The Troupe

Heather Cameron

Curious.  Sharp. Sensitive.  Playful. Honest.

Remember what it felt like to run wild at wedding dances as a child? For Heather, that feeling of freedom is mirrored in her practice. FadaDance is a platform for creation and anything that needs to be expressed -- it has no strong definition because it needs to be a little bit wild. Every time is brand new; an adventure approached with naked eyeballs and palpable curiosity.

Heather’s creative expression exists within the tension between riotous intensity -- a natural inclination to move in ways that have been described as angular, electric, glitchy -- and a desire for movement that is slow and long with limbs that don’t stop reaching. This dichotomy is also reflected in her role as Troupe anchor, offering stability and steadfast commitment to the details, as well as the infectiously enthusiastic crowd-pleaser as the public host/MC of most FadaDance events.

Heather is proud to be a prairie gal; it's the grit in her bones and the foundation of her art. Her lifestyle is such that "living life" and "creating art" are inseparable and indistinguishable activities. She holds a Bachelor Degree in Contemporary Dance from Concordia University. In addition to her work with the FadaDance Troupe, she has choreographed and performed locally, nationally, and internationally, including Waiting for the Bus, presented by New Dance Horizons in the 2016 Prairie Dance Circuit and a one-woman theatrical dance show, Boney Bones, at the German International Festival of Dance and Theatre.

Fran Gilboy

Warm. Receptive. Fluid. Generous. Determined.

Fran is as equally inspired dancing in her kitchen to Reggie Watts as she is holding space to explore the bittersweet beauty of impermanence and death through hosting Death Café’s.  For over 20 years she has married a mindfulness practice with her love of dance -- teaching at places like Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California, publishing work in the academic anthology Dancing with Dharma: Essays on Movement and Dance in Western Buddhism, and creating a movement practice for the Parkinson’s community in Regina.

As a dancer, she likes to keep things strong and bold, even subtle movements are precise. Fran’s work varies between being rhythmic and specific, while capturing pedestrian moments through stillness. For her, FadaDance is all about staying current with an ever-changing culture and responding with fluidity and openness. This focus on inclusion creates points of entry for people who never imagined the joy they’d feel through dance, whether in the audience or performing themselves. She has a deep love of creating beautiful things and as such Fran has fallen into the role of the aesthetic visionary of the troupe.

Fran started dancing at the age of four has hasn't stopped since. She trained in the traditional Russian style of Vaganova ballet and attended the Royal Winnipeg Ballet Summer School where she was introduced to modern dance. That was it. Her dance shifted gears almost immediately as this new form captured her interest. When she’s not in the studio you can find her deep in conversation with friends and strangers alike, carving space for silence or training at a boxing club, all which may seem in absurd opposition -- which is just how she likes it.

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Misty Wensel

Festive. Responsive. Collaborative. Empathetic. Social.

Dance floor culture is alive in Misty’s work. There is nothing like the collective energy of a dance floor where joyful connection exists between friends and strangers alike, which is why Misty truly is the Troupe’s social director and instigator of all things “party”! She founded FadaDance School in 2004 from an impulse to nurture that feeling and create a new form of prairie dance.

Misty’s career has developed through an ongoing relationship between formal and informal dance practice.  Her dance practice flows from a place of exploration; impromptu responses to dj mixes, social interactions, and an ongoing curiosity of organic expression. She is interested in the journey that unfolds over time; the time that spans the duration of a piece of music or an evening of dance or years of ongoing creation. Misty’s movement takes inspiration from south asian aesthetic, melding contemporary dance and kathak technique. She is inspired by the landscape, especially the vast expanse of space that exists in Saskatchewan.

Misty has a B.Ed in Dance Education from the University of Regina and has been sharing her craft with students and peers for over a decade. As a solo artist, Misty has become recognized for her ability to fuse Kathak into an original form of contemporary work. Currently she is refining this body of Kathak-influenced work in collaboration with Joanna De Souza of M-Do/Toronto Tabla Ensemble.