Name: Akiko Kanda
Kanji: アキコ・カンダ (formerly 神田明子)
Position: Choreographer / Dance Teacher
Former Takarasienne: No

Height:
Birthday: 24 October 1935
Passed Away: September 23, 2011
Blood Type:
Hometown: Oomiya, Saitama
Hobbies:

First Takarazuka Work: 1962

Year	Title	Type of Performance	Troupe
2006	AKIKO: On Stage With Takarasiennes	Bow Hall Concert	Various
2002	DANCIN' AKIKO: 40th Anniversary	Bow Hall Concert	Various
1999	Second Matsumoto Yuri Recital	Bow Hall	Senka
1999	The Wonder Three	Bow Hall	Snow
1998	Wuthering Heights	Nippon Seinenkan	Cosmos
1998	The Fiction	Bow Hall	Snow
1997	Elegy	Bow Hall	Star
1997	Wuthering Heights	Bow Hall	Snow
1997	DANCIN' AKIKO: 35th Anniversary	Bow Hall Concert	Various
1995-96	The Story Of a Sword, Love, and a Rainbow	Main	Star
1994	Winter Storm	Main	Flower
1994	'Allo, 'Allo, Camelot?	Bow Hall	Flower
1993-94	Seal of the Bourbons	Main	Snow
1993	Manhattan Story	Bow Hall	Moon
1992-93	Hello, George!	Bow Hall	Star
1991	Portraits of Lovers	Main	Star
1990	Great Expectations	Main	Moon
1989-90	Sicilian Wind	Bow Hall	Star
1989	Angel's Smile, Devil's Tears	Main	Moon
1988	Dynamo!	Main	Snow
1987	Pale Kiss	Bow Hall	Star
1986	Love Cantata	Bow Hall & abc Hall	Star
1981-82	Sun Orient Sun	Main	Snow
1981	Jewelry Marchen	Main	Flower
1981	Crescendo!	Main	Star
1976	Monsieur Papillon	Main	Snow
1975	The Blue Danube	Main	Star
1974	Juju	Main	Star
1974	Carnaval de Takarazuka	Main	Flower
1973	La La Fantastique	Main	Flower
1973	La La Fantastique	Main	Star
1973	Rhapsody in Love	Main	Snow
1973	Rhapsody in Love	Main	Moon
1973	Rhapsody in Love	Main	Snow
1973	Parade Takarazuka	Main	Flower
1972	The Flower	Main	Snow/Star
1972	The Flower	Main	Snow
1972	Town of Shooting Stars	Main	Snow
1971	Singer's Singer	Main	Snow
1970	Hello! Takarazuka	Main	Snow
1970	Takarazuka Expo '70: Flower of Takarazuka	Main	Moon
1970	Takarazuka Expo '70: Hello! Takarazuka	Main	Snow
1970	Hello! Takarazuka	Main	Star
1969	Aria in Jazz	Main	Moon
1969	Aria in Jazz	Main	Moon
1969	Hamlet	Main	Snow
1968	Xango	Main (Tokyo)	Snow
1968	Xango	Main (Grand)	Snow
1968	My Idol	Main	Flower
1967	Xango	Main	Snow
1966-67	Love Love Love	Main	Snow
1966	Love Story of a Castle in the Foggy Night / Esquire Girls	Main	Star
1963	Black Candles	Main	Snow

Year	Title	Type of Performance	Role
2006	AKIKO: On Stage With Takarasiennes	Bow Hall Concert	Star

Year	Title	Main or Assistant
2001-02	To Martha	Star

• She began dancing at the age of seven and entered the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance in 1956. Two years later she joined the Martha Graham Dance Company, in which she rose to become a principal dancer before returning to Japan in 1962 to work for Takarazuka. As well as being a choreographer, she was the most important dance teacher at the Takarazuka Music School.
• Prizes she has been awarded by the Japanese government include:
  • The Art Festival Excellence Prize (1969)
  • The Art Festival Grand Prize (1974)
  • The Education Minister's Art Encouragement Prize (1988)
  • The Order of the Violet Ribbon (1998)
  • Tokyo Shinbun Culture Award (2001)
  • Order of the Rising Sun (2008)
• In 1984-85, a documentary was made about her dancing and her daily life, entitled Akiko: Portrait of a Dancer, and a book of photographs of her is also available.
• Novellist Sakaki Kunihiko (Kanda Kunihiko) is her son.
• Died of lung cancer on September 23rd, 2011, in Meguro ward hospital in Tokyo, being 75 years old. Despite of being severely ill, she continued performing until September 11th.