20 years DAGIPOLI DANCE Co

Alternative Stage Founding Donor

Major Sponsor of the Greek National Opera

DAGIPOLI DAGIPOLI DANCE Co, a unique artistic company in Greece made up of individuals with physical impairments, celebrates twenty years of continuous creativity and contribution to the realm of contemporary dance. Inspired by this important anniversary, the company presents an exceptional performance, conceived and directed by the choreographer, dancer, and founder of DAGIPOLI DANCE Co, Jiorgos Christakis, at the GNO Alternative Stage in the SNFCC on 20 and 21 September 2025, with free admission. The company’s anniversary performance captures not only its artistic trajectory but also its deeper philosophy: art knows no limitations, and diversity is a source of power and inspiration.

Since its establishment in Athens in 2004, DAGIPOLI DANCE Co, centered on a philosophy of integration and inclusion, has been exploring the “co-habitation” of bodies with different motion characteristics, subverting the boundaries between disability and normalcy. Its stage language is based on the co-existence and equitable creative interaction achieved through constantly alternating morphological shapes, eliminating stereotypes and roles.

The choreographer, dancer in a wheelchair, and founder of DAGIPOLI DANCE Co, Jiorgos Christakis, showcases the harmonious collaboration between bodies with different motor functions through his work. His choreographies illuminate the beauty of human diversity and the power of inclusion, celebrating differences as an instrumental and inextricable element of the stage performance.
“Throughout all these years, our goal has been to explore ways and spaces for ‘cohabitation’ and coexistence of bodies with diverse functional traits and motor abilities. The perspective of the ‘physical landscape,’ viewed through a grid of encounters between bodies with different motor vocabularies and the construction of simple or even complex morphological shapes that constantly alternate between the bodies, gives us the feeling that physical impairments simply exist because they cannot disappear, and because both dancers and audiences cannot deny their existence. They are discreetly present throughout the entire work, yet they often disappear and reappear, subverting the dancers’ roles and human-metric perception. The group’s work, as a whole, is discreetly indistinguishable. It constantly challenges the concept of normalcy in terms of physical ability through disability, and the notion of disability through normalcy and physical ability. At some point, the time comes to redefine not only what art, dance, and theatre mean to you, but also your own life, your own self, thoughts, feelings, and your relationship with your body. ‘We ought not to let the monster devour us; we ought to find ways to tame it…’ Aligned with a philosophy of integration, inclusion, and equality in the creative field, which DAGIPOLI Dance Co. has served for all these years, we want to ensure freedom of expression and to combat stereotypes, discrimination, and exclusion,” notes Jiorgos Christakis.

A few words about DAGIPOLI DANCE Co
DAGIPOLI DANCE Co is a contemporary dance company founded by Jiorgos Christakis in 2004. The company is primarily composed of dancers with disabilities, performers, and other artists. It has become well-known both in Greece and internationally for its consistent activities, collaborating with exceptional and acclaimed figures from the fields of dance, music, and theater who have served as fellow-travellers on its bold and long-standing journey. It has managed to gain recognition and respect, establishing itself through equal partnerships and making a strong impact on the contemporary landscape of arts and disability.
Its trajectory includes major stops around the world: from America (The Kennedy Center, Washington) to Russia (Moscow National Theatre), along with emblematic venues in Greece (Odeon of Herodes Atticus, Athens Concert Hall), Europe (Piccolo Teatro in Milan, and other theatres in England, Edinburgh, Holland, Sweden, Germany, Spain, Poland, and Romania), as well as in China.
In numbers, DAGIPOLI DANCE Co has twenty years of presence, hundreds of performances, presentations, and educational seminars in Greece and abroad, as well as numerous partnerships with leading figures from the fields of art and culture.
Music and texts engage in a unique dialogue with movement and the body, developing a new motion vocabulary that is showcased through the creative synergy of bodies with diverse functional traits.