Barbara Bernstein's Biography

From solving equations to choreographing dance routines, Barbara’s journey has been a harmonious blend of art and science. After earning a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland’s School of Education, she began her career as a mathematics instructor at Bowie State, then a small liberal arts college. She subsequently helped run a family business that published annual editions of a “Tax Guide for College Teachers.”

But from very early childhood, Barb also nurtured a deep love for music and dance, which led her to embrace a new path. Since the early 2000s, she has been a full-time Latin dance teacher. Transitioning from mathematics to dance may seem like a leap, but Barbara has found these disciplines surprisingly similar. Both require helping students build their confidence so they are comfortable with the consistent practice needed to achieve a solid level of skill. 

As the founder of Danceintime, Barbara has offered private and group classes, orchestrated Hispanic Heritage Month and Women’s History Month programs, and led Salsa Bootcamps. She has taught workshops at events in Washington D.C., New York, Philadelphia, Miami, San Juan, and Dublin.

She's had fun training people for competitions modeled after “Dancing with the Stars” and preparing couples for their wedding “First Dance.” She has also taught credit dance classes at American University, George Washington University, University of Maryland, George Mason University, and Prince George's Community College and non-credit classes for the Peabody Institute of Music.

To help students with rhythm and timing, Bernstein produced "Rhythm Reminder," an instructional CD that helps dancers keep the beat of the music.  She also produced a short documentary film about the global popularity of Rueda de Casino and has written articles on dance topics for websites & electronic publications.  Barb is the organizer of the Baltimore Salsa Meetup Group, the Annapolis Salsa Meetup and the International Rhythms Meetup.

Over the years, Barb’s dance company has performed at a wide array of venues including the Kennedy Center, DC’s Capital One Arena, and World Bank Red Carpet Galas as well as Salsa Congresses in Miami, San Francisco, San Juan, DC, and Baltimore. The Danceintime team has been featured on ABC News, the WTTG Morning News, Voice of America and Telemundo.  But most of all, Barb prides herself on running fun, productive classes and workshops where laughter and dance go hand in hand.