Lake Studios Berlin

Artistic Direction and Production Management since 2013

Marcela Giesche (1983 – Mainz, Germany): Marcela graduated in 2006 with a BFA in Dance from Ohio State University and Codarts, Rotterdam. She has since been a freelance dancer and choreographer working with diverse dance companies and directors across Europe such as Neuer Tanz (VA Wölfl), Thomas Ostermeier, and Deja Donne, amongst others. Some of her own work includes “Sacre” (premiered at HAU, Berlin), “left I – right I” (w. Sonya Levin), “Selfportrait 24”, and “exFolia” (w. Andy Moor/Yannis Kyriakides). She continues her research of movement and choreographic forms through her creation, performance, and teaching practices in Berlin and internationally. She has participated in Danceweb Impulstanz 2009 and has been awarded the Caroline Plummer Fellowship in community dance at the University of Otago. She also founded and is the artistic director of the dance research and residency venue LAKE Studios Berlin, where she has received funding to facilitate numerous festivals, forums, events, and residencies as well as collaborated with Marlon Barrios Solano and Mark Coniglio to create a dance-technology residency program. 

www.marcelagiesche.com

Design & Image

Mark’s work moves between graphic, interior and product design. Simplicity and reduced function define his projects, underlined by craftsmanship, methodology and a pure aesthetic. His carpentry ‘Gesellenstück’ with folded paper structures, was honored with ‘Die Gute Form’ at the federal level in 2015. In 2018 he graduated from the Akademie für Gestaltung Münster where two works were nominated for DesignTalente NRW.  Mark is a 2020 German Design Award Nominee. At LAKE, Mark designs and builds functional and aesthetic working, living and performance spaces, and creates images, concepts and interiors, as well as stage sets and props.   

www.markgrunow.info

Content & Editorial Strategy, Associate Director LAKE & SUBMERGE Festival 2025

Jessy is a dancer, writer and performer with over twenty years’ experience performing in Europe and the Americas. She is the host of Landscaping, a recurring broadcast of contemplative fiction, on Cashmere Radio Berlin. She also performs regularly – and forces people to dance, awkwardly –  in her solo series, ‘Standing Up’. In 2020, Jessy was awarded a 2 month long LAKE Reconnect Residency where she developed a solo work for stage and radio. In 2022 she returned as an ON DISPLAY Resident, documenting her solo, ‘Longitudinal’. Since 2021, Jessy is part of LAKE’s managing team overseeing content and editorial, and providing production support. In 2025, Jessy will join the artistic direction team of LAKE Studios as well as the yearly SUBMERGE Festival.

www.jessytuddenham.com

Production Manager, Stage Manager, Photography

Maria studied Greek Philology at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Modern Greek Literature & Culture (MFA) at Freie Universität Berlin. She has been active in movement research and theater workshops (with Familie Flöz, Rimini Protokoll, Grotowski Institute, Michael Sionas, Simos Kakalas, Dimitris Katalefos among others) and she has completed the Intensive Programme of the Unfold Method with Valentina Bordenave. In the field of production, she has worked with Sasha Amaya (Dock11 & Ufer Studios), Naïma Mazic, Teoma Naccarato & John MacCallum. Since 2020, she is a member of LAKE Studios Berlin, providing Artistic & Production support.

Administration & Finance

Olga is a dancer/performer and production manager/financial supervisor. She studied Classical Philology in Barcelona and worked as a high school teacher before turning to dance full-time. As a dancer, she has performed on stage with Grupo Oito, with the solo “Federlicht” by Caroline Alves and with “fragil” by Clébio Oliveira/Theater o.N., among others. Since moving to Berlin in 2011, she has worked at various dance and theater festivals and since 2015 as an ensemble member and in the production department at Theater o. N. Since 2014 she has completed extensive further training in cultural management and financial processing and has supervised projects by artists such as Grupo Oito, Katharina Kummer, Claudia Hill, Jared Gradinger, inback company, and others. She has been working with LAKE Studios in this area since 2019.  

Dance-tech Partner & Artist in Residence

Marlon Barrios Solano is an international interdisciplinary artist and researcher working at the intersection of software engineering, generative AI, creative coding, dance improvisation, and mindfulness. His work is expressed through creative web apps, interactive and participatory installations, multimedia performances, education, and digital therapeutics.Marlon’s consulting, software development, and teaching extend from concept to deployment of AI-powered apps and guide individuals and organizations in applying AI across a range of domains.His work with Sati-AI, an AI-driven Buddhist meditation coach, reflects his ability to apply AI/deep learning to the field of mindfulness, demonstrating the potential of Generative AI technology for the transmission of embodied knowledge.While his focus is broad, spanning from digital therapeutics to synthetic cognition and creativity, Marlon maintains a grounded, pragmatic approach to his work, guiding clients and students through the complexities of combining traditional practices with cutting-edge AI technology. Marlon is a researcher in residence at Lake Studios Berlin and a Generative AI Researcher for Wisdom Labs in San Francisco, USA.

https://marlonbarrios.github.io/

Production Support, Tech & Maintenance, Camera

Kanella is a photographer and audiovisual artist born in 1995 in Tripoli (GR), and based in
Berlin (DE). She holds a BA in Photography and Audiovisual Arts from the University of
West Attica. Working across photography, video, performance and graphic design, Kanella
has collaborated with artists such as Krista Papista, Kimi Recor, Raisa Desypri, Vasilia Sofro
and Maddi Fuente Ubani as well as clients such as KNOG and Inner Sound Studio. As a
member of ASTRO, a creative and research collective, she contributes as an artist engaging
in research on how ‘belonging’ unfolds multiple spaces, resisting static narratives of identity
and home. Since 2025, she is a member of LAKE Studios Berlin, providing production
support, videography, tech & maintenance.

http://www.kanellapetropoulou.com

Support & Maintenance

Naïma Mazic (Artistic Director LAKE & SUBMERGE Festival 2024), Laoura Tsiati (Production Assistance 2024), Madeline Roberston (Production Assistance 2023 – 2024), Dakota Comín (Production Assistance 2022 – 2023), Emese Csornai, Dani Miranda & Eliot Blue (Light Design 2020 – 2023), Margit Kasper (Production Assistance 2021 – 2023), Elisabeth Leopold & Amelie Mallman (Dramaturgy), Jessica Gaynor (Light & Tech 2018 – 2022), Angela Fegers (Produktion & Social Media 2017) , Barbara Conde (Production and Social Media 2020), Paul Schulz (Carpentry 2013 – 2017).