Panagiota Kallimani

Panagiota Kallimani | Choreographer & artistic director 

After having studied at Rosella Hightower’s Dance Centre (1995- 1996), Panagiota continued her training at the CNDC in Angers - Centre National de Danse Contemporaine (1996- 1998). 

From 1998 to 2005, she danced with the Compagnie L’Esquisse, in several creations by Joëlle Bouvier and Régis Obadia, among them Opening (R. Obadia); Les chiens (J. Bouvier/R. Obadia); Fureurs, L’oiseau loup and De l’amour (J. Bouvier).

She also participated in the creation of Topo by Expérience Harmaat (2002), Togué by Carlotta  keda (2003), Sorrow love Song by Kubilaï Khan Investigation (2004), Péplum (2006) and Comedy (2008) by Nasser Martin Gousset, Asobu (2006) and Cherry Brandy by Josef Nadj.

Panagiota Kallimani created her first solo Tavla in 1998 at the CNDC d’Angers (touring in France and in Colombia). She became the artistic collaborator to J. Bouvier for the solo Face à Face (touring in France and abroad).

In 2009, she created The Plant Collective with Laurie Young and Filipe Lourenço and the piece Trente presented at the Athens Festival. In 2011 and 2013 she choreographed along with three other members of The Plant Collective, Rafael Pardillo, Emilio Urbina and Filipe Lourenço, the piece Double Take whose first performances were at the Centre National de la Danse – Pantin/Ile-de-France (January 2014). 

Since then, she has devoted herself to writing and creating the choreographic piece Contreplongées (February 2014) in collaboration with the artists Stavros GASPARATOS (music) and Heike SCHUPPELIUS (scenography). She structures her artistic project in partnership with the bureau Les productions de la Seine, which is committed to her in the long term, in delegated production, in order to accompany the development of her artistic projects.

Panagiota Kallimani’s plays are as many testimonies of the Greek economic crisis as they are of the humanitarian crisis experienced in Athens and more widely in Europe. For her creations, she federates mixed teams, European citizens based in France, Greece, Germany, ... Her pieces are nourished by these multiple glances for a freeze frame the time of a creation in dialogue with all generations: from 2 to 77 years old.

In 2016, she choreographs two pieces Mam Mam, A Magic dinner for young audiences and the first Arrêt sur image a performance for all audiences. In 2019, she created Allez viens..., a play for the eight elderly actors of the Greek National Theatre’s troupe, which was performed over a period of two months (in March and April).

The Greek choreographer’s creative work is traversed by the question of time and the transformation of the body, in connection with her long experience as a performer. In Contreplongées, the bodies are half human half animal, inspired by the figure of the Minotaur. In Arrêt sur Image, children work on their corporality while slowly counterpointing the rhythm that could be attributed to them. With Allez viens..., we are confronted with the exhaustion of the body, with elderly actors who dance relentlessly.

Les Productions de la Seine is the executive producer of Panagiota Kallimani. For touring, she is supported by the Onassis Culture Centre - STEGI "Outward Turn" Program.