Profile
Born in Tokyo in 1945, Tanaka studied classical ballet and modern dance before beginning his solo practice in 1966. In 1978 he performed for three weeks at the Paris exhibition Ma: Space-Time in Japan.
In 1982 he helped found plan-B, an experimental space in Tokyo’s Nakano district. For his dance series there, he invited other performers to choose what they would do. Film audiences first saw him as an actor in Yoji Yamada’s The Twilight Samurai in 2002.
Inudo filmed Tanaka between August 2017 and November 2019. The documentary opened in Japan in 2022. In its trailer, look at the ground beneath the dancer and the distance between him and the people watching. Both change from scene to scene.
Interviews and performances
The documentary about Tanaka’s ba-odori
The distributor’s introduction, film credits and trailer.
Follow the performer and team
Profiles and original media (external)
Article sources & photo credits
Updated 2026-11-12
Photo credits: Hayato Araki / CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2015-07-18 · resized · Photo year 2015 · Photo source · CC BY-SA 4.0
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