SPRING THEATER & ARTS PREVIEW

nomic injustice. Many artistic companies have provided more space for diverse voices and prioritized equity in their internal structures.

COMMON currently has three people on its administrative staff: Joseph Hernandez, Lauryn Masciana, and McFalls. Masciana was a dancer in the Conservatory before undertaking her current program administrator role. She graduated with her BFA in 2020 amidst the upheaval of the pandemic, and found in COMMON a space where she could continue her artistic practice. Having witnessed the program’s evolution over the years, Mascinana noted that it has “maintained the central goal of focusing on the dancers as individuals.”

“Each group of artists has been quite di erent from the group before it. That being said, the elements of the conservatory have shifted to fit the needs of each given group. The range of choreographers and faculty has broadened over time,” she wrote.

COMMON also brings dancers into Chicago from across the country. Marling mentioned that many dancers have come for the program, often directly upon graduating from college, and stay after their completion. This function of the program is important, he feels, to fuel a thriving ecosystem of dance in Chicago.

The Conservatory, Marling asserts, is already situated as the future company’s foundation. He clarified that the Conservatory would never function as a source of funding for the company, but that “part of it is amassing enough really amazing dancers here in Chicago and creating enough of a scene that building a company is quite natural.”

He reflected on COMMON: “It’s where I feel I’m best applying my e orts in the dance world. . . . This is where I can best be of use. This is what I’ve determined. If somebody can figure out a better way, though, like something I can do better, I’ll listen.”

@noraapaul