Ashton Bauer

Since graduating from Illinois State University in May 2020, I moved to Chicago where I have been pursuing a career in dance. Currently, I am a Teaching Artist (TA) with Wellness4Every1, a nonprofit that serves youth in underserved Chicago public schools where there is a lack of arts or physical education programming. This involves teaching dance and yoga to children ages 4 to 18 and facilitating positive relationships between the school and TA teams. I am also a TA with the South Chicago Dance Theatre afterschool program, a yoga instructor with YogaSix, an Artistic Assistant with the Chicago Repertory Ballet, and a Dance Adjudicator with Precision Arts Challenge, a dance competition. As a visual artist, I accept and work through commissions and have a few independent projects in the works. As a student with limited income, the scholarship allowed me to buy materials and supplies as well as fund a study-abroad opportunity where I was able to immerse myself in the traditional dance and theatre of Uganda.