Maria Bauman is the founder of MBDance (www.mbdance.org), creating duets and small group dances from a sense of physical and emotional power, a desire for equity, and a fascination with intimacy and relationships. For that work, she has been honored by GO! Magazine as a "Woman at the Helm." Her company, MBDance, most recently showed work in New York as part of SummerStage. She is the recipient of the 2009-10 Harlem Stage Fund for New Work and of a 2010-11 DTW Studio Series. In New York, her choreography has been showcased at Harlem Stage, the 92Y Harkness Dance Center, Dixon Place, the Kumble Theater, the Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance (BAAD!), WOW Café Theater, BRICstudios, and Dance Theater Workshop (New York Live Arts). In addition, Bauman and MBDance have shared work across the U.S. and in Singapore. Bauman is also a teacher, and has facilitated learning for students in venues such as Peridance (NY), Long Island University, Hunter College, American College Dance Festival, and on behalf of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company.

Maria Bauman began as an apprentice with Urban Bush Women in 2002, then quickly moved into the role of company member, then Associate Artistic Director for Community Engagement, and transitioned into a UBW guest performer, lead facilitator, and consultant. Maria now “creates dance & creates community” as Director of Education & Community Engagement at the helm of UBW’s BOLD (Builders, Organizers, and Leaders through Dance) program. She weaves her identities as a choreographer, dancer, facilitator, and educator together to strengthen UBW’s community partnerships, deepen our education practices, support company members, and help people move and sweat together as an expression of connection and liberation. Maria has facilitated learning for students in venues such as Peridance (NY), Long Island University, and American College Dance Festival, the Dimenna Center for Classical Music, and on behalf of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company.She works closely with the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond on Understanding and Undoing Racism workshops for arts communities, is a WOW Café Theatre collective member (theater space by and for women and transgender artists), is on the Laundromat Project’s Artists + Community Council, and is a founding member of the Naturally Occurring Cultural Districts Working Group (NOCD-NY). She integrates each of these affiliations to further the role of artist as community member, whether onstage or drafting policy recommendations. Bauman was also previously Arts Coordinator for El Puente where she created arts opportunities for young people and re-invigorated the latent CADRE (Community Artists' Development & Resource Exchange). She is also the founder of MBDance (www.mbdance.org), creating duets and small group dances from a sense of physical and emotional power, a desire for equity, and a fascination with intimacy and relationships. Her company, MBDance, most recently showed work in New York as part of SummerStage.