Barbara contributes to The AutoEthnographer
- "The Joy of Learning Valuable Lessons as a Dancer" (May 11, 2023)
- "Dancing for My Supper Like the Old Vaudevillians" (November 2, 2022)
- "Have You Ever Crossed the Desert in a Circus Train?" (May 6, 2022)
Nutcracker in Italy
… I love the article in the December 2002 issue of Dance Magazine "Fokine Family Nutrackers." I danced in Irene Fokine's Nutcracker … The first role I had, when I was nine years old, was in the Arabian dance.
Memories of Ireland
Small purple flowers grew wild everywhere on the island, so—wanting to remember I’d been here—I picked some and put them in my handbag. In the distance, I could see the island ferryboat approaching. I stumbled down the hill in panic, but before I made it to the pier, the boat steamed away. As though a great and powerful hand had touched the back of my neck, a voice inside of me said, “Don’t be in a hurry. Let this place enter your soul.”
A Life of Ballet
Interviewer: What kind of person do you imagine to be your ideal reader?
Barbara: Readers who fantasize about living in Italy. I wrote about the Italy that most people don't imagine. Also, readers interested in the making of musical theater and ballet productions in a small Italian village are another audience for the book.