Originally from Honolulu, Hawaii, Julie is an international award-winning dancer, choreographer, teacher and rehearsal director of Japanese heritage. She has trained in both the US and UK, and completed her MA degree in Contemporary Dance from the London Contemporary Dance School. Julie has spent the last 12 years in the UK and was recognised as an Artist of Exceptional Promise by the Arts Council England (ACE). Since moving to Australia in 2021, she has worked with Meryl Tankard AO, Elena Kats-Chernin AO, Regis Lansac OAM, Form Dance Project, Bronwyn Kidd, Bella Waru, Jackie Sheppard, REMUSE Designs, Noriko Tadano, Wadaiko Rindo, L2R Dance and MAV (RESONANCE 2023, Art Souk 2024). Julie is currently a Lecturer in Dance at the University of Melbourne's Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) in Melbourne / Naarm, Victoria Australia.

Julie has toured nationally in the UK and internationally (Norway, Israel, China, South Korea, Colombia and Peru) with renowned choreographers, contemporary dance companies and productions. Her experience spans into dance, theatre, opera, film, tv, musicals and live performances. Selected credits: Donald McKayle, Royal Opera House's Die Zauberflote, Peter Darling & Ellen Kane (Groundhog Day The Musical and Matilda The Musical), Duwane Taylor, Dickson Mbi Company, James Cousins, Flexer & Sandiland Company, English National Opera's Madam Butterfly, Richard Malone's LFW Presentation, Lynne Page (Pet Shop Boys, Stormyz's BRIT Awards Performance 2018, Jess Glynne's BRIT Awards Performance 2019), Caroline Pope (ITV's Mr. Selfridge), Lucy Hind (Nick Frost, Simon Peg & Amazon Prime Original Truth Seekers), La Dispute's Woman (Reading) and ASDA & Th1ng Corp's Battles Campaign.

Julie has taught and created works internationally, which have performed at the Laguna Beach Dance Festival (California), National Dance Festival (Pennsylvania), Paliku Theatre (Hawaii), U.Dance National Festival (Plymouth), The Place (London) and Jeju (South Korea). Julie has been choreographic assistant to Lynne Page for Stormzy's 2018 BRIT Awards performance. She has been Rehearsal Director for James Cousins Company, Avant Garde Dance Company, Dickson Mbi Company, Cathy Waller Company and Yukiko Masui. She has devised and delivered educational outreach work for many companies including Ludus Dance Company, Create Arts UK, Surrey Arts and CoDa Dance Company to participants of all ages and backgrounds.

Julie's interdisciplinary practice explores stories of immigration, ancestral memory and cultural identity from a diasporic Japanese lens.

Ms

Julie Minaai

Lecturer in Dance

Victorian College of the Arts

Ms

Julie Minaai

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Julie Minaai

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