Lisa Mariko Gelley (she / her)  is an artist  and mother, dedicated to  sharing experiences with humans through  dance and art, and across generations.  She is a mixed race settler of Japanese and European descent, living and working on the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Lisa is Artistic Co-Director of Company 605, a contemporary dance company in so-called Vancouver, creating original works for stage and film  through collaborative processes with artists in dance and other disciplines. Lisa has worked and collaborated with artists including  Justine A. Chambers, Cindy Mochizuki, Amber Funk Barton, Miwa Matreyek, Maiko Yamamoto,  Ziyian Kwan, Vanessa Goodman, Jeanette Kotowich, Onibana Taiko, Dana Gingras,  Martha Carter, Karen Jamieson, and was a member of Aeriosa (Julia Taffe) for six years, broadening her practice to include vertical contemporary dance in rock climbing systems on urban building walls and mountains.  In addition to her work as a performer and choreographer, Lisa teaches in the Dance Area at Simon Fraser University’s School for Contemporary Arts.  Lisa is the recipient of the 2015 Vancouver International Dance Festival Choreographic Award, and the recipient of the 2024 Lola Award alongside co-director Josh Martin.

Photo by David Cooper.