Barbara Powers

Barbara Powers received her M.F.A. from the University of Washington and her B.F.A. from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She graduated high school at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, majoring first in ballet and then modern dance. She continued her pursuit of modern dance at the American Dance Festival where she received special mention in the New York Times for her performance in Laura Dean’s Tympani in 2008. Prior to her formal education, she trained at the Milwaukee Ballet School in her hometown. This dance training, and the mentoring instruction from so many wonderful teachers allowed her to pursue a career in dance, starting first with the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company where she toured Italy, France, and the Continental U.S. In addition, Barbara has had the opportunity to tour Mexico with Li-Chiao-Ping Dance; perform in St. Louis, Dallas, and Chicago with The Radio City Christmas Spectacular as a Rockette; in Milwaukee and New York with The Catey Ott Dance Collective; and at Jacob’s Pillow, The Joyce Soho, and Skidmore College with Skybetter and Associates.  

Scholarships and grants from Future Kicks and Career Transition for Dancers allowed Barbara to transition into teaching where she instructed students at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY in yoga and Pilates. At the University of Washington, she taught studio courses for beginning through advanced students in ballet, modern, and jazz. She also taught Introduction to Dance and Anatomy for Dance as an instructor of record at UW. Barbara is a certified vinyasa yoga, restorative yoga, Pilates mat, and meditation instructor, and has taught celebrities, individuals and groups throughout New York, Wisconsin, Washington, Utah, as well as workshops abroad.  

Barbara’s scholarly interests lie in the field of wellness for dancers. She has presented her fieldwork at the International Association for Dance Medicine & Science, the National Dance Education Organization, the Association of Contemplative Minds in Higher Education, and the Healthy Dancer Canada conference.  She currently teaches Dance Appreciation, Ballet, Jazz, Practicing Wellness, and Yoga at the University of Georgia. She also started and co-directs the Art of Wellness Living Learning Community with Associate Professor Rebecca Gose at UGA which provides instruction and community engagement for incoming arts-focused freshmen on campus.