Dimitris Papaioannou

Born in Athens in 1964, Dimitris Papaioannou gained early recognition as a painter and comic artist before his focus shifted to the performing arts as a director, choreographer, performer, and designer of sets, costumes, make-up and lighting. He was a student of the Greek painter Yannis Tsarouchis before studying at the Athens School of Fine Arts.

Papaioannou formed Edafos Dance Theatre in 1986 as an initial vehicle for his original stage productions, hybrids of physical theatre, experimental dance and performance art. Originating in the underground scene, the company challenged perceptions and gained an expanding number of dedicated followers. “MEDEA” (1993) marked the company’s transition to big theatres and is considered its iconic work. The Edafos company spanned 17 years to 2002 and set its indelible stamp on the arts scene in Greece.

Papaioannou became widely known in 2004, as the creator of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics. From his 2006 production “2”, his avant-garde works in major theatres in Athens enjoyed record-breaking long runs, with over 100.000 tickets sold. In 2009, he began using this platform to create theatrical experiments on a large scale: “NOWHERE” (2009) for the inauguration of the renovated National Theatre of Greece and “INSIDE” (2011) for the Pallas Theatre. In 2012, stripping down his work to bare essentials, he created “PRIMAL MATTER” for the Athens Epidaurus Festival, with him back on stage after a ten-year absence. On the same quest for simplicity, he created “STILL LIFE” (2014), the first work that toured extensively in Europe, South America, Asia and Australia. In 2015, he created the Opening Ceremony for the Baku 2015 European Games.

Papaioannou’s 25 productions range from mass spectacles with thousands of performers to intimate pieces. They have appeared in a wide variety of venues, from his famous underground squat theatre in Athens to the ancient theatre in Epidaurus and from Olympic stadiums to Théâtre de la Ville in Paris, the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, BAM in New York, and all around the globe. In 2017, he created “THE GREAT TAMER”, his first international co-commissioned work with ten co-producers, including the Festival d’Avignon. “THE GREAT TAMER” toured for two and half years through four continents, 23 countries and 38 cities. It was presented a total of 112 times before over 90,000 spectators. The work received the special award Europe Theatre Prize in Rome in 2017, and Papaioannou was nominated in 2019 for the Olivier Award for “Outstanding Achievement in Dance.”

In 2018, Papaioannou became the first artist to create a new, full-length work for Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch: “SINCE SHE” premiered in May 2018 in Wuppertal (Germany) and was presented in Amsterdam, London, Athens, Paris and Catanzaro.

His second international co-production, “TRANSVERSE ORIENTATION”, premiered in June 2021 and was showcased in over 30 cities worldwide. This production earned a nomination for “Best New Dance Production” at the Olivier Awards in 2022 in London. His latest work “INK” marks Papaioannou’s return to the stage as a performer. “INK” is set to tour the world through 2024.