Dance Manitoba Board
Claire Marshall - Executive Director
Claire Marshall has been on the Board of Dance Manitoba for 20 years and has enjoyed every minute of every event with her Dance Manitoba family. Claire is a passionate Dance Artist and Educator with over 25 years of professional experience working locally, nationally, and internationally. She believes that dance is a collective and transformative experience that can positively impact all who dare to move. Nothing inspires Claire more than watching dancers on stage and their generosity of sharing their love of dance. When not in her happy place, the dance studio, you can find Claire enjoying bike rides with her family, cooking in the kitchen, or watching for birds.
Brian Toms - President
(he/him/they/them)
Brian is the director of the Westwood Collegiate Dance Program and is so thankful every day that he is blessed to have the amazing opportunity to work with such inspiring students and staff. When he’s not choreographing musicals or sewing costumes, Brian loves to garden and host lavish dinner parties. Having been “born and raised” in Manitoba, Brian grew up in the Manitoba Dance community, studying at local studios. Dance has always been a grounding touchstone for Brian. When the world as at most traumatic and unstable, dance provided a constant foundation and outlet. Brian joined the board in 2013 and is currently the Vice-President. He joined because he wanted to give back to the community as much as it has enriched his life.
Val Balcaen - 1st Vice President
FAME! This tv show had a profound impact on Val. She was bit by the dance bug as a young adolescent and has been teaching dance in Winnipeg since the early ‘90s. She loves going on adventures with her husband and two sons and also enjoys snowboarding, cross-country skiing, hot yoga, cruising on her bicycle, good food and good friends. Val’s favourite part of dance is being in the studio and “doing the work.” Her inspiration comes directly from her students. “There’s nothing better than watching a student improve or master a step, an exercise or choreo they’ve been struggling with.”
Val’s first connection to Dance Manitoba was as a student participating in the MPDF. She then went on to have her students participate as well. She joined the Board in 2007 and now serves as its Second Vice-President.
Briar Boyko - Secretary
This is Briar and she is a visual artist, an arts administrator, and a mover in Treaty 1 Territory / Winnipeg, Manitoba. Briar started taking dance classes at age four, has explored many a style, and fell in love with contemporary dance in her early adult years. Briar has her MFA in Creative Practice from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance (London, England) and has been working in dance-based organizations for over a decade coordinating, managing, fundraising, event planning, and learning. Going to a dance class, spending time rehearsing choreography, and all the moments onstage performing are the spaces and places she feels truly present. In 2017, Briar happily worked with Dance Manitoba’s volunteers and was honoured to join the Board of Directors in 2021. Dance has always been a very big part of her life and being part of Dance Manitoba means she can share the joy dance brings with our community!
Jessica Jamieson - 2nd Vice President
Jessica Jamieson has been part of the Winnipeg dance community for many years. Growing up she searched out new challenges in her training, which lead her to a variety of city studios, a year with the Professional Training Program of Decidedly Jazz Danceworks and a degree from the University of Winnipeg in conjunction with the School of Contemporary Dancers. She is an A.D.A.P.T certified teacher of jazz and tap and has been teaching dance for many years to two year olds up to adults. Jessica currently teaches in the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School Recreational Division where she also works as the Recreational Division Registrar. This is her second year on the Board of Directors of Dance Manitoba.
Laura Elliot
Laura Elliott is a longtime teacher, choreographer, producer, and activist within the Winnipeg community. She is the executive director of the Fat Babes Dance Collective, a co-producer of Skylines Dance and Film Series, a teacher/choreographer at Encore Studios, and works full-time in the wardrobe department at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. She is entering her 7th year (maybe??) on the Board of Directors with Dance Manitoba.
Mark Dela Cruz
Mark is a contractor finding most of their work in the Contemporary dance circuit. They started dancing in high school, and one of their first opportunities to perform was for Dance Manitoba’s Dance Festival. It felt nice to be acknowledged for technical accomplishments, but what inspired Mark most to stay on this journey in Dance, were the opportunities to courageously carve out moments to connect with those around them. Mark’s love for Dance goes beyond its ability to be a tool for self-improvement and well-being; as they get to travel, they’re piecing together an understanding of why dancing is so important in many different cultures around the world. Mark is honored to be a part of Dance Manitoba, as we move together to engage and experience dance in Manitoba.
Natasha Brown
Throughout her childhood, Natasha was involved in competitive dance in Manitoba, training in ballet, tap, jazz and modern dance. She competed in the Manitoba Dance Festival from the late '80s through mid '90s. Following her retirement from dance at the age of 17, Natasha continued to volunteer with the Manitoba Dance Festival for a number of years. She also taught dance for the City of Winnipeg while pursuing post-secondary studies in education and law. Now a lawyer, educator and the mother of two children, Natasha is a "dance mom" whose youngest child spends many hours each week at the studio. Natasha was thrilled to join the Dance Manitoba Board of Directors in late 2021 as a way to reconnect with an organization that brought her such joy throughout her childhood.
Matt Agoli
Matt is the director and creator of Little Monsters Dance. In 2015 Matt's passion for dance led him in creating a dance company that specializes in Hip-Hop and Break Dancing. Matt is a Certified bilingual Teacher with the Winnipeg School Division, Choreographer and Dancer that has been teaching hip-hop and break dancing for the past 12 years. Matt has trained and competed with various dance companies in Winnipeg, Toronto and Vancouver such as: (Un1ted Dance Company, The Brethren Dance Crew, Underground Dance Studio. Matt has taught at multiple studios and schools in Winnipeg which include; Little Monsters Wpg, The School of Contemporary Dancers, Elmwood High School Dance Program, Expression Film Studio, The Royal Winnipeg Ballet, (DSFM) Division Scolaire Franco-Manitobaine, Louis Riel School Division, and the Winnipeg School Division.
Founder & Artistic Director of Drop In Dance Winnipeg, Maria has been immersed in the world of dance for over 30 years. Starting out at the age of 5 in her hometown of Winnipeg, Canada, Dance Manitoba played a large role in her dance education... Manitoba Provincial Dance Festival, anyone? With her birthday landing smack dab in the middle of the festival each year, she always got to celebrate her favourite way - with Dance!
Maria loves the connections, and sense of community that dance creates. In 2017, she started to offer drop-in dance classes with the goal of creating a space where dancers of any skill level and age would be comfortable moving and grooving! It doesn’t matter who you are, where you're from, what you do (Thank you, Backstreet Boys), dance is for everyone!
She is excited to be part of the Dance Manitoba board. It truly feels like a full circle moment!
Maria Rawluk
Lindsay is a passionate and experienced dance educator. Growing up, Lindsay was heavily involved in the dance world, taking classes in multiple styles and completing her Royal Academy of Dance ballet exams. After gaining experience as a dance teacher at a studio, she went on to further her education by earning a degree in Education from the University of Winnipeg. For 13 years, Lindsay taught at the middle years level, where she not only directed the dance program but also coached two high-level dance teams who performed annually at the MPDF. Currently, Lindsay is sharing her love of dance and musical theatre as a teacher at St. James Collegiate. In her spare time, she enjoys trying new restaurants, travelling, and spending time with loved ones.
Lindsay Swereda
Hailing originally from Brandon, Willow grew up with a dance focus; competing, assisting, workshops, camps, choreographing, terrible costumes, exams—the whole shebang. Quickly she started to love singing, playing music, and creating through other mediums that helped develop her skills as a multi-faceted artist. Since moving to Winnipeg in 2017, she has taught at Drop in Dance as well as a rural performing arts summer camp, and even tried dancing on a hip-hop team. Last June she graduated from the Honours Acting Program at the University of Winnipeg, and has since been a part of a variety of film, theatre, and artistic projects. Dance and movement have always informed not only Willow’s practice as an artist, but herself as a human, existing in space.
Willow is thrilled to be joining the Dance Manitoba team in order to to reconnect with dance and support its place in the greater Manitoba arts community!
