Barbara Mahler is a long standing active member of the NYC dance community, as a choreographer, movement educator, performer and body worker. In her heart she is a dancer and an ever always mover. As a teacher she shares her continuous learnings, her movement perspective, and knowledge to support others. Barbara has been teaching dance, primarily Klein Technique, in both pure form and as related to many other styles of movement for almost 40 years, having begun her studies in 1977. Barbara was the first certified teacher, 1988, teaching since 1980, and the associate director and main teacher of the Susan Klein School of Dance and Movement 1983-2001 and from 2001-2003, .as associate director of the Susan Klein and Barbara Mahler School of Dance and Movement. As a contributor in the outreach of Klein Technique, Barbara has crafted a body felt approach in teaching, to more deeply engage the students in a process of growth and change. In practice she slowly breaks down all the component parts of the work and weaves them into body felt experience. Her teaching is consistent, detailed, and precise, as well as open. Since 2005, Barbara has been an ongoing faculty with Movement Research, NYC, and a 2002, and 2008 Artist in Residence.
Movement Research continues to support her process and products, while being ongoing faculty. Barbara first began her dance training at Hunter College, NYC, where she received a BA in Dance and visual art, under the tutelage of Professors’ Dorothy Vislocky, and Jana Feinman. She holds an MFA from UMW/Milwaukee.- a special thank you to Simone and Luc.! She is a body worker, in the modality of Zero Balancing, as practitioner and faculty since the late 1980’s. ZeroBalancing and Klein Technique, as well as improvising and choreographing interweave and inform each other through daily practice. She has traveled extensively, working in all of these capacities. With the support of Programa de intercambio internacional en Danza she traveled in 2011 to teach and perform in Valparaiso and Santiago, Chile . She taught at the State Arts Academy and the Dance House in Iceland, in 2012, also working with the Icelandic Dance Company; traveled to Israel, to work with Yasmeen Godder and Company 2015; was brought to London to teach in Greenwich, Chisenhale and Independent Dance Agency, many times between 1998- 2014 and at Greenwich.