Marissa has been dancing for as long as she can remember. She has trained in a pre-professional ballet environment for many years, studying the Cecchetti method up to Grade 6. While in university, she took classes in lyrical jazz, competed briefly in ballroom dance, and learned salsa while studying abroad in Paris. More recently, she has experimented with chair dance, and performed in front of a sold-out show at the York Theatre in Vancouver.

In Toronto, Marissa fell in love with swing dance by accident, beginning with Lindy Hop and later being introduced to Balboa, her favourite dance and one of her biggest joys. She has travelled to many cities in Europe and North America to attend workshops and dance the night away to intoxicating live jazz music. Some of her favourite festivals have been in Valencia, Denver, Chicago, and Los Angeles. She has competed in the finals at the intermediate level for Balboa, and treasures the connections that she has made through this social dance.