We were lucky to catch up with Kalliope Panagiotopoulou recently and have shared our conversation below.
Kalliope, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
Since dance became a part of my life, I have been fortunate to have been part of numerous creative projects, many of which hold such dear memories. From local collaborations to projects that hold a sense of great accomplishment, there is one project that has always been invaluable to me, as it reminds me who I am. It is an endearing and funny story of creating my own dance crew of 21 people at the age of 13 and becoming well-known in my city! From the day I started dancing, everything else also became dance. So one day, I gathered all my friends to create a performance for a district competition. Instead of hanging out, we would practice for our five-minute routine. I recruited my friends who did parkour, gymnastics, and other art forms and taught them to love dance as much as I do. I made a music mix, picked out our costumes, and choreographed the entire dance. Long story short, we won the competition and later got hired to perform another piece at a summer event in the city. More than 12 years later, these friends and I will still laugh about how strict I was, but also reminisce about these unique childhood memories that meant the world to us. Looking back to this memory, I am able to realize the effect my love for movement and artistry had on others, as well as be reminded of the importance of “play” in art. In moments of insecurity or indecision, staying true to my unique and playful ideas will always remove any mental block.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I have always been interested in anything dance- performing, training, or choreographing. At a young age, I found myself interested in teaching others. It has been a long journey of becoming a self-taught instructor, as my first place of employment did not provide me with any teacher training. I remember countless nights staying up past 3:00 am researching childhood development and creating my own dance curriculum while still in college. I have taught all ages, starting at 1.5 months (that’s right, can-barely-walk littles!) and multiple styles of dance, including ballroom, ballet/tap preschool classes, and social dances. My absolute favorite and most consistent style I teach is hip hop dance and specialty street styles.
After 10+ years of teaching experience and coaching individuals and competitive teams, I am stepping into the realm of film choreography and artistic dance visuals. It has always been my goal to bridge the gap between the competitive dance world and the artistry that surrounds dance, to coach dancers into transforming their lifestyle to optimize their dance training while supporting their physical, mental, and emotional state, and to remind people and artists that art is meant to be playful, boundless, and personal to one’s unique experiences and perspectives.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
Artists add immense value to society and it is critical that they receive what they need to keep creating. Whether we refer to descriptive ancient art serving as documentation of humanity, breathtaking medieval cathedrals symbolizing life itself, or modern murals dressing our lively cities, art has always elevated humanity.
In today’s world of social media and Artificial Intelligence, it is becoming difficult for people to recognize and connect with art. This disconnect is causing societies to no longer support artists. It is critical in our time that people rekindle their relationship with art, get in front of it and support the creators! Whether we are talking about dance, fine arts, film, fashion, poetry, comedy… there are endless art forms presented in your city. Attend a local dance event, a gallery night, a local film festival, a poetry or comedy night, shop local fashion, visit a jazz bar, and immense yourself in the art.
Being there with all your excitement and openness allows for the community to grow. Artists create to communicate with others after all.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
This may be an unconventional answer, but what I wish I knew about earlier is the theories of psychologist and philosopher, Carl Jung, on creativity and imagination. I spent a large portion of my life as a creative in such doubt about my abilities. One summer, I fell upon a series of YouTube videos analyzing Jung’s findings and I noticed my perspective starting to shift. I found my liveliness and inspiration for what I do once again and have been able to maintain well since I started studying his literature.
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