Mike Barber has been involved in the Northwest performance scene since 1985, most recently dancing in works by Minh Tran, Mary Oslund, and Randee Paufve (Oakland).

From 1996-2000 he was co-director of aero/betty aerial dance theater in Portland. As well as in aero/betty, his choreography has been seen at Performance Works Northwest, in Randee Paufve's 2001 concert Rend, and in evenings of his own work: Red Hat and Other Dances and DOA/Dancing on the Atlantic. He also produces and appears in the performance party series Ten Tiny Dances, recently presented at Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA)'s TBA Festival.

With collaborator Cydney Wilkes, Barber attended a residency at the Djerassi Resident Artist Program in Woodside, CA. and continues to create work with her. He recently took part in the final installment of her year-long site-specific work Penta, presented by RACC's In Situ program and presented collaborative work with her in spring 2005 at On the Boards in Seattle. The pair's next shared project is slated for December 2006.

Prior to Portland, Barber performed in New York with Bill Irwin on Broadway, and danced in Seattle with choreographers Wade Madsen, Llory Wilson and Pat Graney. Barber's work as a choreographer and curator has been supported by a variety of grants from organizations including the Regional Arts & Culture Council, Oregon Education Association, and the Meyer Memorial Trust.

Mr. Barber is a teacher for Portland Public Schools.

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