to peer through veils
An internal awakening to the shadows of history in Little Tokyo and WWII-era Bronzeville.
During the WWII Japanese American incarceration, Little Tokyo became known as Bronzeville—a center for Black business, culture, and jazz. Yet the hope for a postwar Black and Japanese American community was never realized. “to peer through veils" awakens this shared experience of racism and the potential power of solidarity. Reckoning with the echoes of ancestral and societal history, how do we move forward?
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Marissa OsatoDirectorEntity Contemporary Dance, Co-Founder/Co-Artistic Director
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Scott OshimaProducerJapanese American Cultural & Community Center
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Shiori KamijoKey Cast
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Vickie RoanKey Cast
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Alex LayaDirector of Photography
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Project Type:Short
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Runtime:10 minutes 23 seconds
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Completion Date:May 18, 2021
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:United States
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
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Asian Pacific Virtual Showcase
United States
May 20, 2021
U.S. premiere -
Japanese American Cultural & Community Center's OKAGESAMA dance screening seriesOnline
June 1, 2021 -
Lights Dance FestivalSeattle, Washington
United States
October 13, 2021
Official Selection -
Greensboro Dance Film FestivalGreensboro, NC
United States
October 30, 2021
Official Selection -
InShadow FestivalLisbon
Portugal
November 15, 2021
European Premiere
Official Selection -
International Dance Conference and FestivalYogyakarta
Indonesia
October 28, 2021
Asia Premiere
Official Selection
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 was invited to present her evening length work “The Spectacular Society” at the Jacob’s Pillow Inside/Out series (performance canceled due to the pandemic). Marissa is currently an Associate Professor at Santa Monica College Dance Department. marissaosato.com
"to peer through veils" investigates experiences of isolation and invisibility, shedding and assimilation, displacement and reclamation. Reckoning with the echoes of ancestral and societal history, how do we individually and collectively move forward?