From Evanston, Illinois, Julie Nakagawa 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 was especially interested in the development of dance artists and their related artistic collaborators.  At the invitation of choreographer and Artistic Director Lou Conte, Nakagawa joined the staff of Lou Conte Dance Studio in January 1994 and rose to the position of associate director.  In addition, she was artistic director of Hubbard Street 2 from its inception in 1997 as the second company of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago through February 2007, nurturing young dancers and establishing the National Choreographic Competition to provide creative opportunities for emerging dance makers.

A sought-after teacher, Nakagawa 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.  Nakagawa has also been honored by the Chicago Foundation for Women’s Asian American Leadership Council for her work in the creative arts.

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