South Island Dance Network

Julia Milsom – Artistic Director, Company Founder and Choreographer. Since graduating from UNITEC New Zealand in 2003 Julia has maintained a consistently high profile in the national dance community. Her works exhibit a unique physicality and creative ingenuity that also means she is sought after as a dancer for some of the most respected choreographers working here today.

She regularly performs in the Performance Improvisation Scene, collaborates with emerging avant-garde artists and teaches young people and disabled dancers. Her intriguing works have been recognised by Creative New Zealand awarding her the Tup Lang Scholarship for Emerging Choreography and her commanding physical presence led her to be named Best Female Contemporary Dancer in New Zealand in 2007 by The New Zealand Listener. She is the Artistic Director of her dance company, Corrupt Productions Ltd and a member of Touch Compass Dance Trust, Jolt Dance Company and Scrambled Legs. She is an associative of Rifleman Productions, Raewyn Hill and Dancers, Silo Theatre, Southern Lights and Biped Productions. She has worked for acclaimed artists such as, Michael Parmenter, Shona McCullough, Sarah Foster, Zoe Scofield, Raewyn Hill, Malia Johnston, Andrew Foster, Emma Willis, Julia Sadler, Leila Adu, Rick Harvie, Magpie Music Dance Company (Amsterdam) and Touch Compass Dance Trust.

In 2008 Julia presented Locked in a New Zealand showcase season in Melbourne and attended the WDA Choreolab in Brisbane where she worked for Pichet under the Mentorship of Lloyd Newsom. Her most recent performances have been in Southern Lights at the Body Festival, Winded at the Christchurch Arts Festival and Still Standing Silent, a collaboration with composer Alex van Den Broek.

She also is an active member of the Auckland improvisation scene, performing regularly for Vitamin S and Kristian Larsen. Julia developed her connection with Magpie Music Dance Company through a three-month Internship with Magpie in Amsterdam in 2007. The project was funded by Creative New Zealand. The Interniship allowed her to study Improvisation, European Dance Techniques, to regularly perform with members of the company and to be exposed to a number of acclaimed dancer artists.

In 2009 she toured her work Self Portrait to Auckland, Wellington Christchurch and Dunedin. She premiered Still Standing Silent in collaboration with Alex van Den Broek and worked for Oliver Driver's Ensemble Project at the Silo Theatre. In 2008 Locked was presented in Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin and Melbourne. At the beginning of 2006 she produced ( ) scape, a full-length work. In 2005 Julia produced a number of her own works including, Emporium, a work for shop windows performed at The Wellington Fringe 06 Festival, Framed, a short dance film and Duet, a solo for the premiere season of Late Night Choreographers.

Julia is available for contract work.