An exclusive in-conversation with artist Julia Cheng and Dance Umbrella’s Artistic Director/CEO Freddie Opoku-Addaie. Focusing on navigating the dance industry; they will discuss Julia’s career and practice so far, the merits of a portfolio career and tools for staying true to your practice. This will be followed by Q&A.
Julia Cheng by Dan Jose and Freddie Opoku-Addaie by Miguel Altunaga
About Julia Cheng
Julia Cheng founded House of Absolute in 2014, she is a creative director, choreographer and dance artist with an impressive portfolio of works presented nationally and internationally.
Julia is a 2022 Olivier Award nominated choreographer, in recognition of her critically acclaimed choreography on the West End production of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club.
Julia is also a judge and mentor for BBC Young Dancer, mentor for the biggest UK Hip Hop Festival Breakin’ Convention, and patron of Next Generation Youth Theatre in her hometown of Luton.
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Julia has worked with Chinese Arts Now, an organisation championing British East Asian artists. Cheng also has co-directed operas, one of which was awarded the George Butterworth Prize 2020 with composer Alex Ho. She has curated cross-art form exhibitions, theatre shows, dance films and youth productions.
Having judged, won and competed in many Hip Hop battles since 2007, her prolific reputation has led to campaigns with Dr Martens, Vogue Italia, Wella, Kowtow New Zealand and BBC World Service Persia.
Her influences draw from her dance training of Hip Hop dance, Waacking, contemporary dance, martial arts, theatre studies and eastern philosophy. She prides herself on combining collaborative approaches to processes and has collaborated with poets like Lavinia Greenlaw, to music artists Shingai and Floacist, composers Simon McCorry and Alex Ho, artist/sculptor Laila Muraywid, curator Kerry-Campbell and theatre director/activist Daniel York-Loh.
Having recently choreographed for a double-bill opera with director Isabelle Kettle for the Royal Opera House, Julia is currently working on House of Absolute Philharmonia Orchestra Artist in Residence 2022 projects, developing her production with Sadler’s Wells 2022 and directing / choreographing ‘anti-opera’ Untold with composer Alex Ho for Europe tour in 2023.
About Freddie Opoku-Addaie
Freddie became Artistic Director/Chief Executive of Dance Umbrella in 2021. He is a critically acclaimed choreographer, dancer/performer, curator and teacher who is the recipient of many choreographic awards and commissions. East London-born, Freddie’s Ghanaian heritage informs his art practices through which he references disparate movement styles, folkloric themes and structured choreography to make witty, conversational and affecting work.
Freddie was Guest Programmer for Dance Umbrella between 2016 and 2019 during which time his Out Of The System programme presented exhilarating work by dance practitioners from the UK and abroad.
Freddie is founder, director and curator of ‘SystemsLAB’ (2016), a platform which responds directly to 21st century diverse artistic needs; offering support and sustained visibility to multifaceted mid-career artists by facilitating connections to festivals, venues, organisations and touring with a bespoke creative team.
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Freddie has choreographed and performed internationally in numerous productions including his breakthrough work Silence Speaks Volumes and Fidelity Project (co-created/performed with Frauke Requart) both works reaching the Bloomberg Place Prize finals; Bf with Jorge Crecis (Aerowaves); various Royal Opera House ROH2 commissions; Mis-thread (DU 2010); Remaining Energy (Barbican commission) and solo work Show of Hands (DU 2013).
Freddie is a former recipient of the Robin Howard Commission, One Dance UK (Dance of the African Diaspora) Trailblazer Fellow/Champion (co-curating their annual showcase events at The Place in 2016) and Associate Artist of the Royal Opera House/ROH2 (2009-12).
Freddie has been a Part-Time Lecturer in Performing Arts at the University of East London, composition lecturer at London Contemporary Dance School, a Studio Wayne McGregor Dance Artist, and Visiting Fellow Artist at the Queen Mary University – London. He is also a regular speaker and guest on industry panels both in the UK and internationally.