Kosta Karakashyan

Kosta Karakashyan is a Bulgarian director, choreographer, writer, and performer investigating how to nurture empathy and tenderness through dance, film, and education. A two-time Bulgarian National Ballroom Champion, Kosta has performed and choreographed on Dancing With the Stars Vietnam and across Bulgaria, New York, Canada, Germany, Norway, Vietnam, and Japan. Under his creative studio Studio Karakashyan, recent works include directing music videos for artists Acrillics, Bettan, and Matt DeLuca and the documentary dance film Waiting for Color about the ongoing LGBTQ+ persecution in Chechnya. He graduated from Columbia University with a BA in Dance, where he served as the inaugural Student Artist-in-Residence at the Barnard Movement Lab, choreographed for the Columbia Ballet Collaborative, and performed works by Merce Cunningham, Sasha Waltz, Shannon Gillen, and Chase Brock. His work has been featured by Conde Nast's LGBT Magazine them, GLAAD, and Radio Free Europe. He has also written essays and criticism for Dance Magazine, DanceTabs, Fjord Review, Single Step Foundation, Independent Fashion Bloggers, and FashionBeans.