press

“Even the masters of dance sometimes fight with themselves to accept their bodies as they are. Two visual artists follow this exact relationship – between the dancer and their body” – Radiana Bozhikova, BTV

“How does a perfect body look like? The answers lie in the new exhibition of director and choreographer Kosta Karakashyan and photographer Alex Costadinov” – Viktoria Kostova, 24 Chasa

“Love, perception and the generation gap are some of the main themes in Kosta Karakashyan’s new film, which tells the story of two men whose fears of public backlash hinder their love.” – Alexandra Yosheva, Actualno.bg

“Kosta Karakashyan presents himself to the world with many different roles – producer, director, choreographer, Bulgarian Youth Delegate to the UN. All of them, however, are connected to the thread of activism – for human rights and the rights of the LGBTI+ community” – Veronika Sherbanova, Forbes

After a stint as the youngest professional dancer and choreographer on “Dancing with the Stars Vietnam,” Kosta Karakashyan founded production company Studio Karakashyan in 2018.

“The choreographer and director Kosta Karakashyan is the type of artist for whom the day seems to have more than 24 hours.” – Svetoslav Todorov, Capital.bg

“Before the UN, Kosta Karakashyan and Alexander Yanev will present the challenges that young people people in Bulgaria face and will look for solutions together with their foreign colleagues to improve the living conditions of young people around the world.” – Desislava Toncheva, BTA

“We are invited to the first collaborative concept shoot of Karakashyan & Artists, the new dance company by director and choreographer Kosta Karakashyan.” – Theresa Voskanyan, ELLE Bulgaria

“KITCHEN chooses to present this thorny aspect of a chef or a performer’s life through a multi-sensorial and dynamic approach. It is up to each spectator to participate in it, savor the present and search for their Black & White.” – Marta Buggio, Choreographed Thoughts

“The directors of the film expertly conjure the lull of a dark age, but one left unmined of all its fantasies. They expose an unkempt imagination, as beguiling as the wilderness but as perilous as a free-fall through a dream.” – Sarah Lapinksy & Maxine Flasher-Düzgünes, dance art journal

“As a dancer and choreographer, Kosta Karakashyan has worked with everyone from Calvin Klein and H&M to Rita Ora and Years & Years. But perhaps his proudest moment is his decision to come out in his native Bulgaria on national TV. By doing so, Karakashyan has positioned himself as a queer role model in a country with few of them.” – Evan Lambert, INTO

“How director and choreographer Kosta Karakashyan got the opportunity to work with Rita Ora, how he ended up on Dancing with the Stars Vietnam at just 18 years old and why he chose Bulgaria over the opportunity to work in the States.” – The Nikolaos Tsitiridis Show, bTV

“Key to the film’s success, however, is the smart choreography (from Kosta Karakashyan) of key moments, elevating cliché into something quite artful and giving the throbbing beat of the track something to stick onto.” – Jamie Madge, shots.net

“He begins to dance after a serious warm-up – no music, amidst the sepulchral silence that falls the moment he performs his first move.” – Krisi Dimitrova, URBN.dir.bg

“A story about five women – The Housewife, the Femme Fatale, the Runaway, the Lonely Girl bn the Lake, and The Ghost who comes and provokes them to see something different.” – Euronews

“Bulgarian director, choreographer, dancer and writer Kosta Karakashyan ’19 is using his art to fight for LGBTQ+ equality.” – Jill Shomer, Columbia College Today

“Only extraordinary talent is capable of turning politics into art.” – Mila Iskrenova, Bulevardi.bg

“I am a dreamer, an artist, and someone who believes in social justice. I believe in the power of art and culture to change how we approach life and that a nice encounter with a piece of art can soothe our souls the same way that exercise and medicine can do for our bodies.” – Yasmin Tezdjan, Plentix

“A very familiar feeling of meeting a creative person abroad, that is not shy to present himself, make connections, promote his work and feel great about it.” – Teodora Dzherekarova, Story Tap

“Waiting For Color: Dancing the persecution against the LGBTQ+ world in Chechnya” by Kosta Karakashyan” – Anouche Der Sarkissian

“Empathy and tolerance are at the core of everything I create, says the director and choreographer”, LadyZone, Ivan Cheresharski, BTV

“Through the language of contemporary dance, six individuals explore relationships, place, and belonging through a series of dances in breathtakingly beautiful Bulgaria.” – COOLt, BTV

“The world premiere of Glance from The Edge is on 29 April as part of the Master of Art Documentary Film Festival. The film showcases iconic locations through dance and the search for identity.” – Radio Free Europe, Ivaylo Vezenkov

“A conversation with the choreographer and director about dancing, the road to success, vanity, and more.” – ArtAkcia, Thea Denoljubova

“Multidisciplinary artist Kosta Karakashyan unites film and dance to raise awareness about human rights.” – Garçon Magazine, Dilyan Tsenov

“From a young age I had the desire to gain experience and then bring it back to Bulgaria, so I headed first to New York and then a little closer – to Venice.” – BNR Blagoevgrad, Latinka Pavlova

“Uncommon Wisdom is about sharing those habits or stories that we wouldn’t normally think to share. This is why we asked a bunch of high-performing creatives and entrepreneurs a few questions about awareness, energy, and productivity.” – Awera, Yasmin Tezdjan

“Such is the mission of the young choreographer, dancer, and director Kosta Karakashian – an artist and activist at heart, who has dedicated most of his life to the world of dance.” – WebCafe, Margarita Kapitanska

“They were looking for very strong dancers who could improvise. The tricky thing was that they were not just learning choreography, they had to have a very strong female energy,” revealed Kosta Karakashyan” – COOLt, BTV

“Can there be a dance in the kitchen? In the main roles are chef Alexander Tsekov and choreographer Kosta Karakashyan, who combined their skills in a real spectacle.” – Преди обед, Veneta Georgieva, BTV

“Kosta Karakashyan’s pursuits, interests, and energy seem to be inexhaustible. He impressed us with the dance culinary performance “Kitchen” with director Antonia Georgieva and pastry chef Alexander Tsekov, which presented an extraordinary look at the emotions that thrive in the professional kitchen.” – Vij!, Maya Stefanova

“Choreographer Kosta Karakashyan and director-dramaturg Antonia Georgieva teamed up with the accomplished chef Alexander Tsekov, to offer their sight-specific, performative journey through the real-life kitchen facilities of HRC Culinary Academy in Sofia.” – The Theatre Times, Ina Doublekova

“Kosta Karakashyan looks like a man with limitless energy.” – Capital, Svetoslav Todorov

“An original performance that crosses traditional boundaries and touches the audience through an alternative culinary experience on a non-traditional stage” – ELLE Magazine

“Karakashyan’s presence is ethereal and graceful fills the space with the broad smile of faith in a better future.” – Egoist.bg, Desislava Mihaylova

“This conversation tastes like love and a hundred other things” – ViewSofia

“Director David France and HBO’s film “Welcome to Chechnya” became the first doc ever shortlisted for the Visual Effects Oscar. The identity of the subjects has been protected through activist volunteers, one of which is Bulgarian Kosta Karakashyan.” – 24 Hours

“The HBO film ‘Welcome to Chechnya’ tells the story of the difficult life of LGBTQ+ people in Chechnya. Choreographer Kosta Karakashyan is one of the people who gives his face to protect the anonymity of the subjects.” This Morning, BTV

“Documentary reveals the horror lived by LGBTQ+ people” This Sunday, BTV

“I met Kosta through a dance movie project he set up to address the situation for LGBTI-people living in Chechnya. His movie ‘Waiting For Color’ got featured by many international media. As a Bulgarian citizen, he appeared several times on national television to speak about LGBTI-rights.” – Rémy Bonny

“It’s hard to concentrate on the dance because the words are so chilling, but Karakashyan moves with hard jolts and swift stealth, a body of expression, skill and power; a body standing its ground and not about to give up.” – The Guardian, Lyndsey Winship

“The youngest participant on the Vietnamese edition of Dancing with the Stars, a graduate of Columbia University of New York, director, choreographer – the 25-year-old from Plovdiv is a cosmopolitan man”. – ELLE Magazine, Theresa Voskanyan

“He believes in socially engaged art, and for him, his driving topics are the LGBT community and developing a political culture.” – Bloomberg TV, Vasya Nikolova

“Made up of students from Columbia’s undergraduate colleges and affiliates, this group presents its fall showcase, which includes new works by Zhong-Jing Fang, Silas Farley, Kosta Karakashyan, Stefano Nappi, Emily Schoen, and Eryn Renee Young.” – Gia Kourlas, The New York Times

“Tell us a little about yourself. Imagine you are auditioning to go on Big Brother Bulgaria, how would you describe yourself?” – The New East is Queer, Luke Stamps

“A dancer, choreographer, and for the last few years a director – Kosta Karakashyan is our guest from Italy” – Преди обед, BTV

“Bulgarian-born Kosta Karakashyan was so moved by “horrifying” stories of torture against the LGBT community in Chechnya, that he is using dance to express their suffering in a new film.” – Radio Free Europe, Tatiana Vaksberg

“A short documentary dance film Waiting for Color was released last week. The film seeks to call attention to the persecution and violence against LGBTQ people in Chechnya.” – GLAAD

“His new documentary, “Waiting for Color,” is the culmination of 18 years of dance experience and highlights the ongoing struggle of gay men against the government’s anti-gay purges in the Russian province of Chechnya.” – Lee Alexander, Columbia Spectator

“Karakashyan discovered ballroom dancing at a young age and lived for many years following a barracks pace of training.” – BOYSCOUT, Peter Grudov

“I see myself as an artist working on the edge between different practices, goals and tastes in my home country and New York.” – Fjord Review

“Kosta Karakashyan ’19 is a Bulgarian director, choreographer, writer and performer investigating how to nurture empathy and tenderness through dance, film and education.” – Columbia College Today

“Waiting for Color, a haunting, gorgeously choreographed “documentary dance film” released last month, sees Karakashyan in an empty warehouse in Brooklyn, physically interpreting the spoken testimonials of Chechen survivors through his body” – them, J.P. Brammer

“This shocking short film documentary reveals the spite hurled against LGBTQ community members in Chechnya and the disturbing persecution they face.” – Cinédanse Festival, 2019