Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! opens in US theaters on September 25. Rinko Kikuchi plays Haru, a ballroom dancer in Tokyo whose husband, Luis, dies. She stops dancing for a while. When she returns to the studio, she has to work out how to live without him and whether she wants to let someone new into her life.
Josef Kubota Wladyka directed the film and co-wrote it with Nicholas Huynh. Alejandro Edda plays Luis, while Alberto Guerra plays a dance instructor Haru meets after coming back to class. YOU and Yoh Yoshida are also in the cast. The film won the directing award in Sundance’s US Dramatic competition and was selected for Toronto.
What is the movie about?
The film spends time with Haru both on and off the dance floor. She misses Luis, but staying away from the studio also means losing a part of her daily life. Going back brings her into contact with friends, dancers and the instructor played by Guerra. The relationship is complicated because Haru is still grieving.
This is not a film that treats dancing as a quick fix for grief. The steps take practice, and Haru does not suddenly stop missing her husband. The studio gives her people to talk to and something she enjoys doing. The official stills show both quiet conversations and full dance scenes, so audiences can expect more than a single competition sequence.
Wladyka told Sundance that his mother’s love of ballroom dancing helped inspire the project. He was careful to say the story itself is not her biography:
“The film isn’t autobiographical in any way, but it’s very much a sort of devotion to her spirit.”
That detail helps explain why the dances matter to the characters. They are part of how Haru spends time with other people, not just a visual break between dramatic scenes.
Where can you watch it?
Sony Pictures Classics lists September 25, 2026 for the US theatrical release. Check local theater listings to see whether it is playing near you. A streaming service and home-release date have not been announced, so do not expect a same-day streaming premiere.
Kikuchi previously worked with Wladyka on Tokyo Vice. In a separate interview about this film, she said she spent months learning ballroom dance for the role. You can read more about that preparation in our Rinko Kikuchi interview story. Our Ha-Chan film page also has the cast, release details and official photos.
