A new dance theatre piece choreographed by Marissa Wong, Family Room explores immigrant life and cultural identity – and the complexities of her own Chinese-Canadian upbringing, and navigating her parents' divorce. The innovative set design transforms the stage into a living room, each piece of furniture symbolizing familial connection and a foundation for interactions told through movement and text. Performed by three versatile dancers (Justin Calvadores, Tamar Tabori, and Shana Wolfe), with an original score by Jamie Bradbury, Family Room is a deeply personal and intimate work, which touches on universal themes including frustration, belonging, and love.
Each show is followed by a discussion facilitated by a counselor, providing a supportive environment for audience members to share their reflections. “The concept of care, for artists and audiences, has become central to my artistic practice,” Wong explains. “Building a sense of community and safety is an integral part of the performance.”
Marissa Wong is a Chinese-Canadian dance artist and Artistic Director of The Falling Company. Her work focuses on creating inclusive, sustainable arts spaces within the Vancouver, BC community. Marissa's choreographic work reflects her commitment to growth and exploring the human experience.
Educated at Ballet Austin and Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Marissa founded TWObigsteps Collective in 2015. Her works have been showcased internationally, including Family Room (The Dance Centre, 2023/2024), Departure (Nextfest, 2022), Livespace (Dance in Vancouver, 2019), and Veils (TEDxSoma, 2019).
She has held residencies at Banff Centre for the Arts, Dance Victoria, and others, while participating in international exchanges such as internationale tanzmesse nrw (Germany) and the International Choreographers Retreat (Montréal). Marissa has also produced her solo work Departure and co-hosted SPLIT/BILL with WAREHAUS Dance.
In support for emerging artists, Marissa leads the PLUNGE Mentorship Project, a paid mentorship initiative for young creators. She has mentored and taught at institutions like LINES Ballet Training Program, Gulf Island School of Performing Arts, and MISCELLANEOUS Productions.
Marissa and The Falling Company create and share on the unceded territories of the Skwxwú7mesh, Səlílwətaɬ, and xwməθkwəyəm Nations, also known as Vancouver, BC.
Family Room
Choreography: Marissa Wong
Performers: Justin Calvadores, Tamar Tabori, Shana Wolfe
Sound composer: Jamie Bradbury
Costume design: Meagan Woods
Lighting Design: Jono Kim
Stage/Production Manager: Kayleigh Sandomirsky
Assistant Stage Manager: Agnes Hui
Set Design: Kayleigh Sandomirsky and Marissa Wong
Dramaturg: Raïna Von Waldenburg
Script Writer: Kryshan Randel
Talkback Facilitator: Brie-Ana Laboucane
Dramaturgical Consultation: Intisar Awisse
Outside Eye: Peter Bingham (through EDAM Choreographic Series)
Creative Research Collaborator: Stéphanie Cyr
Support: City of Vancouver, Canada Council for the Arts, Agnes Fong, Dr. Shirley M. Wong Foundation, held at Vancouver Foundation, Florence Wong
Residencies: EDAM Dance Fall Choreographic Series 2021, Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, plasticorchidfactory - Artist in Residence, The Dance Centre Artist in Residence.
Premiere: April 19th & 20th, 2024 at The Faris Family Theatre presented by The Dance Centre and New Works Dance
Contact:
Marissa Wong
(778) 882-4823
“Though much of Family Room requires navigating chaos, from tense yelling matches to dense marijuana smoke, there are moments of quiet resilience from the dancers that make it a well-rounded piece and a captivating watch from front to back.”
“The magic of this beautiful, hilarious, vulnerable and heartfelt work is that it touched my inner child in ways words can’t describe. It tells a story that’s relatable, intense, and healing. I laughed while in tears, and let out a big exhale of breath that I didn’t know I was holding.”
— Sharpay Zhang