‘Maiko: Dancing Child’ is a film about a woman who through very tough training and discipline has reached the pinnacle of his career as a prima ballerina in the Norwegian National Ballet. She was just a girl when she left the family and his hometown Osaka in Japan to come to Europe to become a professional dancer. With her mother as the driving force behind her career, sold the family house and car to afford to send Maiko to the most prestigious dance schools in Europe.

When we meet Maiko she is 31 and has positioned itself as one of the leading prima ballerinas in the Norwegian National Ballet. She still feels she has a lot to prove and there are roles she has not yet danced. She wants to grow as an artist and dancer.

As time goes on getting Maiko a new boss. The new ballet director wants to build the company and to do what she needs to get more and more solo dancers of the company. The film captures Maiko on a breakpoint in life where she struggles to stay on top and follow their own personal dreams.

Through outstanding dance performances captures film contrast between the magical beauty in dance and the pain of the athlete. The film invites the audience into a professional dance universe through an engaging personal story and magical dance and music.

This is the story of the outstanding dancer Maiko Nishino who does not want to compromise her career.

Duration: 70 min

Director: Åse Svenheim Drivenes
Producers: Anita Rehoff Larsen oandTone Grøttjord for Sant & Usant AS
Cut: Stefan Sundlöf
Photographer: Håvard Fossum
Music: The Norwegian National Opera Orchestra
Language: English and Japanese (English subtitles)
Co-producer: NRK

Financed by: Norwegian Film Institute, The European Media Programme, Nordic Film and TV Fund, The Norwegian Audio and Visual Fund