MARISA HAMAMOTO

2026 SOZO FELLOW
PERFORMING ARTIST, CREATIVE DIRECTOR, FILMMAKER, CHANGEMAKER, KEYNOTE SPEAKER
LOS ANGELES, CA

Marisa Hamamoto is the first professional dancer named People Magazine “Women Changing the World.” A leading authority on mental wellness, disability inclusion, Asian American experience, building a culture of belonging, and changemaking, Marisa is a LinkedIn Top Voice and has been featured on Good Morning America, NBC Today, Forbes, Fast Company, among other media outlets. As a sought-after international speaker, performing artist, and creative director, Marisa has been a speaker at the United Nations, 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 Permanente, among other forward-thinking brands. Marisa is a spinal stroke survivor, a late-diagnosed Autistic, a proud fourth-generation Japanese American, and a pandemic-born artistic roller skater. She is the founder of Infinite Flow Dance, an award-winning dance company and nonprofit that employs disabled and nondisabled dancers with diverse, intersectional identities, with a mission to advance disability inclusion, one dance at a time. Marisa is bilingual and bicultural. She completed her BA & MA from Keio University, Tokyo, and is an Honorary Member of the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science. Marisa's a two-time finalist for the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge in 2025 and 2026. She is dedicated to creating transformative experiences that expand how people see, feel, connect, and imagine what’s possible.