Born in Lecce in 1973, studied and worked abroad for over a decade with internationally known teachers. Scholarships: ERASMUS INTENSIVE PROJECT ’95 (Chicester, England), DanceWEB, scholarship (Int. Tanzwochen) Vienna 1998.

Graduated in new dance and choreography at the School for New Dance Development of Amsterdam in 1998. After having worked in several projects in The Netherlands, Austria and Germany as a dancer, in 2001 she becomes member of the DEJà DONNé company, dancing in different productions and touring around Europe until 2003. Since 2009, along with her own performances, she is also a dancer for ALDES (choreographer Roberto Castello). In 2012 she worked as a dancer in the short film ‘The towers’ directed by Peter Greenaway. Since 2000 she has lived and worked in Milano and in festivals and venues in The Netherlands, Switzerland and Africa. Among her productions: KRUDA (2001), DOOD (2003), GIACOMOGIACOMO (2004), FREEDOM (2006), ORBATA (2007), PLURALE FEMMINILE, LE FERITE CHE MI SOMIGLIANO (2010), CAMBIO PROGRAMMA (2010), IO NON DORMO (2012) and the urban performance SPARIRE QUI (2014). Regularly teaches composition, improvisation and contemporary technique in different contests. Barbara Toma is also one of the initiators of the movement for the rights of Italian contemporary dancers and choreographers (TANAZ network) She successfully conceived and curated three editions of the International Festival for new dance at the CRT teatro dell’arte of Milano: 2005 SHORT FORMATS (THE SURVIVAL KIT), 2006 SHORT FORMATS (THE INVISIBLE POWER KIT) and 2011 SHORT FORMATS (RUNNING OUT OF CULTURE).

From 2007 to 2014 she worked for PimOff in Milano, first as curator for the dance programming and later as Artistic Director, turning a theater in the outskirts of Milano into one of the most interesting center in the Italian performing art landscape. She is the mother of Frida Maria and Mirta Marianne.