Bonnie Cohen

Bonnie Cohen’s Mother 

Introduction

Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen is a woman of all kinds of talents, she is a movement artist, researcher, educator, and therapist. 

Born on December 31, 1941, she is currently 82 teaching live online classes and writing numerous books. 

Originally, Bonnie Bainbridge was a trained and licensed occupational therapist who worked with severely disabled adults and children from 1962 to 1972. 

Her work in Neurology and Kinesiology is the most remarkable for being a ballet dancer. 

Having the achievements she has made, she continued off her life teaching programs and workshops throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, South America, Australia, and New Zealand. 

Having since 1973, a private practice in occupational therapy and the Body Mind Centering approach to somatic education and therapy. 

Focusing her work on people of all ages, but most primarily in infants and young children. 

I chose Bonnie Bainbridge due to her multitude of achievements and work she has progressed in society and in the art form of dancing. 

I find her interest in Neurology captivating and her interest in helping assist younger children inspiring for the difficult challenges they face. 

I find Bonnie to be a one of a kind person and dancer. 

Bonnie Bainbridge

Biography

A person that people should look up to, to help improve our world. 

Bonnie Bainbridge was born on December 31, 1941 in Miami Florida. Her parents 

Bonnie 1949

worked with Ringling Bros. And Barnum & Bailey Circus. Her parent’s work in the circus life

influenced Bonnie’s foundation on dance and the arts. Her main influence towards dance was her

mother as she was a professional dancer. Throughout her childhood Bonnie would study the art

of dancing. Bonnie had two childhood dance teachers who set the foundation towards her career.

For high school, she went to Hialeah High School, where she was given

 the opportunity to study modern dance daily as a physical education 

elective with her teacher, Ms. Jordan. Not only did she seek to learn about

 dance in high school, but scientific research was also in her main field of interest. 

During her senior year of high school her project was the dissection of a cat and to learn about all of the bones and muscles. 

The development of her interest in helping children out in dance came to be from her volunteer work helping and exploring movement.

Bonnie graduated from Ohio State University in 1963 with a BS degree in Occupational Therapy.

Ohio State University Medical Center 1963

From 1964 to 1965, she enrolled herself into the dance major 

program at OSU to study more about dance under the figure, 

Helen Alkire.

Career Highlight

Her first experience in the dance field was when she worked under Nancy Snyder as an

occupational therapist at Dodd Hall, the OSU rehabilitation center. In 1965, she traveled to New

York City to study dance with Erick Hawkins, one of the great modern dancers. His concept of

effortless, free-flowing movement as a natural phenomenon became the foundation for Bonnie’s

explorations. She revisited New York to study with new teachers such as Andre Bernard and

Barbara Clark who taught her neuromuscular reeducation. While she lived in New York, Bonnie

worked as an occupational therapist at Bird S. Cole’s Hospital, taught dance at Hunter College,

taught movement to women in their eighties and nineties at the Amsterdam Nursing Home, and

went on home visits to children with special needs and dancers with physical challenges. She

moved to Amsterdam in 1968 to study touch and movement with patients at the University of

Amsterdam’s psychiatric Research Clinic as well as privately with dancers. In November 1970,

Bonnie and her husband moved to Tokyo, Japan where she then helped establish a school for

occupational and physical therapy at Fuchu Rehabilitation Center by the approval of the Tokyo

government. She then moved to Amherst Massachusetts spending the next 33 years there,

privately seeking clients for the School for Body Mind Centering. Finally in June 2009, Bonnie

moved to California to teach workshops in the United States and internationally, write and create videos.

Moving Legends Bonnie Bainbridge Interview

Three Interesting Facts

Bonnie 1985

Three interesting facts about Bonnie Bainbridge would be that along with 

her studies in dance, she studies drawing especially with watercolors, she 

takes interest in Western calligraphy, Chinese brush painting, and 

Mandarin Chinese. I find her to be such a captivating person with

her wide range of never ending interests and fulfillment. I for one feel 

inspired and enlightened

that I am able to relate to her in one aspect which is with watercolor 

painting. 

I took up painting as a young child and developed my interest in 

watercolor painting by my aunt. To read and learn

about a dancer taking interest in not only dance but painting as well makes her to be a great and

well rounded individual. Such as I, instead of being in dance along with painting, I was instead in

sports growing up. Therefore, technically having a similar yet different upbringing than Bonnie.

Her interest in calligraphy also speaks out to me due to my initial interest in calligraphy at a

young age. I liked to broaden my art skills and was given a calligraphy set as a child to which I

practiced my craftsmanship with. I never fully set myself up with calligraphy however due to my

main focus in sports and art such as painting. I find her interest in studying Mandarin Chinese

very different and intriguing as she never explicitly went to China for her studies. Her

involvement with different countries is what sets her apart from other individuals. Instead of

learning the country’s language she was in, she instead learnt Mandarin, one of the hardest

languages to learn.

In Conclusion

Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen is unlike no other woman or dancer in our world today, there is

no such individual that could reach the same amount of accomplishments as herself. I find her to

be inspiring to other individuals who seek the same pathway in life as hers and to hopefully learn

from her practices and life story. Her initial involvement with Neurology and Kinesiology

especially with younger children brings hope to humanity as she helps revitalize this world. 

Bonnie practicing the basic neurocelluar patterns 

I chose Bonnie to be my choice of ballet dancer not because of her skill in ballet, but because of

her involvement with the life and progression of the art. There may be many ballet dancers out

there who have spent their entire life developing professional skills to perfect the beautiful art

form. However, Bonnie took a different route even with her parents helping develop her skills in

ballet. Currently, Bonnie is living at the ripe age of 82 recording videos and writing her life’s

work on her own. Peacefully accomplishing all that she has wanted to in her lifetime. I

personally believe Bonnie left behind a legacy unlike no other dancer to our generation and

previous generations before her as her work has been a constant development that has built off of

each and every study. 

Bonnie at age 82

Works Cited

INTERVIEW WITH BONNIE BAINBRIDGE COHEN

interview by Lisa Nelson, 1949- and Nancy Stark Smith, 1952-; in Contact Quarterly, Vol. 5, No.

2, Winter 1980, Focus on Healing II, Contact Quarterly, Vol. 5, No. 2, Winter 1980

(Northampton, MA: Contact Quarterly (Journal), 1980), 20-31

Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, Contredanse, 21 Aug. 2023,

contredanse.org/en/Authors/bonnie-bainbridge-cohen/.

Cohen, Bonnie Bainbridge. Basic Neurocellular Patterns : Exploring Developmental Movement.

Illustrated by Margaret Guay et al., Burchfield Rose Publishers, 2018.

“Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen Bio - Body-Mind Centering®.” Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen Bio,

Body-Mind Centering, 20 Nov. 2001,

www.bodymindcentering.com/bonnie-bainbridge-cohen-bio/.