Maria Bauman is the founder and artistic director of MBDance, which has received Harlem Stage Fund for New Work awards through the Jerome Foundation, among other honors. She was awarded a 2015 CUNY Dance Initiative residency, and is now Artist-in-Residence at Virginia Commonwealth University. Bauman's work has been showcased at numerous venues in New York and elsewhere in the region. She facilitates learning for students in venues including Gibney Dance, the American Dance Festival, and on behalf of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company. She previously served as Associate Artistic Director of Urban Bush Women and is former arts coordinator of El Puente (NY). Bauman works closely with the People's Institute for Survival and Beyond. She is a WOW Café Theatre collective member and is on the Laundromat Project's Artists + Community Council in New York City. Bauman served on the Center's Performance panel in 2014 and 2015.