Natasha Bar was born in Odessa, Ukraine. She trained with protegés of Vaganova and danced with the Odessa Ballet Company for 15 years, where she performed leading roles in classical and contemporary ballets and toured internationally. After emigrating to the US, Natasha was on the faculty of the Rock School of the Pennsylvania Ballet for 15 years, both as a teacher and as the official International Competition Coach. While at the Rock School, Natasha coached the winners of international competitions in Moscow, Jackson, Greece, Paris, and the Youth America GrandPrix in NYC. In 2008, Natasha received the Outstanding Teacher Award from Youth America Grand Prix. Many of Natasha’s students have danced with major companies including New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Royal Danish Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, and Alvin Ailey. Natasha was featured in the MTV series “Made” and in the feature film NY Export: Opus Jazz, which aired on PBS. Natasha has also been a guest teacher at New York City Ballet, where her daughter Ellen danced as a soloist.
