She grew up on Chicago's South Side and attended Calumet High School.
She studied at Arthur Mitchell's Dance Theatre of Harlem after winning a scholarship and trained in a variety of techniques with practitioners in the field including Igor Schwezoff and DanceAfrica founder Chuck Davis.
She performed on Broadway, in film and on television and venues included Metropolitan Museum of Art and Palais Garnier in Paris.
Between 2001 and 2018 she was resident dance supervisor for the West End production of The Lion King.
[4] Described by Associate Newspapers as "a truly beautiful and expressive dancer", Barnes has been praised for inspiring and nurturing black performers both in the US and the UK.