Join us in the Lilian Welsh Dance Studio for an informal viewing and discussion of Commonplace, choreographed by Susan Hadley  and restaged by Rachael Riggs Leyva. 

Dr. Rachael Riggs Leyva is a dance notator, educator, scholar, and performer. She has taught for Denison University, The Ohio State University, and CATCOisKids, and presented research at CORD/SDHS, Dance Studies Association, International Council of Kinetography Laban, and Trinity/LABAN. She earned a PhD in Dance and Literacy Studies, and an MFA in Dance Documentation from The Ohio State University.

Commonplace, choreographed by Susan Hadley, is an expression of the power and passion of community, particularly communities of women. The meaning of the title is twofold, signifying both common or routine activities of life, and a ritual gathering of community to embrace and support individuals within the group. The original inspiration for Commonplace came from groups of women in politically unstable countries such as Argentina, Cambodia, and Bosnia, where political dissidents were abducted or “disappeared” overnight, during the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. Groups of women in these countries gathered and walked the public squares day after day, over years, to protest the disappearances of loved ones and hold their governments accountable for human rights violations. For Hadley, the walking of these women symbolized a ritual act of support for each other, and the power of human spirit in community. 

Susan Hadley was a principal dancer with the Mark Morris Dance Group, with whom she performed numerous original roles in works such as L’Allegro, Dido and Aeneus, and Mythologies. She was a member of Senta Driver's company HARRY and she performed with Meredith Monk. As rehearsal director for Mark Morris she worked with Baryshnikov's White Oak Dance Project, with Zivili's premier of The Office, and with the Royal Opera's production of Platee. Her own work has been performed by Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Repertory Dance Theatre, American Repertory Ballet, and more. She is the recipient of the 2002 Colleges of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Teaching Award, the 2006 OSU Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching, and the 2014 Ratner Award for Distinguished Teaching. See her full bio on Ohio State University’s website.