Some of what’s going on in Joe Castillo’s life right now is a big secret outside his circle of family and close friends.
But on Monday night’s showing of “America’s Got Talent” on NBC, he received national attention with his sand art, wowed the crowd and three judges – Howie Mandel, Sharon Osbourne and Howard Stern – and got their vote to move on to the next stage of competition.
Castillo, now living in Kentucky, once lived in Johnson City and his son, Jose Castillo, still lives here with his wife and two daughters.
On Wednesday, Jose Castillo said he and other members of the family had to sign confidentiality agreements with NBC and cannot reveal anything about the show.
But take a visit to Joe Castillo’s website, www.joecastillo.com, or even his son’s website, www.thinkjose.com, and you can learn more about the elder Castillo’s art and the journey he’s on.
Monday night’s show was filmed in Austin, Texas, in January for Season 7, which premiered May 14. The show airs Mondays at 8 p.m. and Tuesdays at 9 p.m.
Castillo’s audition consisted of an art form he calls “Sandstory.”
According to Castillo’s website, SandStory is “the most compelling new art form to come around in decades.”
The art consists of images Castillo draws in sand with his hands. The sand is on a light table and the images are projected onto a screen for the audience to see, and the performance is choreographed to music.
During his audition, Castillo performed a patriotic act in which he drew faces in the sand, then transformed them into soldiers, the American flag, and eventually the Statue of Liberty. The act was accompanied by Lee Greenwood’s soundtrack of “God Bless the U.S.A.”
Many of Castillo’s performances are based on biblical stories, according to his website. He has performed in more than 18 countries for dignitaries, presidents and kings as well as numerous corporation gatherings.
Castillo now has a spot on the season finale of “America’s Got Talent” in Las Vegas. There is no date for the live show at this time.
The winner receives $1 million and a headline show in Las Vegas.