshop for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and The Hobbit: The Battle of the five Armies. Short dance work Delicate directed by Phillipe Witana and dance film Silvaticus,
directed by Sinead Mcdevitt.
In November 2019, SBS documentary Perspective Shift: Jana premiered on national Australian TV – telling the story of Jana’s career so far as one of Australia’s top female contemporary dancers. The 30-minute documentary shares the journey from her childhood in a small regional town, the dance scholarships that moved her further afield – through to her creative influences and key achievements.
Most recently in 2022, Jana was involved with the development of Sydney Festivals Grey Rhino with Cass Mortimer Eipper and Charmene Yap. In February Jana premiered a new solo show Castillo at Melbourne's Dance house in collaboration with Prue Lang. Jana is excited to join DMC for their Australian tour of The Rivoli in March 2022.