It’s not often in life that a truly exceptional teacher comes around, someone who transcends the ordinary and becomes legendary, like Mr. Miyagi, Yoda and Dumbledore. Barbara Demaree was one such mentor, and unlike those fictional characters, she was real.
For nearly 50 years, Demaree shared her mastery of and dedication to dance with generations of students, imparting upon them a profound sense of grace, discipline and artistic expression that transformed lives both on and off the stage. On Dec. 4, 2023, at the age of 88, Demaree passed away in her home in Fort Wayne, Indiana, after a long battle with terminal cancer, leaving a heavy and profound gap within the Boulder arts community.
And though her death marks the end of an era for the Boulder dance scene, Demaree’s legacy lives on through the innumerable dancers whose lives were enriched and the enduring impact of her artistry and teaching philosophy. With the help of some of Barbara’s family and friends, we piece together the details that made this poised, chic and thoroughly British choreographer a true Boulder icon. Barbara Demaree was born on New Year’s Eve in 1935 in the northern English industrial town of Bradford, Yorkshire, to parents who worked as pork butchers.
She spent her early days helping her parents in the shop, making pork pies and sausages. When she wasn’t in school, or practicing air raid drills, as was typical during World War II-era England, she spent her weekends hiking around the lake distr.
