Anima Mundi is a modern animist epic that fuses visceral dance, live music, intricately crafted materials and projected imagery to conjure a world of spirit beings and shadows. Inspired by ancient ritual, Japanese supernatural woodblock prints and visits to animal sanctuaries, Anima Mundi confronts our human-centric perceptions that devalue our sensorial intelligence, and serves as a meditation on the joy of interconnectedness with the rest of the natural world. A woman walks into the forest and discovers a portal leading to the source of the soul. Transformed into a Marebito spirit being, she navigates the realms of our present-day disconnect, moving through dimensions where she finds herself in a factory-farm cage or summoning cars to life in an abandoned parking lot. This multifaceted story is inspired in part by the Aruki Miko, roaming female shamans who performed rites across ancient Japan before their powers were diminished by patriarchal forces. Working with light shown through textured washi paper, the work allows playful ghosts and spirits to emerge. True to the vision of director Haruko Crow Nishimura and the vivid style of Degenerate Art Ensemble, the performance offers a hyper-visual and texturally rich experience.
Artistic Director and Performer Haruko Crow NishimuraMusic Director and live music Joshua Kohl with Mako KikuchiPoetic texts and concept collaborator Shin Yu PaiVideo projection art by Leo MayberryScenic Design by Max SarkowskiLighting Design by Jessica TrundyStage Sculpture by Jason WilliamsCinematic video made in collaboration with Haruko Crow Nishimura, Leo Mayberry and Ian LuceroCostumes by Willow Fox with Kaori Yamashita and Wyly Astley and Evelyn BittnerPerformers Haruko Crow Nishimura, Ezra Dickinson, Joshua Kohl, Mako KikuchiAudio engineer Walter HarleyProduction Manager Sienna WilliamsRECENT PERFORMANCES (works in progress)
August 28-30 2026 at Miku-Love Festival, Czech Republic (special outdoor iteration)
February 14th 2026 World Premiere at the Moore Theater, Seattle
November 9th 2024 at YAW Studio, with Shin Yu Pai and Leanna Keith - work in progress
May 11th 2024 at The Grocery Studios - an Alchemic Event to support Anima Mundi - work in progress
June 19th 2023 at the Seattle International Dance Festival - work in progress
June 6th 2021 at the Performance Mix Festival 2021 (New York) - work in progress
Degenerate Art Ensemble is a 2025 NDP Finalist Grant Award recipient. Support was made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project with funding from the Doris Duke Foundation and the Mellon Foundation in support of Anima Mundiand to address continued sustainability needs.