Anima Mundi - Amnesia

An excerpt from Degenerate Art Ensemble's latest work, Anima Mundi. An immersive exploration into the connection lost and found that humanity has with the intricate tapestry of the natural world. Anima Mundi had its full premiere in Seattle in February of 2026 and here at SFIAF, the group will present Amnesia, one of the chapters of the work. Live music, dance, cinematic video.

Degenerate Art Ensemble

Seattle based Degenerate Art Ensemble makes performance inspired by the aesthetics of punk, comics, cinema, protest, nightmares and fairy tales. They combine projected imagery with the movement and sound to create new mythologies, revealing other dimensions, challenging reality in a multi-dimensional storytelling experience. The group has shared their work throughout North America and Europe. Their most recent performance at New York Live Arts received a Bessie Award.

Artist Biographies

Haruko Crow Nishimura

Haruko Crow Nishimura is a dancer, vocalist and co-director of Degenerate Art Ensemble (DAE). She is always searching to discover how art can create deeper connections and awakenings. Her style of movement is inspired by her practices of physical theater and butoh dance. She excavates the dark corners of humanity, inventing new mythologies and reimagining fairy tales, telling stories that strive to reveal hidden beauty, confront demons, and ultimately find healing. She is a recipient of Arts Innovators Award from Artist Trust, a Creative Capital award, is a Guggenheim fellow, received a commission with her group DAE from director Robert Wilson to re-interpret his work Einstein on the Beach ( NY ), created a solo dance for legendary dancer Anna Halprin’s 95 Rituals ( SF ), and a large scale site specific collaboration with Olson Kundig Architects ( Seattle ). She has performed her dance work throughout North America and Europe. Her work Skeleton Flower premiered at the SPOTLIGHT USA dance festival in Bulgaria presented by American Dance Abroad and appeared in the 2021 International Festival of Contemporary Dance in Mexico City. Skeleton Flower will be shown in New York and Denmark in 2022.

Joshua Kohl

Joshua Kohl is the composer and producer for DAE. Recent highlights include collaboration with Kronos Quartet and a commission from the legendary Czech rock band Uz Jsme Doma to create an orchestral suite inspired by their music with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. His work Red Shoes with DAE received the Music Theater Now award from the International Theater Institute at the Swedish Biennale in 2012. In 2024 his work for Degenerate Art Ensemble was awarded a Bessie award for Composition and Sound design.

Leo Mayberry

Leo works with video, programming, and projection to enhance live performance. He has expanded Degenerate Art Ensemble's storytelling world with motors, mirrors and screen techniques that free video from traditional constraints. Early work in editing and installation gave way to live performance. Leo has accompanied acts from rock to ambient, and organized artists at events such as Seattle's Decibel Festival.