Chara kotsali is a dance maker, performer and teacher based in Athens, Greece. She graduated from Rallou Manou Professional School of Dance, where she currently works as a teacher of contemporary dance techniques, along with Marmarinou Professional Dance School. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in Theater Studies and a master’s degree in Social and Cultural Anthropology, as well as being trained in music.

She explores choreography and performance through an expanded approach, attempting to involve methodologies from anthropology, documentary art, music, and other performing languages, while she is particularly concerned with the politics of sound and movement. Her practice includes writing, field recordings, and DIY sound composition. Her work has been presented in venues in Greece and abroad, while she has been selected as one of the twenty24 aerowaves artists.

In March 2023 she presented her first solo choreographic work “to be possessed” in the framework of Onassis Dance Days, and is currently touring in festivals and venues across Europe (Impulstanz Festival, Euro-scene Leipzig, Spring Forward Festival, etc.). The piece was selected as part of the Aerowaves twenty24 works as well as [8:tension] – Young Choreographer’s Series at Impulstanz Festival in 2023, receiving honorary mention from the Young Choreographers 8:tension jury and an artistic residency in Impulstanz Festival 2024. She is the supported choreographer of Οnasis Stegi for 2023-2024 as part of the Grand Luxe Network, developing her new research.

Kotsali has co-choreographed the work manoeuvre _ that premiered at the Onassis New Choreographers Festival 7 and the promenade performance “You will find me if you want me in the gardens” under the auspices of Moving Ground Project, while in 2021 she realized the research project “The right to unpeacefully assemble” with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Sports and the performance research project KISΚΑ (expanded choreography research around issues of care, carelessness and labor). She occasionally writes for yusra magazine.

She has worked as movement director in theater performances directed by George Koutlis, Io Voulgaraki, Argyris Xafis, Aris Biniaris, Thanos Papakonstantinou, Thomas Moschopoulos, Ektoras Lygizos, Akilas Karazisis, Anestis Azas, Sylvia Liouliou, Haris Fragoulis, Dimitris Xanthopoulos, among others at several festivals and venues (Αncient theatre of Epidaurus, National Theatre of Greece, National Greek Opera,et al.). In 2023 she received the Greek Critics Association award for best theatre choreography ( The rise of Arturo Oui, directed by Aris Biniaris).

As a performer, she has collaborated among others with Christos Papadopoulos, Euripides Laskaridis, Patricia Apergi, Iris Karayan, Sofia Mavragani, Tzeni Argyriou, Argyro Chioti, Simos Kakalas, Sofia Paschou, Dimitra Trypani, Ioanna Angelopoulou, Ermira Goro, Aliki Kazouri, Thomas Moschopoulos, Apostolia ro, Aliki Kazouri, Thomas Moschopoulos, Apostolia Papadamaki, Michalis Konstantatos, Medie Megas, Artemis Lampiri, Margarita Trikka, Vahid Evazzadeh, Angela Brouskou, performing both in Greece and abroad. She performed in the duet “A time to mourn” and the solo “Legacy”,both choreographed by Iris Karagian, that were awarded the 1st prize of the Jarmila Jeřábková Award in Prague. She has also been part of Aerowaves network with selected works by Iris Karayan (Mothers) Christos Papadopoulos (Elvedon), Sofia Mavragani (Speechless), and Patricia Apergi (D.opa). She was cast in the film “Suntan” by Argyris Papadimitropoulos.

She teaches contemporary dance techniques in professional dance schools, while from 2016 to 2022 she was the coordinator of movement workshops that took place in the Female Prison of Eleonas, Thiva, in the framework of the Greek National Opera’s Educational Programs.