Austin, an Ohio native, received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from Slippery Rock University with a concentration in Performance and Choreography. During his time at Slippery Rock, Austin worked closely with Jesse Factor, Jennifer Keller, Ursula Payne, Melissa Teodoro, and Lindsay Viatori. He has performed works by Bill T. Jones, Brian Brooks, Helen Simoneau, Joshua Manculich, Hanna Brictson, Cameron McKinney, Ursula Payne, Bill Evans and many student works. While receiving his BFA, Austin was a member of the Palenque Colombian Dance Ensemble, Student Dance Advisory Board, National Honor Society of Dance Arts, and SRU Dance Theater. He has performed and presented his works at the Koresh Artist Showcase, American College Dance Association Conference Gala, Cleveland Dance Festival, El Colegio del Cuerpo (Cartagena, Colombia), and Columbus Arts Festival. Austin just finished his first season with Whirlwind Dance, a Professional Contemporary Dance Company under the direction of Joshua Manculich. He has attended festivals such as the American Dance Festival (Duke University), Edge Performing Arts Center Summer Intensive (Los Angeles), and will be Attending B12 Research (Berlin, Germany) this summer. Austin is so grateful that dance has taken him around the world and is excited to share all of the knowledge gained with his students.
