In both Portugal and Spain, various historical accounts from the time highlight the practice of dance by Maria Barbara and other members of the royal family. Dance constituted an essential component of the education of royalty and nobility, drawing its main inspiration from the court of Louis XIV. In Lisbon, Maria Barbara initially received dance lessons from the Catalan Joseph Borques and later from Pedro Duya, of French origin, and appointed as "Master of Dance of the Royal Household" in 1724. In Madrid, her "maestros de danzar" were Michel Gaudrau and Sebastian Cristiani di Scio, both associated with the Queen's Court.
 
The study of dance practice in a courtly setting encompassed dances in the noble French style intended for balls, distinct from theatrical dances typically performed on stage by professional dancers.

Some of the same dance types and music (such as a minuet or a bourrée) could traverse both the salon and the theater repertoire. However, the choreographic composition and technical complexity of the steps and dance figures differed. While Spain had its own dance tradition, Elisabeth Farnese also encouraged the practice of French and Italian dance, which Maria Barbara was already familiar with thanks to her mother and the instructors she had in Lisbon. In the 18th century, there was a proliferation of publications featuring collections of dances and treatises, widely circulated and adapted locally. Alongside the teaching of dance technique and choreography, documented through the Feuillet—Beauchamp notation—these treatises served as didactic manuals conveying courtly models and sociability norms.