Marcela Bragagnolo

Marcela Bragagnolo was trained in classical dance in her native Argentina, Cuba, and Paris, and in contemporary dance and drama in New York City. She danced with Ballet Proarte (Argentina), Ballet Nacional de Cuba, and Ballet de l’Opera de Paris. She holds a French National Diploma in Ballet Teaching and also is an ABT® Certified Teacher in Primary through Level 7 and Partnering of the ABT® National Training Curriculum. She is based in New York and has taught in Paris, Geneva, Madrid, Singapore, Argentine, Istanbul, and Montreal. Marcela’s passion is an integrated education with a focus on a strong technique, a healthy body, and a free spirit. This passion has led to her research in bio-mechanics, energy training, breathing, and psychological preparation for performance (ISA Cuba, NYU USA, and IFEDEM France).  She is also a Lead STOTT PILATES® Instructor Trainer, a GYROKINESIS® Master Trainer, a GYROTONIC®  Pretrainer and Instructor in all specialized equipment and levels, and a certified ACE personal trainer. Marcela speaks English, Spanish, and French. 

Beyond the Stage

Over the last decade, Marcela’s work has expanded into animation, motion capture, Unreal Engine, virtual production, digital humans, live projection, film, and interactive 3D experiences.

Working at the crossroads of performing arts and emerging technology, she brings her deep understanding of movement into real-time character performance and digital storytelling. Her medium is movement — extended through digital tools. She directs and captures performance, blends motion capture with keyframe animation, retargets movement to custom characters, and creates digital humans, environments, garments, and visual effects that translate human impulse into real-time storytelling.

As an Unreal Engine artist, animator, motion-capture specialist, and Unreal Engine Authorized Instructor Partner, Marcela’s practice centers performance-driven CG: choreography, character creation, worldbuilding, and VFX shaped by rhythm, breath, intention, and presence. In Unreal Engine, she composes digital humans and environments with Blueprint-driven systems, integrates garments created in Marvelous Designer with Chaos cloth simulation, and designs effects that amplify the emotional and physical truth of the performer.

For ICVFX and virtual production, she works across LED and greenscreen stages, camera tracking, previs, lighting, frustum, and multi-camera setups, building pipelines that are fast, repeatable, and deeply human. Across formats — short films, episodic work, live events, games, and interactive installations — she approaches technology as a way to extend embodied expression rather than replace it.

Marcela’s “why” is authentic embodiment. She is inspired by the honesty that emanates from the body and creates work that invites audiences to listen to their own bodies, expand their sense of freedom, and connect with characters through movement. For her, character creation is not only a technical CG process. It begins with rehearsal, physical theater, dance, acting techniques, rhythm, breath, and animation principles — from the first day of performance exploration to the final stage of motion editing.

Collaboration is the spine of her process. Marcela moves fluidly between directing performers, solving technical handoffs with riggers and technical directors, and aligning creative vision with production realities. Her work includes animation, Metahuman performance, costume creation and simulation, on-set Unreal operation, and motion-capture supervision for studio, indie, theatrical, and immersive teams. Notable collaborations include New York Live Arts Theater, All of It Now / Amazon’s Fallout, and Create Labs AI experiences.

As an educator and practitioner, Marcela is committed to helping dancers and performing artists understand that their training can open new creative futures beyond traditional performance spaces. She holds an MFA in Integrated Media Arts, currently teaches Unreal Engine, designing curricula for real-time character performance, Metahuman customization, and production-safe animation workflows. Through this work, she shares technological literacy with performing artists so they can prototype independently, perform across mediums, and exercise artistic agency in the future of entertainment.

For Marcela, technology does not replace the dancer. It expands the dancer’s voice.

Her north star remains the same: movement that feels truthful, characters that invite empathy, and technology that serves embodied storytelling.

Explore Beyond the Stage Portfolio

Studios, master classes, guest teaching

NEW YORK: Attuned Movement, Steps on Broadway, Body Evolutions, Martha Graham School, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, JKO ABT School.

PARIS: Centre National de la Danse, Biopilates, Kinetique, Rituel

BUENOS AIRES: Fundación Julio Bocca, La Fabrica de Arte/Valeria Carrari Gyrotonic Studio

MADRID: Gyrotonic Madrid

SINGAPORE: Options Studio

ISTANBUL: Fitkom

MONTREAL: Praxis Studio

GENEVA: Dance Area, Pilates and Therapies