conceptual lead: ELLE SHIMADA

“What if you went to a cinema to watch a movie, but instead of sitting still, we are dancing at the rave?”

“What if everyone on the dance floor was an active participants of the movie instead of bi standards, changing the narrative as thousands of people move our bodies together to local, visionary artists?”

These are the conversations that inspired ANEW—an immersive celebration of what it means to live authentically in a digital age. I want to design experience that invites them to become active participants in the story building—rediscovering the right to not just survive but to thrive, co-dreaming, and finding collective joy in a fractured, often disconnected world.

“Nothing feels real anymore, this world is mad...” The world feels dystopian—the way AI merges with human minds, social media replaces in-person connection, and fear and control divide neighbors. What remains of our humanity? ANEW offers a simple answer: our humanness—the need for connection, joy, and shared experiences—that can’t be drowned out by the digital noise. Gathering peacefully, dancefloor and centering our joy is a uniquely human experience. Raw, real, emotive and connective.

Through ANEW, I reimagine dance as both personal and collective healing—a movement-driven practice that grounds us in our raw, human-ness. Each step becomes a pathway to reclaiming our connection—to ourselves, each other, and the freedom that dance embodies in a fractured world.

Dance: as a form of active meditation and embodied thinking.
Dance floor: as a ritual for collective liberation, embracing our connectivity.

I want to create a show that feels all-encompassing, like a collective prayer that transcend societal bounds. And to design an audience experience that brings us into the moment and lets us experience our humanness and connectivity. Because that’s when I feel most alive. From a very early career stage, I’ve always been a person with big ideas. Rhys Newling has been a collaborator of mine since my first ever curated residency, where we explored the theme of womb, future ancestor, dance as an active meditation and collective liberation ritual. He has trusted in my vision from the day one, and I have full confidence that after 7 years of collaboration, we are ready to level up to the next sphere.

Through collaboration with my good friends—Rhys Newling’s stunning visuals, live bands, dancers, and a 30-meter screen—ANEW invites you to feel, heal, and connect. The dance floor becomes the main character, and you’re part of the story. It’s a space for collective re-imagining and liberation. A reimagined utopia, always within ourselves.

Now, I am finally ready to bring together my vision into full execution.

The vision is there, we just need a space to make it into reality.

Welcome to ANEW—a night where we come together to experience raw, real humanness through dance as a ritual of bodily thinking and active meditation. A night of immersive journey through sound, visual, dance, fashion and an emotional story telling that embrace our connectivity.

listen: [ANEW]