Bonnie Castagna has mastered many skills over the course of her long career. The owner of the Brandywine Center for Dance in Wilmington has spent the last four decades studying, teaching, choreographing, and performing around the world, fulfilling her dreams while also giving back to the community.
She has limited hearing in one ear, but, she says, “I think my deafness made me pay particular attention to sound.”
Over the years, the Philadelphia-born dancer has shared her self-taught strategies at various camps for people who are deaf. “The basic principles include tying together natural rhythms, like beating on the floor where you feel the rhythmic vibe, and breathing and feeling the windy rhythm of the air,” Castagna explains.
Castagna’s artistic foundation began early. She grew up in a musical household, and her father, a music minister, composed songs for her and insisted she play an instrument. It wasn’t until college that an MRI—not available earlier in her life—revealed the extent of her congenital ear condition.
The test showed there was no nerve on her left side to allow for hearing; surgery and hearing aids weren’t an option. “[Doctors] told me to learn sign language,” Castagna recalls. Now she calls it a “gift in disguise.”
Another college milestone for Castagna was meeting her husband, David Castagna, a United States Marine Corps veteran who had returned to school. They became study partners at Stockton University in New Jersey, where David led the psychology club and student council, and Bonnie managed the dance company. “He taught at a school for deaf and autistic children, so he taught me some sign language,” she says. “That gave us a lot in common.”
After they married, the couple moved to Hawaii, where Bonnie worked as a schoolteacher and taught ballet every night, seven days a week. Soon, with two small children at home and David pursuing his master’s, the grueling schedule wore them down. Eventually, the family returned to David’s hometown in Delaware.
Back in north Wilmington, David sensed Bonnie’s need to return to her roots. He opened a dance school for her, despite her reservations. “I said, ‘That’s a terrible liability. I’m not from Delaware. Nobody knows me!’ But he believed in me,” she recalls.
More than three decades later, Castagna is still teaching pliés and pirouettes to students ages 3 to 18. Her philosophy was shaped by her own experiences in the ballet world, which often celebrated thinness at the expense of dancers’ health.
“I did not agree with that,” she says. Watching her peers being scrutinized inspired Castagna to change how she taught. Moving into more forms of dance, like contemporary and jazz, offered flexibility for different body types.
“Every time I critique a child, I [also] try to find something positive I can say, so they don’t [feel the way] I did many times,” she says. By keeping class sizes small, her studio ensures that students receive individualized attention. Her goal is to build strong dancers, not only in their abilities on the floor or stage but also in their sense of self-worth and resilience.
Beyond the Brandywine Center, the Castagnas’ commitment to giving back to the community shines through with their annual Christmas drive for veterans. Inspired by David’s military service and his experiences as a Marine with three Purple Hearts, the couple organizes a massive effort to provide clothing, gifts, and other essentials to veterans at the Coatesville VA Medical Center. “It’s a huge operation, with help from the Knights of Columbus, Eagles Club, and other organizations,” she says. “We lay everything out so the vets can choose what they need.”
After almost a lifetime onstage, Castagna still has an excited gleam in her eyes. Her students and the community fulfill her, she says. “I was very lucky to have some great teachers and people help me along the way. …I just hope to set an example.”
Calling Youth Dancers
Located in Wilmington’s Talleyville Town Shoppes, Brandywine Center for Dance is seeking dancers ages 7 to 10 who are interested in classical ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, and more. For information, text 593-3277 or visit brandywinecenterfordance.com.
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