Meet the Instructor

My Story
The way you feel in your body affects everything.
When your body feels strong, energized, and supported, life becomes easier to navigate. But many women struggle to find a sustainable approach to movement, health, and self-care that truly works for their lives. My mission is to guide women toward simple, supportive practices that help them feel stronger, more balanced, and restored.

Movement has always been part of my life.

From the time I was a little girl, I was drawn to dancing, athletics, and the joy of moving my body. That passion eventually led me to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Education, and later a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Dance in Education.

For more than three decades, I have been teaching and sharing the power of movement with others — from ballet and modern dance at NJSD Arts in Hackettstown, to yoga and Pilates at Centenary University, to working with clients throughout New York and New Jersey. Teaching has always been my calling. I often describe myself as a multi-passionate educator — someone who loves helping others learn, grow, and discover what they’re capable of.

Alongside my work in dance and fitness, I have also spent 23 years teaching in the public school system, encouraging both children and adults to live healthy, balanced lives.

In 2018, after 37 years of freelancing, I fulfilled a long-held dream and opened my own studio, Gallery Barre, on Main Street in Hackettstown. The space was beautiful, the community was growing, and everything felt aligned.

And then life changed.

Just after the studio’s first anniversary, I heard the words no one expects to hear:

Stage 3C Ovarian Cancer.

What followed became the most difficult dance of my life.

As someone who had always tried to care for my health, I struggled to understand how something like this could happen. But through the experience, I discovered something that forever shaped my perspective.

The years I had spent supporting my body through movement, emotional resilience, and spiritual strength helped carry me through the hardest season of my life.

Today, I am incredibly grateful to say that I am in remission.

That journey deepened my understanding of how connected our health truly is — movement, mindset, nutrition, and self-care all work together.

Gallery Barre is now located in my home studio in Hackettstown, where I continue doing what I love most: helping women reconnect with their bodies, build strength, restore balance, and create healthier lives.

Because life is too short not to feel well.

If you’re ready to feel stronger, have more energy, and take meaningful steps toward your health, I would love to guide you on that journey.

Live. Learn. Teach.

— Robin Florentine
Owner & Director, Gallery Barre
BFA Dance | MA Education