Akemi Sakurai

🪔 About

Born in 1940 in Tokushima, Japan, Akemi Sakurai embarked on her dance journey at the age of seven. She pursued higher education at the Nihon University College of Arts in Tokyo, where she received training in Nihonbuyo under the tutelage of esteemed masters Fujima Monjuro and Chiyo Hanayagi. Her interest in Indian classical dance was ignited during her high school years after witnessing a Bharatanatyam performance, and it was further solidified in 1961 when she participated in events commemorating Rabindranath Tagore's 100th birth anniversary. Fascinated by the fluid and graceful movements of Odissi, which she found more appealing than the symmetrical forms of Bharatanatyam, Sakurai chose to delve into this ancient art form. She subsequently trained under the legendary Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, who she considers her first guru and a profoundly influential figure in her life. Upon her return to Japan, Akemi Sakurai established her own school, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2021, indicating she began teaching around 1991. Through her institution, she has emerged as a significant teacher and patron, inspiring a generation of Japanese artists to study Indian classical dance. Her teaching legacy includes a period of instructing Daya Tomiko in various Indian dance styles, such as Bharatanatyam, Odissi, and Manipuri. Akemi Sakurai, described as a living legend, continues to passionately disseminate the teachings and essence of Odissi imparted by her Guruji.