INSERT COIN / PLAYER ONE is an electrifying immersive performance exploring the blurred boundaries between real and virtual worlds. Set inside a surreal arcade, the audience becomes active players in a livevideo game, navigating themes of identity, desire, and control. Fusing explosive choreography with intimate conversations with 4 NPC characters, the work invites viewers into a hyper-stylized world where the performers provoke, seduce, and trick them in a battle for attention. A cult hit with young audiences, the piece pulses with the urgency of now, where digital influencers reign, intimacy is commodified, and contemporary dance becomes an individual experience. The performance is a thrilling reminder that the digital worlds we escape to are also mirrors that fragment and sometimes reveal the identities we construct for ourselves and those around us. 

The performance is an interactive immersive experience and is standing-room only, with a limited number of seats available if needed. The performance includes strobing and flashing lights and is interactive with conversations between the performers and the audience.

Supported by: The National Culture Fund of Bulgaria, One Dance Festival, The Ministry of Culture of Bulgaria & Collab 4 HY Sustain CCI, an innovation incubation project supported by the European Union.

Kosta Karakashyan is a director, producer, choreographer, and writer exploring empathy and emotion through motion. His work across film, dance, and immersive performance through film production company Studio Karakashyan and dance company Karakashyan & Artists tackles bold, socially engaged topics such as LGBTQ+ rights, mental health, and the climate crisis. His multidisciplinary projects have been presented in over 10 countries and featured by NOWNESS, The New Yorker, The Guardian, and ELLE. Described by The Columbia Spectator as “an important voice for LGBTQ+ struggles in Chechnya and elsewhere,” Karakashyan blends visceral choreography with cinematic storytelling and audience-driven interaction. He is a Berlinale Talents alumnus, a Forbes Europe 30 Under 30 honoree, and a member of the European Film Academy. He holds a BA in Dance from Columbia University and a European Master’s Degree in Human Rights & Democratization from the Global Campus of Human Rights, which strongly informs his artistic practice and social sensitivity. Karakashyan & Artists’ latest work, INSERT COIN / PLAYER ONE, was selected for the Moving Balkans 2026 Showcase and recommended by Aerowaves. Positioned at the intersection of contemporary dance and theatre, cinema, and immersive performance, his work contributes to a new generation of socially engaged European performance.