
Akiko: Portrait of a Dancer
“I have three tasks in my life: to dance, to teach dance, and to create dance,” says the pioneering Japanese performer Akiko Kanda in this intimate portrait of creativity and individuality, After seeing a Martha Graham performance in college, Kanda left her family behind in Japan and arrived in New York City, where she studied under the legendary Graham and became a principal dancer with the troupe. Following the wiry artist as she moves from practice floor to performance hall, and from the cramped single-room apartment she lives in to a trip home to see her aging mother, director Sumiko Haneda reveals a woman who has rebelled against traditional ideals of marriage and motherhood, and who nearly single-handedly brought modern dance to Japan-and kept it alive. “When I die,” Kanda tells the director, “I will be content if I can just say, ‘I danced.'”
- Status
- Released
- Budget
- —
- Box office
- —
- Language
- Japanese
Top billed cast
Behind the camera
Director
Produced in
Japan
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Release dates
JapanJP
- Theatrical29 Jun 1985
Frequently asked questions
Akiko: Portrait of a Dancer was released on 29 June 1985.
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