Julia Carruthers

APPOINTED 23 JUNE 2021 (CHAIR)

Julia Carruthers started her career as a secretary in John Drummond’s Edinburgh International Festival office. She was subsequently Programme Co-ordinator at Riverside Studios, taking on administration for choreographer in residence, Michael Clark. She then was Festival Co-ordinator at the Dance Umbrella Festival and a Dance Officer at the Arts Council of England. Working freelance, she managed choreographers Jonathan Burrows and Russell Maliphant, and lighting designer Michael Hulls and was Tour Manager for Michael Clark Company’s collaboration with The Fall, as well as undertaking many research and monitoring/assessment projects.

She was Head of Dance & Performance at Southbank Centre 2000-2008, launching Akram Khan Company, Stan Won’t Dance, Bonachela Dance Company and Gauri Tripathi while artists in residence and introducing London/UK audiences to Australian Dance Theatre, James Thiérrée and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. She was in Time Out magazine’s London’s Top 100 ‘Movers, Shakers and Opinion Makers’ in 2006. She was Executive Director at Akram Khan Company, based in London and touring worldwide. Julia was recently Director of the Dublin Dance Festival (2012-2015). She subsequently spent time in Berlin on a Goethe Institute scholarship. She is currently Programme Director at Warwick Arts Centre on the University of Warwick campus.

She has programmed ‘Dance on Film’ at the British Film Institute and been the Dance Ambassador for the SKY Arts Awards. She has been an adviser to the British Council, been part of the European EU funded networks DanceWEB, E-Motional and Aerowaves and has been on the Boards of Dance City in Newcastle, Birmingham DanceXchange, the Lighthouse Arts Centre in Poole and Theatre Forum in Ireland. She is currently on the Board of Heart of Glass.