Patricia Karagozian

The American, Patricia Greenwood Karagozian began her career in the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. With the Civic Light Opera of Pittsburgh, she danced and performed in eighteen musical comedies, including West Side Story, Kiss Me Kate, My Fair Lady, Brigadoon and Applause.

Having obtained a “Certificat d’Aptitude” (French artistic education diploma) in jazz dance in 1994, she worked for the French State Diploma in several private centres and Cefedems and for the Certificat d’Aptitude at the CND and at the CNSMD in Lyon. In 2003, she was awarded a Professional Degree in Functional Analysis of the Body in the Danced Movement. She was a co-author of the pedagogical guide “Enseigner la Danse Jazz” (Teaching Jazz dance), published by the CND in 2007.

She choreographed the jazz part of the “Cygne, etc.”, a solo written for Pedro Pauwels in 2000, West Side Story (2000) and Cats (2004) which were performed at the Théâtre du Châtelet. Focusing on improvisation and on the music-dance relationship, she has improvised in concert in various jazz festivals with Philippe la Carrière, Benoît Sourisse, Olivier Temine, etc.

Since 2006, Patricia Greenwood Karagozian has been the Chair of the CodaJazz Association, whose aim is to promote and support the quality and acknowledgement of jazz dance in France.

In 2011, she created the PGK Company to promote choreographic activity in a medium of jazz expression.

Updated: June 2012