Studio Karakashyan
Joined EI in 2022
Studio Karakashyan is a multi-disciplinary production company specializing in dance, film, and artist development, imprinting culture through the power of movement. Featuring a collective of artists and innovators working across disciplines internationally, the studio focuses on creative direction and production with an emphasis on movement and concept-driven storytelling. Founded in 2018 by director and choreographer Kosta Karakashyan and producer Todor Barganov, we specialize in multidisciplinary production and visual storytelling from concept to execution across live performance, film, digital, social, and immersive spaces. We are directors, producers, choreographers, filmmakers, composers, visual artists, photographers, and beyond, crossing disciplines and coming together to provoke inspiration, challenge the status quo and shape a better future. In addition to creating original and branded work, we empower and educate the next generation of artists to take charge of their careers. By leading artist development workshops, we aim to make a meaningful contribution to their creative practice and create a lasting impact in the cultures and communities we serve. Studio Karakashyan continues to produce and perform the multidisciplinary collaborative work of founder Kosta Karakashyan in public, virtual, and live performance spaces. Karakashyan's work across dance, film, and education investigates how to nurture empathy and tenderness in society. His work has been described as "an important voice for LGBTQ+ struggles in Chechnya and elsewhere". A two-time Bulgarian National Ballroom Champion, Karakashyan has performed and choreographed on Dancing with the Stars Vietnam and across Bulgaria, New York, Canada, Germany, Norway, Egypt, Vietnam, and Japan. His work has been featured by The Guardian, Elle Magazine, them, GLAAD, and Radio Free Europe. Our commissions include works for nontraditional sites, public spaces, theater, dance, film, fashion, and brands. Partners include HRC Culinary Academy (immersive culinary experience), Single Step Foundation (documentary dance film about the LGBTQ+ persecution in Chechnya), the National Culture Fund of Bulgaria, music artists Preyah, TINO, Acrillics, Mik Loi, Matt DeLuca, dance works for Columbia Ballet Collaborative (NYC), Ballet Arabesque (Bulgaria) and the Laboratory for Clean Air, and fashion films for Calvin Klein, H&M, Elle Magazine, Studio Zard, SRB Paris and Florsheim.