A Los Angeles native, Marissa Osato is a choreographer, director, and educator who creates emotionally-driven, embodied narratives through a sociocultural lens.
Using a hybrid language of contemporary, modern, and hip hop dance techniques, Marissa’s choreography exhibits a sense of rhythm and dynamism, of groundedness and abandon, of stillness and intimacy. Marissa is the co-founder/co-artistic director of Entity Contemporary Dance, an LA-based dance company rooted in a fusion of contemporary dance techniques that has taught workshops and performed original repertory in the U.S., Mexico, and Asia.
Marissa earned an MFA in Choreography from California Institute of the Arts and a BA in Dance and BA in Literary Journalism from the University of California, Irvine. As a dancer and choreographer represented by Clear Talent Group, Marissa has worked with recording artists such as Imagine Dragons, Coldplay, Rihanna, Kelly Clarkson, Patti LaBelle, Chaka Khan, Deborah Cox and Jordin Sparks. Marissa has taught and set choreography at over 50 studios and colleges across the U.S., and has taught master classes in Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe, Guam, and South America.
In 2019, Marissa was selected for the Joffrey Ballet’s Winning Works choreographic residency and the USC Kaufman New Movement Residency. In 2020, Marissa’s evening length work “The Spectacular Society” was commissioned by Jacob’s Pillow dance festival. Marissa is currently an Associate Professor at Santa Monica College Dance Department.