Christos Polymenakos
Chara Kotsali is a dance maker, performer and teacher based in Greece. She graduated from Rallou Manou Professional School of Dance, where she currently works as a teacher of contemporary dance, along with Marmarinou Professional Dance School, while she has been a guest teacher and choreographer in Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance (SEAD). She also holds a bachelor’s degree in Theater Studies and a master’s degree in Social and Cultural Anthropology, as well as being trained in music.
She explores choreography and performance through an expanded approach, attempting to involve methodologies from anthropology, documentary art, music, and other performing languages, while she is particularly concerned with the politics of sound and movement. Her practice includes writing, field recordings, and DIY sound composition. Her work has been presented in venues in Greece and abroad, while she has been selected as one of the twenty24 aerowaves artists.
In March 2023 she presented her first solo choreographic work “to be possessed” in the framework of Onassis Dance Days, and is currently touring in festivals and venues across Europe.The piece was selected as part of the Aerowaves twenty24 works as well as [8:tension] – Young Choreographer’s Series at Impulstanz Festival in 2023, receiving honorary mention from the Young Choreographers 8:tension jury. She is the supported choreographer of Οnasis Stegi for 2023-2024 as part of the Grand Luxe Network, developing her new research. On July 2024 her new work ‘borborygmi’ will premiere at the Athens Epidaurus Festival.
She has worked as movement director in theater performances by renowned greek directors,receiving in 2023 the Greek Critics Association award for best theatre choreography ( The rise of Arturo Oui, directed by Aris Biniaris). Some of the directors she has collaborated with are Giorgos Koutlis, Aris Biniaris, Io Voulgaraki, Argyris Xafis, Thanos Papakonstantinou, Akyllas Karazisis, Ektoras Lygizos, Anestis Azas, Sylvia Liouliou, et al.
As a performer, she has collaborated among others with Christos Papadopoulos, Euripides Laskaridis, Patricia Apergi, Iris Karayan, Sofia Mavragani, Tzeni Argyriou, Argyro Chioti, Simos Kakalas, Sofia Paschou, Dimitra Trypani, Ioanna Angelopoulou, Ermira Goro, Aliki Kazouri, Thomas Moschopoulos, Aliki Kazouri, Apostolia Papadamaki, Michalis Konstantatos, Medie Mega, Artemis Lampiri, Margarita Trikka, Vahid Evazzadeh, Angela Brouskou, performing both in Greece and abroad. She was cast in the film “Suntan” by Argyris Papadimitropoulos.
From 2016 to 2022 she was the coordinator of movement workshops that took place in the Female Prison of Eleonas, Thiva, in the framework of the Greek National Opera’s Educational Programs.
She is an editor in yusra magazine.
