International Ballet Barre Fitness Association (IBBFA)

The Official Certifying Organization of Barre Fitness Training Programs & Instructors Worldwide

IBBFA is the International Ballet Barre Fitness Association, the official certifying organization for ballet barre fitness programs and instructors worldwide.  Our Board of Directors is comprised of a team of fitness professionals from a variety of backgrounds, each with advanced degrees in their respective areas of expertise. Together, we have over 100 years of collective experience in dance and fitness study, practice, and education.  More importantly, we have seen firsthand the power and the potential of barre fitness to improve students’ quality of life and enhance their physical fitness efforts. At IBBFA, we are dedicated to:

  • increasing awareness of the many benefits of barre fitness
  • advancing the adoption of barre fitness as a core element of all training programs
  • elevating the level of education among the fitness professionals who teach barre fitness
  • advocating for the highest achievable practice standards on behalf of students and professionals
  • sharing the joy of barre fitness with as many participants as possible worldwide

The Benefits of Barre Training

Barre training offers students a wealth of advantages:

  • encourages better posture and increased flexibility to improve efficiency in everyday tasks
  • builds a stronger core to reduce risk of back injury
  • complements a wide variety of training routines for runners, strength athletes, or weekend warriors
  • provides a fun, encouraging atmosphere for students new to physical fitness
  • Students achieve the best results under the guidance of a skilled, well-trained Barre instructor. Read on
  • to learn how IBBFA Certification can help you maximize your impact on students’ lives.

Why a Certification Was Needed

The widespread acceptance of barre training worldwide as a sound method for achieving fitness goals, and its continued adoption as a core offering by fitness professionals across the industry, depends on the success of every student who takes a barre fitness class.  For students to achieve the best results, all barre fitness professionals should aspire to the highest standards in their work.  Time and time again, we see that one bad experience with an uneducated instructor is often enough to turn a student away from barre training for life. But without any uniform standards or licensing requirements, the quality and safety of programs varies widely from instructor to instructor and facility to facility.  This inconsistency and lack of standards:

  • puts students at risk of injury from instructors who are not knowledgeable about proper form and technique
  • puts instructors and facilities at risk of liability for student injuries that result from sub-standard instruction
  • puts the future of barre fitness training as a whole at risk if students don’t experience the full benefit of barre fitness training or suffer injuries

It also leaves those fitness professionals and facilities who genuinely care about quality and safety without a way to credibly demonstrate their commitment to excellence and their extra concern for their students’ or clients’ safety.  Those who invest the extra time, effort, and expense in their training and professional development, to be the best instructors they can be and offer the best programs available, deserve to be publicly acknowledged for their dedication to the advancement of barre training and their commitment to professional excellence.  For all of these reasons and more, we created the IBBFA Certification.