Julie Nakagawa

Originally from Evanston, Illinois, Julie Nakagawa was a featured dancer with Christopher D’Amboise’s Off Center Ballet, Cleveland Ballet, Twyla Tharp Dance as well as in Ruth Page’s Nutcracker and Die Fledermaus. Julie joined the staff of Lou Conte Dance Studio in January 1994 and rose to the position of Associate Director. She led Hubbard Street 2 from its inception in 1997 through February 2007 as the Founding Artistic Director, nurturing young dancers and establishing the National Choreographic Competition to provide creative opportunities for emerging dancemakers. Together with Andreas Böttcher and Pam Crutchfield, Julie co-founded DanceWorks Chicago in May 2007, establishing a creative incubator fostering a diverse next generation of movers and makers. In 2018, Thodos Dance Chicago, led by Artistic Director Melissa Thodos, welcomed Julie and DanceWorks Chicago as partners for New Dances, continuing a shared tradition of developing choreographic talent and serving Chicago’s dance community. Julie’s dance citizenship includes service as a board member, consultant, mentor, peer review panelist, and teacher.