ESTIA’s
Creative Team
Lydia Perakis
Artistic Director
and Co-Founder
www.lydiaperakis.com
Headshot Photo Credit: @michellemalek_
Lydia Perakis (she/her) is a movement artist, choreographer and dance educator originally from Crete, Greece and currently living in New York.
ESTIA started as her personal artistic practice initiated by the belief that our bodies can function as archives, storing memories, histories and traumas and through the unfolding of that deeply stored information, we are able to move efficiently individually and collectively. After taking different shapes and forms, this practice led to the founding of ESTIA Creative Home in the Spring of 2022, alongside Lola Selsky.
As a dance maker, Lydia creates multi-disciplinary works that utilize movement, spoken text, visual art and multimedia. Some of her works have been presented in venues such as the Danspace Project, Gelsey Kirkland Arts Center (19th DUMBO Dance Festival), Green Space, Mignolo Arts Center, Jennifer Muller/The Works Studio, SMUSH gallery, in the Current Showcase, Bridge for Dance, the Queens Outdoor Dance Festival and The Craft NY.
She is currently an artist in residency at the Salvatore LaRussa Dance Theater and past residencies include the MUSE Residency through Danspace's Community Access program (2018).
Additionally, she is an Artistic Associate with Dance Action/Carmen Caceres and has worked with choreographers such as Jeremy Nelson, Christina Robson, Luis Lara Malvacías, Elizabeth Dishman, Arnie Zane (re-staged), the Yonis and Susan Toni.
Her training includes a BFA in Dance from NYU-Tisch School of the Arts and a Minor in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies (2019).
Lola Selsky
Production Director
and Co-Founder
Headshot Photo Credit:
Ayanna Nathifa - @Art_Sick_Labs
Lola (she/her) is a dance theater maker and lover of performing arts. She began her performance career in Orlando, Florida, after training at USF under Michael Foley, Andee Scott, John Parks, & James Kinney.
Upon moving to Orlando, Lola performed at Universal Studios, DRIP, Red Right Return, a few gigs in Puppetry with Heather Henson’s IBEX, a couple music videos for Xcelencia & The Buddy Blues Band, countless teaching classes, camps & workshops, until finding her home at VarieTEASE under Blue Star’s mentorship (where she also ventured into Dance Theatre, Clowning, Character work, and Burlesque).
Since moving to NYC, she teaches privates & small workshops, performs in various venues, has choreographed for some short films, & most recently the Off-Broadway Immersive Production of TAMMANY HALL.
In addition to choreography and performance, Lola was the Associate Producer at The SoHo Playhouse for 5 years and she is currently the Head Treasurer at the Westside Theatre for The Little Shop of Horrors. Lola’s background on the stage and her current work in production has allowed her a unique perspective into producing events specifically for artists.
Lola’s passion lies not only on the stage, but in creating opportunities for artists. She believes in giving space to creators and cultivating relationships with movers & makers. She is ecstatic to work with Lydia on ESTIA & help cultivate a feeling of “Home” with other artists.
Sofia Baeta
Sofia Baeta was born in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and moved to the US to pursue her dance education at age 17 to attend the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. After graduation with a BFA in Contemporary Dance in 2019, Sofia relocated to NYC as a recipient of the Kenan Fellowship at Lincoln Center Education (LCE).
She has performed works from Martha Graham, Merce Cunnigham, Ton Simons, Austin McCornick, Charles Czarny, Douglas Dunn, Brenda Daniels, Mari Meade and Juel Lane among others. Her repertoire also includes highlighted roles in classical works such as La Bayadère and The Nutcracker. Sofia’s multidisciplinary piece, my memory, your memory, our memory, which she created and directed, premiered at Lincoln Center Education’s Clark Studio Theater in 2020. Her self-choreographed solo, In the eyes of others, was performed at The Ailey Citigroup Theater in 2019.
Sofia is also a teaching artist and has taught for organizations such as LCE, Dancing Classrooms and WR ARTS. Sofia is currently working at National Dance Institute, Helen Simoneau Danse, and DanceAction.
Marketing and Press Coordinator
Camille Bruya
Graphic Design, Branding
Based in the Pacific Northwest, Camille (she/her) is a photographer and graphic designer specializing in music-related content and imagery. She received a B.F.A. in Art with an emphasis in photography, and minors in design studies and music performance (bass and violin) from Arizona State University. While in school and since graduating, she has worked with local, touring, emerging, and established artists in live performance and studio settings, such as Grammy award-winning hip hop artist Common, gospel singer Myron Butler, and jazz performer Dianne Reeves. As a musician herself, she understands firsthand the bravery and vulnerability it takes to perform with an audience, thus she is a calming and reliable presence for those she designs for and photographs. She is currently working on projects with the Mt. Hood Jazz Festival, PDX Jazz, and Rose City Review, a Portland publication highlighting the local music scene.
Camille also has extensive experience photographing non-music events and designing strictly branded assets for various companies and institutions such as Arizona State University’s Herberger Institute and Barrett Honors College. Apart from photography and design, you can find her outdoors hiking, exploring, listening to music, or spending time with family!
Aishia Lin Sampson is a New York City based performer and creative originally from Calgary, Canada. In addition to an extensive movement background, she has rich interdisciplinary training as an actor, singer, improviser, writer and media creator. After some time at Tisch Dance, she culminated her scholarly and artistic research around comedy and catharsis at NYU where she developed an individualized major to attain her BA. Aishia invites a breadth of knowledge into her own practices, believing that tools across different mediums can apply to and inform her craft.
Her interest in new media forms peaked while obtaining her undergraduate degree and she has been freelancing as a photographer and videographer for the past 5 years. Aishia frequently works with many artists such as Stacey Tookey, Heather Lang and Galen Hooks to support their missions through her integrated eye for art and media. She is thrilled to be a part of ESTIA to elevate and proclaim their mission.
Aishia Lin Sampson
Social Media Manager
Anna Ticknor
Anna Ticknor is a dance artist and arts administrator based in Brooklyn, New York who graduated with their BFA in dance from George Mason University in 2021. They have worked at art festivals including the 2021 Spring Festival at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park and the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art’s Time Based Art Festival.
Ticknor is a freelance grant writer and assisted in fundraising $45,000 for Shaun Keylock Company in Portland, Oregon where they worked as a Development Associate. Currently, they are a member of the Front of House staff at New York Live Arts. They create and perform work in the city with their dance collaborator, Maddy Runyon. Inspired by improvisation and writing, they explore dance through mixed-media experimentation and play. They are so excited to be part of the ESTIA Creative Home team!
Grant Writing
Supporting Contributors
Ziru Wang
Photography
Ayanna Nathifa (Art Sick Labs)
Photography and Videography
Stephanie Lemesianou
Videography and Video Editing
Bob Bruya
Sound Design and Tech Support
Elle Costanzo
Branding and Graphic Design
Michael Gluck
Videography and Tech Support
Elsa Perakis
Tech Support
Sammy Chapa
Social Media