JULIE NAKAGAWA  |   Artistic Director and Co-founder
From Evanston, Illinois, Julie was a featured dancer with Christopher D’Amboise’s Off Center Ballet, Cleveland Ballet, and Twyla Tharp Dance. She has also performed in Ruth Page's Nutcracker and Die Fledermaus. Returning to Chicago upon her retirement from dancing, she has been especially interested in the development of dance artists and their related artistic collaborators. At the invitation of Lou Conte, Julie joined the staff of Lou Conte Dance Studio in January 1994 and rose to the position of Associate Director. In addition, she led Hubbard Street 2 from its inception in 1997 through February 2007 as the artistic director of the second company of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, nurturing young dancers and establishing the National Choreographic Competition to provide creative opportunities for emerging dance makers. A sought-after teacher, Julie has taught classes for dance studios, university programs, and companies, nationally and internationally. She has served as a co-chair of the Artists Council for Dance/USA, has been a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts Access to Artistic Excellence category, and is a member of the Citizens Committee for the new Chicago High School for the Arts. The Chicago Foundation for Women’s Asian American Leadership Council has honored Julie for her work in the creative arts. Julie is proud to be an officer of the Board of Trustees of Dance/USA, the national service organization for professional dance.