Marisa Hamamoto | |
Birth Place: | Japan |
use both this parameter and |birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) -->| death_place =| death_cause =| body_discovered =| resting_place =| resting_place_coordinates = | burial_place = | burial_coordinates = | monuments =| nationality =| other_names =| siglum =| citizenship =| education = Kirov Academy of Ballet, Idyllwild Arts Academy, Keio University[1] | alma_mater =| occupation = Speaker, dancer, social entrepreneur| years_active =| era =| employer =| organization = Infinite Flow| agent = | known_for =| notable_works = | style =| net_worth = | height = | television =| title = | term =| predecessor =| successor =| party =| movement =| opponents =| boards =| criminal_charges = | criminal_penalty = | criminal_status =| spouse = | partner = | children =| parents = | mother = | father = | relatives =| family =| callsign =| awards =| website = | module =| module2 =| module3 =| module4 =| module5 =| module6 =| signature =| signature_size =| signature_alt =| footnotes =}}Marisa Hamamoto is a Japanese-American professional dancer and social entrepreneur based in California, United States. She is the founder and artistic director of Infinite Flow, a Los Angeles–based nonprofit and professional dance company composed of dancers with and without disabilities.[2] [3] [4]
Hamamoto was born in Aichi Prefecture, Japan,[5] and raised in Irvine, California.[6] She received her dance training from Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, D.C., and the Idyllwild Arts Academy.[7] Later, she graduated from Keio University in Tokyo, Japan, with a BA in 2007 and MA in 2009.
In 2010, she received an apprenticeship at a ballroom dance school in Japan and returned to Southern California in 2011. While taking a dance class in 2006, she was paralyzed from the neck down due to a disease called spinal cord infarction.[8] She recovered most of her mobility and walked out of the hospital two months after the diagnosis.[9] In 2014, she witnessed wheelchair dancing at the Abilities Expo in Los Angeles and became interested in the area of dance and disability. She is also a graduate of Red Bull Amphiko, a program by Red Bull supporting social entrepreneurs.[10]
Hamamoto is an inclusion speaker, choreographer, and professional dancer. She has worked as an instructor and actress in Los Angeles. In March 2015, she founded Infinite Flow – An Inclusive Dance Company. It is a nonprofit and professional wheelchair ballroom dance company composed of dancers with and without disabilities.[11] The company uses dance to inspire social inclusion and innovation.
For dance events and shows, Hamamoto partners with Adelfo Cerame Jr., a paraplegic bodybuilder[12] [13] and Piotr Iwanicki, a wheelchair dancesport world champion.[14]
Hamamoto was recognized in 2019 by Dance-Teacher magazine for her commitment and service in the field of dance.[15] She was also a recipient of San Fernando Valley Business Journal's Women in Business Awards.[16]