January Monthly & Member Feature

Meet our Board of Directors

After the call for new members last year, we are thrilled to introduce our current board of directors to the community in this first Member Feature of 2024.

Katrina Formosa -

Chair of Directors

Katrina Formosa has been a board member for the Falling Company since Marissa took over the Response Dance Society from Amber Funk-Barton in 2021. Katrina, a retired critical care nurse and the mother of four amazing adults, has been married to Chris Formosa since 1986. She has been a volunteer for many different groups and is a lover of all performing arts, especially dance.

Marcia Waibel -

Vice Chair

Marcia is a highly experienced beauty industry professional committed to empowering women and helping them feel confident and beautiful. Throughout her career, she has worked with a variety of brands, but for the past 19 years, she has been an integral part of Estée Lauder Companies. She has also owned her own beauty business, where she had the opportunity to hone her entrepreneurial skills and her ability to build relationships with her customers

Beyond her successful career in the beauty industry, she has a deep passion for the arts, and dance in particular.  She has been involved with the dance community for many years by volunteering to fundraise and promote performances.  

Marcia is excited to both share her experience and knowledge and serve as a member of the board of directors for The Falling Company.

Olivia Shaffer -

Secretary

Olivia Shaffer, is an independent Dance Artist and EDAM’s Associate Artistic Director. Holding a BFA in dance from Simon Fraser University, she currently has an extensive practice in Contact Improvisation, performance, and somatic frameworks. She is an accomplished freelance performer, collaborating with a wide range of choreographers since 2008. As a choreographer, her work has been presented by Vancouver International Dance Festival, Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation, Acker Stadt Palast in Berlin, Germany, among others. She regularly teaches at EDAM, the University of British Columbia, and other professional training institutions. She has taught and performed in Europe, the US, and Asia. // oliviashaffer.ca

Photo by: Yvonne Chew

Tobias Macfarlene -

Treasurer

Tobias is a Canadian actor interested in weaving together storytelling and technology. Most recently toured MascallDance’s The Impossible Has Already Happened, and performed as a distractible climate action clown at the Harvest Fair. Since studying both commerce and Theatre he has founded businesses, worked on puppet shows and construction projects, and made films about pianos and dogs. He has happily been on the board of The Falling Company for several years.

Photo by: John Graham

What has been your experience working with The Falling Company?

Katrina Formosa

Presently, the board chair for the Falling Company, I have known Marissa for over 10 years, having watched her as a young dancer from Tri City Dance. I am here to support Marissa as she navigates the role of artistic director and I am excited to watch Marissa grow as an artist and choreographer.

Marcia Waibel

In recent years, my experience serving on the board of The Falling Company has been marked by significant growth under the leadership of Marissa. It has been a privilege to contribute to the realisation of her vision, fostering the expansion of dance and arts across underrepresented and diverse cultural backgrounds. Additionally, I have had the joy of witnessing and celebrating the growth of the PLUNGE Mentorship Project, from its initial stages in production to its eventual performance in Fall 2023. Looking ahead, I am enthusiastic about continuing my commitment to supporting the ongoing mission of The Falling Company.

Olivia Shaffer

I joined the Falling Company’s Board of Directors to contribute to a dance company that aspires to support and sustain the wellbeing of young artists, and to challenge the harmful dynamics that historically exist in the dance milieu. I am happy to contribute by sharing my insights as an independent dance artist, and benefit from the experience as it informs my own practice as a dance professional.

Tobias Macfarlene

The emphasis The Falling Company puts on finding supportive processes has impressed me most since I joined the board in 2021 and, right in the middle of it all, saw constant planning for supportive creation environments. Consideration of workroom barriers while constantly questioning makes it a pleasure to be able to help and learn. I look forward to seeing what else they make this year.

Photo by: Lula-Belle Jedynak

Dive In!

Interested in finding out more about Family Room and presenting the work? We will be pitching this new, innovative piece this month. Email us at info@thefallingcompany.com to be included on the guest list.

PuSh Festival Pitch
January 25 | 3pm | Birmingham Studio, The Scotiabank Dance Centre

Matriarchs Uprising Festival Pitch
February 21 | 6pm | Birmingham Studio, The Scotiabank Dance Centre

Last but not least, catch the premiere on April 19 & 20, 2024!