Sundance 2026: ‘Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!’ is a Dancing Delight
by Alex Billington
January 25, 2026
There’s really no better way to bring more joy to life than dancing. No matter what, letting loose and moving your body always leads brings back the happiness and sends depression down the tubes. Here we have a film that understands this, embraces this, and dives fully into the idea that dancing can be healing. And boy am I glad that the 2026 Sundance Film Festival decided to premiere this because Sundance films with dancing in them are always my faves. Amid so many other films about anguish & death & overcoming loss, Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! is finally something unique and new and fresh within the overloaded grief subgenre. It’s bright and colorful and spunky and lewd and fun, and defies the usual “grief sucks and it will ruin you” tropes for something that is sad but still enjoyable as we watch Haru work her way back out of the depths of the darkness. And surprise, surprise – I loved this! Even with a few flaws, even with some pacing issues, it’s still a delight and I emerged from the screening full of joy, read to tell the world about how worthwhile it is.
Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! is directed by filmmaker Josef Kubota Wladyka as his second feature film so far (after lots of TV work and the film Catch the Fair One) and it’s impressive considering how much he pulls off in here. I’m always a fan of very confident, focused direction. With a screenplay written by Nicholas Huynh and Josef Kubota Wladyka, Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! takes place entirely in Tokyo following a middle-aged woman named Haru – also known as Ha-chan – played meticulously by the terrific Japanese actress Rinko Kikuchi. She loves to dance & loves her dance partner Luis (Alejandro Edda), a Mexican man living with her in Tokyo always keeping her inspired. When he suddenly dies in the middle of a dance competition, Haru is totally destroyed. The story follows her working through grief, but most importantly, follows her getting her groove back and getting back into dancing. Part of that path involves following for another super gorgeous Latino man named Fedir who is introduced as a new teacher at their dance school. She falls hard for him and tries to work her way into his arms, at the same time doesn’t realize she’s doing this just because she misses Luis. There’s plenty of humor and awkwardness as both of them figure this out.
There’s an all-timer dance sequence right in the middle of the streets of Tokyo where they dance-fight some asshole drunk guys. It’s awesome. The finale is also perfect, gracefully bringing this story to just the right moment to end it. Rinko Kikuchi is magnificent as Ha-Chan – this is a complex role that very few can pull off and she takes it on ever so gracefully and carefully. And she dances her way into our hearts! Her friends (played by You & Yoh Yoshida) are also highlights. Easily one of my early favorites of Sundance – a film I will be thinking about well beyond the festival and into the rest of the year. It’s not for everyone, not every viewer will vibe with it, but I did and had a blast watching her dance her way around Tokyo and her grief. It also just needs to be said that it’s a relief to see a film about death that is actually unique and delightful and vibrant, and not depressing and upsetting. We all need more films like this, and we need more films that take creative risks, making decisions that other filmmaker’s haven’t yet to keep us inspired and enlightened. And I’m glad Wladyka decided to tell this story and let Ha-Chan shake her booty on screen. Dancing is life.
Alex’s Sundance 2026 Rating: 8.5 out of 10
Follow Alex on Twitter – @firstshowing / Or Letterboxd – @firstshowing
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