episode 032: Saschie & Roman Magbanua

Formation Studio co-founders Roman Magbanua and Saschie Maclean-Magbanua are a couple completely in-synch with one another, in work and in life. Before opening their dance & movement space, Roman spent years in visual design for film, television, and videos, while Saschie paved her PR career path at Tourism Vancouver and agencies Yulu and Popcorn.

Roman was born in Winnipeg and raised in Vancouver, growing up in an intense home environment. His tough & independent yet observant spirit led him to follow his creative pursuits in visual arts & motion graphics, working for companies such as Microsoft, Black Rhino Creative, and Loud Crow Interactive. Saschie grew up in Cloverdale, a competitive cheerleader through her high school years. A serious injury sidelined her, causing her to rethink her identity beyond the sport she was dedicated to for so long. Eleven years ago, it was a mutual love for dance that brought them together at a class and, after a short stint as just friends at first, they became partners in life and, eventually, business. 

In this conversation, we explore the delicate balance of Roman’s childhood growing up with an addict father; how they do MDMA together once a year as a home date night in order to reconnect with one other; the loss of Saschie’s younger sister in a car accident in 2014, the grief that came with it & healing through dance; Formation Studio’s thoughtful approach to dance & movement as both a therapeutic activity and philosophy; what it means as a couple to put each other first, while taking care of oneself at the same time; and much more.