Haruko Crow Nishimura

Photo by Bruce Clayton Tom

Haruko Crow Nishimura (she/her) is a dancer, vocalist and artistic director of Degenerate Art Ensemble (DAE). She is always searching to discover how art can create deeper connections and awakenings. Her unique 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 newest work Skeleton Flower premiered at the Spotlight USA dance festival in Bulgaria presented by American Dance Abroad, appeared in the 2021 International Festival of Contemporary Dance in Mexico City and the HCA Festival in Denmark in 2022. Skeleton Flower will be shown in San Francisco in 2024.