RRRDC Staff
Julie Roper, Owner/Director, Instructor, ROCK*ETTES Performing Group Director
Julie is the proud owner of RRRDC. She graduated with BFA and MA degrees in dance from Sam Houston State University. At Sam she taught major and non-major classes, was Director of the apprentice company Bodyworks, and founded the Dance-Theatre Group. She was awarded scholarships to Jacobs Pillow and the Bill Evans Institute for her choreography in ACDF. She has studied with Dana Nicolay, Kristin O’Shee, Pat Graney, Debbie Poulsen and Lori Katterhenry. She has taken Master classes with Vicki Shick of the Trisha Brown Company, Steve Paxton, Douglas Dunn, Beverly Blossom, Ralf Lemon, Jane Comfort and the Urban Bush Women. She was a performer with the Texas Renaissance Festival and the Blackhills Playhouse in Rapid City, S.D., taught at Austin Community College, and been a guest choreographer with Dallas Arts Magnet High School, and a guest teacher and choreographer for Lone Star Ballet's Summer Intensive. Her business background includes directing a wellness/fitness program for the Federal Government consortium in Austin, and owning a design related business.
Joanne McDaniel, Office Manager
Joanne has been a parent with RRRDC for the past 17 years. She has a degree in Early Childhood education and has taught at various early childhood centers in the Austin and Round Rock area. Joanne has been an advocate for young children over the years; holding positions on her own children's Preschool Board, the Youth Group Committee at her church and as a Girl Scout leader for 11 years. Although she is not trained in dance, she has always admired the grace and skill it takes to be a dancer and believes every child, teen and adult should be encouraged to express themselves creatively through movement.
Chris Barfield, Instructor
Chris Barfield has been dancing since the age of 10. Starting off at Stephanie’s Dance Studio One in Katy, Texas, he moved to Austin and started dancing at Joyce Willet’s School of Dance. The last two years he has been dancing under Quinton Weathers’ direction at The Dance Spot and just recently graduated. He has also had training from Cheryl Copeland while attending The Dance Spot. He has had formal training in ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, lyrical, hip hop and a little salsa. Chris has received scholarships from Tremaine Dance Convention and was in the highest scoring small group dance at Hall of Fame Challenge in Austin in 2008. At the age of 12, he was asked by Arletta Howard-Logan to play the part of Mowgli in the ballet version of “The Jungle Book” as well as a featured dancer in Randal Marks’ “Jazz and Tango” a few years later. He has also been active in the musical theatre department at his school, performing in musicals such as “Seussical,” “Les Miserables,” and “The Boyfriend.” Some of his acting skills have been put to use in plays such as “The Fisherman and the Mermaid,” “Pinocchio,” and “Teen Drama,” the latter being a special new play for UT Connections.
Chris’ favorite styles of dance are tap and hip hop. He has two younger sisters, Caitlin and Michelle, who are both passionately involved in dance as well. As well as dancing and teaching, Chris would also like to pursue a filmmaking career as a director and editor.
Aurora Klein, Instructor, Assistant Instructor
Aurora began dancing at the age of three at
RRRDC. Yep, that’s right, she was a ‘Baby Duck’! She joined ‘Dantsers’ in 2005
and was a part of the team for seven years.
Aurora has participated in the Soul to Sole Tap Festival in Austin,
attended Lone Star Ballet Academy’s summer intensive for three years, attended
the Joffrey Ballet School’s Jazz and Contemporary summer intensive for two
years, and spent last year in Joffrey Ballet’s Jazz and Contemporary training
program in New York City.
Deidre Russel Robinson, Instructor
Deidre began her studies in Houston, TX with Margo Marshall, Madame Seminova, James Clouser and Patsy Swayze. She also studied jazz and musical theater with the likes of Frank Hatchet, Gus Giordano and Alvin Ailey. A graduate of the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, Ms. Robinson’s career has included many dance forms, movies, commercials touring shows and eight different countries. She performed and toured extensively with the Houston Jazz Ballet Company under the direction of Patsy Swayze, dancing in numerous ballets including Spartacus, Kismet, Spring Waters and Raymonda Variations. Joining the Houston Ballet under the direction of James Clouser, then Ben Stevenson, Deidre's roles included the Peasant Pas de Deux from Giselle as well as performances of Caliban and Carmina Burana. Summers had her touring with Theater Under the Stars productions of Music Man, Gi Gi, My Fair Lady and Carousel under the direction of Roger Rabe (Director of Broadway’s Best Little Whorehouse) and Bruce Lumpkin (Director of Nine on Broadway) She was featured in a National commercial for Astroworld and appeared with John Travolta in the movie, Urban Cowboy. A move to Los Angeles landed her the touring production of Jesus Christ Superstar and subsequently a principal role in Bally’s Las Vegas production of Hollywood Jubilee. She also performed and toured with Juan Carlos Flamenco Ballet Company of Caracas, Venesuela. She returned to the United States in 1987 and is the proud mother of Brent Crawford (also a dancer and artist) and Alyssa Crawford (a budding artist and designer). In Austin, she was invited to join the Austin Contemporary Ballet while she directed its junior company, Texas Youth Ballet. Additionally, Ms. Russell Robinson has choreographed several musicals for the Capital City Playhouse and Kid’s Acting such as Fiddler on the Roof and Westside Story. Deidre shared her wealth of knowledge and love of dance through her own studio; Austin Dance Arts 2003 – 2008. She is proud to be a member of the International Dance Council, Classical Dance Alliance, Texas Association of Teachers of Dance and the Cecchetti Council of America.
Julia Potts, Instructor 
Julia started dancing at the age of five at Bartlesville
Ballet Centre under the tutelage of Charlotte Lyke in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.
She became a member of the Bartlesville Civic Ballet Company at age 10 where
she performed in the annual production of “The Nutcracker” dancing featured
roles including: Clara, Mechanical Doll, Lead Chinese, and Grape. She has also
performed in “Les Patineurs” (The Skaters), “A Midsummer Night's Dream”,
Masurka Girl in “Les Sylphides”, a Little Swan in “Swan Lake”
and soloist in “Paquita”. She also danced on her high school Pom Pom squad for
four years serving as Captain her freshman, sophomore and senior years. During
her senior year she was recruited to teach for Universal Dance Association, Memphis, Tennessee,
where she taught for three years. She won the Young Woman of the Year
scholarship program from the Bartlesville Chapter of Jaycees in 1989 and
credits her dance experience for the discipline needed to achieve this honor.
She has studied ballet at summer intensives at Southwest Ballet Centre in Fort Worth, Texas where
she has taken classes from principle dancers from American Ballet Theatre,
Atlanta Ballet, Fort Worth City Ballet and Ballet Virginia.
Julia has a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Relations from Oklahoma State University and has been a stay-at-home mother to her three children for the last twelve years. During those years she has taken ballet and jazz classes in Illinois, Colorado and Texas. Julia is excited to be a member of the RRRDC staff this fall.