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.

Brief biographical notes

Giorgos Karakoulakis
With more than 30 years’ experience in lighting design, he has worked on a wide range of artistic and entertainment events throughout his career. He has collaborated with renowned venues and artists, designing and implementing lighting compositions for concerts, entertainment venues and music and dance performances. His work highlights every moment of the stage action, showcasing his aesthetic and technical precision. His unique vision enables him to create atmospheres that enhance the narrative and give each project its own identity. A significant aspect of his career is his collaboration with DAGIPOLI DANCE Co, where he is responsible for the lighting design in productions with a strong artistic character.

Ira Brami
Born in Athens, she is a visual artist and performer who has been active internationally for many years. She has been involved in dance and music from a young age, studying at ArtEZ University of the Arts in the Netherlands, the Athens Drama School and the Hellenic Open University’s Department of Greek Culture. Her work focuses on physicality and experiential learning, exploring the relationship between the body and space through a combination of visual and performing arts. She has participated in various art projects in Greece and abroad as both a creator and performer.

Antonis Kafetzopoulos
Born in Istanbul, he is a Greek actor, director and screenwriter. He studied acting at the Evgenia Hatzikou Drama School. He made his professional theatre debut alongside Elli Lambeti in Filumena Marturano and became well-known on television for Astrofeggia and To Minore tis Avgis, and in the cinema for Paraggelia!. In 2009, he won the Best Actor Award (Leopard for Best Actor) at the Locarno Film Festival for his role in Plato’s Academy, a significant achievement for Greek cinema. In 2011, he won the Silver Shell for Best Actor at the San Sebastián International Film Festival for his performance in the film Unfair World. A science enthusiast, he presented the show Eureka on Mega Channel with Giorgos Zarkadakis from 2004 to 2005 and has been a member of the FameLab science communication competition jury since 2007. In 2007, he directed Apostolos Doxiadis’ play 17th Night, based on Kurt Gödel’s incompleteness theorems.

Kostas Livadas
Born in Athens on 16 May 1973, he is the son of football player Alekos Livadas. To date, he has participated in 38 albums as a composer and lyricist. He has written the music for over 140 songs, most of which he has also written the lyrics for. He has collaborated with various lyricists, including Manos Eleftheriou, Thodoris Gonis, Kostas Fasoulas, Odysseas Ioannou and Eleana Vrachali. Composers such as Nikos Portokaloglou, Giorgos Andreou, Giorgos Dimitriadis and Odysseas Tsakalos have also set his lyrics to music. He has also set poetry by Napoleon Lapathiotis, Kostas Karyotakis and Myrtiotissa to music. His songs have been performed by Eleni Tsaligopoulou, Andriana Babali, Manolis Lidakis, Yannis Kotsiras, Vasilis Skoulas, Eleonora Zouganeli, Giota Negka, Kostas Makedonas, Christos Thivaios, Miltos Pashalidis, Melina Aslanidou, Marianna Polychronidi, Sofia Strati and Vasilis Papakonstantinou. Since 2006, he has collaborated with the inclusive dance group DAGIPOLI DANCE Co, for which he has composed music for most of its productions.

Andriana Babali
Singer and songwriter. She has released six solo albums and collaborated on many others, while she has also performed live and recorded with renowned artists such as Mimis Plessas, Giorgos Dalaras, Haris Alexiou, and others, as well as international artists such as Calexico. Her successful songs include “Moira mou egines”, “Gine kommatia”, “Eisai esy o anthropos mou”, “Des Kathara”, “Den Ein’ Arga”, etc. She studied singing, percussion, and guitar at the National Conservatory of Athens and the Philippos Nakas Conservatory. She completed her classical guitar degree under the tutelage of Giorgos Mouloudakis. She began her career singing and playing percussion in Nikos Portokaloglou’s band. This was followed by a contract with Universal Music and her first hit “Den Ein’ Arga”. She has appeared in theatre productions such as Greece Eleven by Giorgos Nanouris, the musical theatre production As Erchosoun gia Ligo with Yiannis Bezos and Tania Trypi, Noura, a Mournful Blues Song with Marianna Toumasatou, How to Keep Quiet with Kostas Kazakos. She has also acted in the award-winning film Apnea by Aris Bafaloukas.