Akemi Takeya has lived and worked in Vienna since 1991. She has cooperated with artists in dance, theater, film/video, photoraphy and music: duo „Tsuru Tsuru“ (1993) and dance video „Holly Holly Hollyluia“ (1993) with „Oya Produktion“; visual performance „Modell 5“ (1994) for the project „Granularsynthesis“; performing in the film project „Caleidoscopia“ (1994) of Paul V. Weihs; voice performances in „Bridgework“ of Sam Auinger & Rupert Huber; „radiofractalcrashbeatmusic“ of Wolfgang Mitterer; dance und voice performance „Tryptychon“ of Werner Puntigam.
Her soloworks are „Imeka“ (1997), „Bodypoems – REFLECTION“ (1998; also a video project). For her third solo „Drowning Fish“ she received the Austrian dance production award 1999. „Yuragi“ (2000), „Terror by a blind stranger” (2001) as a work in progress for „Black Honey Drops” (ImPulsTanz 2001), „Shadow Pieces” (2002). voice & body performance series „multiple space“ (2001) & „double space“ (2002). Co-operation with electronic musicians such as Christian Fennesz and the noise musician Tetsuo Furudate in the frame of „Transart 2003“. Idea and planning of „AJ Project” (Austria X Japan Dance and Performance Exchange Program: Yokohama 2002/Wien, Budapest, Prag 2003), Solo production under the artistic supervision of Ong Keng Sen (Tanzquartier Wien, Carte Blanche) in dietheater Wien with the title „ZZ“ (2003), „ZZ“ revival at ImPulsTanz (2004), „weathering” together with Ulf Langheinrich (audiovisual environment) at Tanzquartier Wien (2005). „So What!” in co-operation with the band Rechenzentrum (Berlin) at ImPulsTanz (2006).

Akemi Takeya has developed her own voice and body performance method. Connecting strategies of inner formation with her own inner energy she has been developing her own language. As a productive writer she integrates the thoughts from her journals, dreams, diaries, and essays in her performance work in order to create an unexpected and deep fusion of meetings of the senses. She thinks rationally and lyrically, with brain and body, „eastern“ and „western“, in contra-dictions, combinations, sounds, spaces, movements, words and colours. She is a performer between the cultures, connected not anymore only with her Japanese origin, yet not enough with Europe, her new home. This field of tension between the cultures reflects in her ambivalence between the disciplined Japanese philosophy and an inner urban conflict. Akemi Takeya tries to bridge that with her art being formed by a fascinating intertwining of Eastern and Western influences, of her inner world and the integration of the outer world.

AKEMI TAKEYA will also perform at ImPulsTanz 2007 with “Feeler” on August 5 at the Semper Depot.