She retired as a dancer in 2015, after a 29-year career with American Ballet Theatre.
Son is named William Spencer Barbee and was born in 2004.
In 2016 she was appointed artistic director of the Washington (DC) Ballet.
She grew up near Washington DC, and studied at Maryland Youth Ballet. The first professional stage she performed on was the Kennedy Center Opera House, where as a child she was a supernumerary in "Coppelia", in a production which starred Mikhail Baryshnikov and Patricia McBride.
After retirement in 2015 from American Ballet Theater, In 2016 Julie became Artistic Director of Washington Ballet. In 2023, Julie became Co-Artistic Director of Houston Ballet.