About

East Asian Woman with long black hair wearing red tank top smiling.

Seeking to transform your company, community, or yourself?

Hi, I’m Marisa. I’m a stroke survivor turned transformation movement artist, speaker, creative inclusionist, and passionate changemaker dedicated to making this world a better place through dance and movement.  I seem to never fit the box. My path is nothing but traditional.  Watch my 4-minute story & speaking reel":

From a blank slate with no seed money, I created Infinite Flow Dance, an award-winning nonprofit dance company that employs disabled and nondisabled dancers with diverse intersectional identities with a mission to use dance as a catalyst to dismantle biases and foster inclusion.

I dance many roles: Transformational Speaker, Creative Director, Performer, Changemaker, Community Experience Designer, Inclusion & Accessibility Advisor, Choreographer, Producer, Asian American Voice, Professional Ballroom & Salsa Dancer, Writer, Movement Mindfulness Workshop Facilitator, Storyteller, Nonprofit Founder & Leader, Pandemic Born Artistic Roller Skater… 

The common denominator in my work: I creatively inspire inclusion, innovation, and transformation through movement, dance, and storytelling.  I’ve partnered with some of the biggest brands in the world, including Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Red Bull, adidas, LinkedIn, Kaiser Permanente, amongst others, and my work has been featured and recognized by People Magazine, Good Morning America, and NBC Today. Check out my Portfolio and Press.

With technology at our fingertips leading to a growing sedentary lifestyle, moving our bodies with intention and joy is more important than ever.  I believe movement is the gateway to connecting to our wisdom within, awakening to our untapped potential, solving problems, and taking meaningful action. 

My mantra

Be You. Be Open. Be the Change.  Be Infinite.

Be you

Self-expression is one of the best practices of self-care. Own your identity, uniqueness, and strengths, and unapologetically share them with others.

Be open

Never underestimate the impact of one new connection or one new experience.  Move out of the box, get out of your comfort zone, and step into the unknown.

Be the change

When in doubt, focus out.  How can you use the skills and experiences you have right now to make a difference RIGHT NOW?

Be infinite

Let faith guide you to your highest potential, limitless possibilities, and extraordinary dreams.

Bio

East Asian woman with long black hair wearing black long sleeve top, jeans, and maroon high heels stretches one leg on top of a window sill and stretch forward with one hand on chin.  She smiles pleasantly.

The first professional dancer to be named People Magazine “Women Changing the World”, and named InStyle Magazine Badass 50, adidas "women reimagining sport," CBS News “People Making a Difference”, and featured on Good Morning America and NBC Today, Marisa is an award-winning Transformational Movement Artist, Speaker, and Changemaker dedicated to creating a more inclusive just world where we can each feel alive, not just survive.

Marisa’s lived experiences of her body repeatedly not being accepted as a dancer, her Japanese American identity not fitting the box in many spaces, and surviving a stroke that initially paralyzed her from the neck down, eventually led her to create Infinite Flow in 2015, an award-winning nonprofit dance company that advocates for disability inclusion. A few years into devoting her life to disability inclusion advocacy, Marisa was diagnosed with two invisible disabilities: PTSD (2021) and Autism (2022). The diagnoses brought much clarity to challenges she’s coped with throughout her life.

Marisa is passionate about transforming forward-thinking businesses through keynotes, performances, and content that inspire inclusivity and move hearts, bodies, and minds, so that their teams become more connected, purpose-driven, and alive. She has brought unique unforgettable keynote presentations and performances, to some of the biggest enterprises in the world, including Google, Microsoft, Meta, Apple, Red Bull, NBCUniversal, Deloitte, PayPal, International Monetary Fund, Farmers Insurance, Kaiser Permanente, Porsche, McKinsey & Co, Clifford Chance, amongst other brands. Marisa made history along with wheelchair dancer Piotr Iwanicki by becoming the first dancer to perform at Apple’s Steve Jobs Theater, sharing the stage with Apple CEO Tim Cook.

Since 2015, Marisa has led Infinite Flow to perform at over 200 events, from large global events to local school assemblies & community festivals. Heading the creative & artistic direction, Infinite Flow’s videos have tracked over 100 million views across social media. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Marisa spearheaded Infinite Flow to turn its in-person elementary school assembly program into a virtual program, launching Scoops of Inclusion, a 47-minute short film celebrating diversity and empowering kids to take an active role in creating a more inclusive world where we each feel we belong.

Marisa is bilingual and bicultural. She completed her BA & MA from Keio University, Tokyo. She is an Honorary Member (Distinguished Artist) of the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science. She is a speaker, thought leader, performing artist, and multi-dimensional creator on the rise, seeking to creatively inspire inclusion, innovation, and transformation through movement, dance, and storytelling.

Short Bio:

Marisa Hamamoto is the first professional dancer named People Magazine “Women Changing the World.” A leading authority on disability inclusion and building a culture of belonging, Marisa was recently named LinkedIn Top Voice, and has been featured on Good Morning America, NBC Today, Forbes, Fast Company, amongst other media outlets. As a sought-after international speaker and performing artist, Marisa has shared the stage with Tim Cook at Apple HQ’s Steve Jobs Theater, and her clients and partners include Google, Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Red Bull, Deloitte, adidas, PayPal, Farmers Insurance, Kaiser Permenente, among other forward-thinking brands. Marisa is a stroke survivor, a late-diagnosed Autistic, and a proud fourth-generation Japanese American. She is the founder of Infinite Flow, an award-winning dance company and nonprofit that advocates for disability inclusion.

Awards & Recognition

2023
LinkedIn Top Voice - LinkedIn
Dance Innovator Award - Dancing Classrooms NYC Gala

2022
LinkedIn Creator Accelerator Member - 1 of 100 Creators selected nationwide
Une Femme Wines Hall of Femme - 1 of 365 women shattering glass ceilings

2021
People Magazine “Women Changing the World”
InStyle Magazine “Badass 50”
Center for Asian Pacific American Women - sHero Award 
International Association for Dance Medicine and Science - Honorary Member
California Arts Council - Individual Artist Fellow

2020
adidas - 1 of 9 “Women Reimagining Sport” - adidas International Women’s Day Campaign

2019
4.0 Schools Tiny Fellow
UCLA Anderson School of Management Impactathon “Best Project in Inclusion”
Dance Teacher Magazine Dance Teacher Award
UCLA Anderson School for Management Impactathon “Best Project in Inclusion”

2018
Facebook Community Leadership Program Fellow       
McCallum Theatre Choreography Festival Finalist (Choreographer: Gary Franco)                                                 
Social Venture Partners Los Angeles Systems Change Accelerator Fellow
Dance Teacher Magazine Video of the Month

2017
Facebook Oculus VR for Good Nonprofit
Red Bull Amaphiko Social Entrepreneur
Mentee, Dance/USA Institute of Leadership Training
Dance Teacher Magazine Video of the Month
Inspirational Woman – United Chambers of Commerce

2015
Newcomer of the Year - San Fernando Valley Business Journal Women in Business

2010
Professional Ballroom Dance Instructor Certification - Japan Ballroom Dance Federation
Fukuzawa Yukichi Bunmeijuku
Fellow

2007
Tokyo Foundation Ryoichi Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellow
Keio University SFC Best Senior Thesis
Keio University SFC Award

2006
Co-Chair, Student Committee, International Association for Dance Medicine & Science (2006-2009)

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