Marisa Hamamoto
Marisa Hamamoto | |
|---|---|
| Born | Japan |
| Education | Kirov Academy of Ballet, Idyllwild Arts Academy, Keio University[1] |
| Occupations | Speaker, dancer, social entrepreneur |
| Organization | Infinite Flow |
| Website | www |
Marisa Hamamoto is a Japanese-American dancer, spokesperson for disability advocacy, and social entrepreneur based in California, United States. She is the founder and artistic director of Infinite Flow Dance,[2] a Los Angeles–based nonprofit and professional dance company whose mission is to bring accessibility and inclusion of disabled and non-disabled people to dance opportunities.[3][4][5]
Biography
Hamamoto was born in Aichi Prefecture, Japan,[6] and raised in Irvine, California.[7] She trained at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, D.C., and the Idyllwild Arts Academy.[8] She graduated from Keio University in Tokyo, Japan, with a BA in 2007 and MA in 2009.
While taking a dance class in 2006, she was paralyzed from the neck down due to a disease called spinal cord infarction.[9] She recovered most of her mobility and walked out of the hospital two months after the diagnosis.[10] In 2014, she witnessed wheelchair dancing at the Abilities Expo in Los Angeles and became interested in the area of dance and disability. Later in her life, she was diagnosed with Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and Autism, which are often considered invisible disabilities. These experiences motivated her work for inclusion and healing through dance movement.
In March 2015, she founded Infinite Flow – An Inclusive Dance Company. This dance company is a nonprofit and professional wheelchair ballroom dance company composed of dancers with and without disabilities.[11][9] The company also uses dance movement as a driver for social inclusion and innovation.[3][1]
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] As her company continues to grow, she collaborates with other artists with different disabilities, like Mia Schaikewitz and Natalie Trevonne. The Infinity Flow Dance company has held many performances, mainly in California[6] and it has partnered with large companies, such as Red Bull, Google, Meta, Deloittle, and Apple.
Recognition
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] She is currently appointed as Honorary Member of the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS).
References
- ^ a b Luhar, Monica (25 November 2016). "This Wheelchair Dance Company Is 'Redefining Disability and Reinventing Inclusion'". NBC. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
- ^ "Infinite Flow Dance : Advancing Disability Inclusion, One Dance at a Time". Infinite Flow Dance. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
- ^ a b Radford, Morgan. "Meet the woman helping wheelchair-bound people dance". Today NBC. NBC News.
- ^ "Meet the new leaders of sports business". Fast Company. 10 March 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
- ^ Greenberg, Annie (12 April 2016). "You've GOT To See These Dancers In Action". Refinery29. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ a b Nakamura, Ryoko (20 May 2015). "Marisa Hamamoto, once paralyzed from the neck down, founded America's first professional wheelchair ballroom dance company". Rafu - Los Angeles Japanese Daily News.
- ^ "Wheelchair dance company to conduct workshop at UC Irvine". The Orange County Register. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
- ^ "Marisa Hamamoto". www.idyllwildartsalumni.org. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
- ^ a b Li, Johanna (7 September 2017). "Woman Opens Dance Company Where Wheelchairs Take Center Stage, Inspired by Her Own Paralysis Journey". Inside Edition. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
- ^ "An Inclusive Dance Performance You Have To See". Youtube. Strahan Sara and Keke.
- ^ Suh, Suzie (10 January 2019). "People making a difference". KCAL9 CBS Los Angeles. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ Corbley, McKinley (6 August 2017). "Dance Company Includes People in Wheelchairs and Busts a Beautiful Move". Good News Network. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
- ^ Traiger, Lisa. "We Will Never Stop Dancing: Physically Integrated Choreographers Speak". Dance Icons, Inc. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
- ^ "This 'wheelchair dance' company asks, 'Where's the disability?'". www.boingboing.net. 10 October 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
- ^ Caldwell, Rachel. "2019 Dance Teacher Awards" (PDF). Retrieved 24 June 2020.
- ^ "Women in Business 2015" (PDF). San Fernando Valley Business Journal. 20 April 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2020.