Founded by choreographer and educator Shannon Hummel, Cora Dance creates transformative dance experiences while addressing inequities that limit people from bonding deeply with the art form.

Founded in 1998, the acclaimed professional dance company Shannon Hummel/Cora Dance performs the work of choreographer and arts educator, Shannon Hummel. This outstanding cohort of professional dance artists not only perform the collaboratively created choreographic work of Hummel, but also serve as the lead educators in Cora’s year-round education hubs—Cora Dance Brooklyn in Red Hook, Brooklyn, and Cora Dance Alleghany in Alleghany Highlands of VA. CDA and CDB offer ongoing pay-what-you-can dance education rooted in SH/CD’s collaborative process of creating work. At the center of the education methodology, young artists receive strong technical training while using dance as a tool to build understanding of one’s unique voice and underscoring the power and importance of collaboration and community.

Hummel’s nuanced, emotionally sophisticated work as a choreographer resonates with a spirit of shared humanity infused in Cora’s education and community engagement. All Cora programs and performances are free and pay-what-you-can. The company’s history of presenting dance in non-traditional spaces further supports Cora’s mission of access, sharing dance in surprisingly intimate, “up close and personal” ways presented by a moving cast of compelling dance artists.

“Ms. Hummel's dances are like vividly detailed yet elliptical short stories, economical and eloquent…evok(ing) whole small universes of emotions and relationships, both simple and complex." 

The New York Times

The Professional Company

Founded in 1998, Shannon Hummel/Cora Dance began as the NYC-based professional modern dance company of Shannon Hummel. For 26 years in NYC, Hummel’s work has been repeatedly acclaimed for its humble sophistication and unflinching emotion. From the start, SH/CD has been acclaimed for work that can be seen not only on some of the city's finest stages but also in backyards, living rooms, cars, public parks and community spaces, bringing dance to people where they live. In 2023, SH/CD established dual residency in New York City and Virginia, developing work throughout multiple spaces in the community of Red Hook, Brooklyn and as well as in residence at The Historic Masonic Theatre and Amphitheatre in Clifton Forge, VA, among other spaces in the Alleghany Highlands region.

The School

A career dance educator as well as choreographer, Hummel expanded Cora in 2009, opening a sliding scale studio in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Home to Brooklyn’s largest NYCHA public housing community surrounded by affluent waterfront, Cora is committed to providing equal access to programs led by professional dance artists, personalized opportunities for youth seeking performing arts careers, and practices that expand integration in the Red Hook community. The studio serves as a home for the professional company and a pay-what-you-can school for dance, offering exceptional training while addressing disparities that restrict engagement. Turning no one away based on ability to pay, NYCHA, Section-8, and families seeking housing receive priority enrollment and SEA/Supporting Equal Access Services—after-school pick-up; childcare; free food, dance attire, and shoes; among other services—to help ensure equitable experiences.

CYC/Cora Youth Company

CYC/Cora Youth Company—an audition-based repertory company for students aged 9–18—was formed in 2011 to offer select advanced students opportunities to learn and perform the works of 4–6 professional choreographers annually while having access to counseling services; parent workshops; internships; paid professional work opportunities; and audition/application assistance to MS/HS/College programs. 90% of CYC students gain entry into their top choice of college, many on scholarship.

Cora Dance Brooklyn Grand Opening

In 2018, Cora opened a larger facility in Red Hook. Remaining home to the company and school—now serving 500+ students per year, over 80% attending free or reduced tuition—the space also enjoyed 4 pre-professional CYC/Cora Youth Companies, 5 satellite programs, 5 guest/resident artists, sliding scale space rental, a studio-theater, and presentation of 20+ live events annually, including Red Hook Community Prom, a pay-what-you-can high-school prom-themed dance party for 500+ guests. In 2024, the organization launched the Cora at Large initiative to transition from this single dedicated space to multiple spaces in schools, public spaces, and community centers throughout the Red Hook community. The organization plans a full transition into this new model in Fall/Winter 2024 to create greater geographic access, increase cross-pollination and sustainability between organizations, and amplify visibility among Red Hook residents of all demographics.

“Ripples in Red Hook”– Cora in COVID

In 2020, Cora temporarily closed for an 11-month period due to the COVID-19 pandemic during which time Hummel was honored by The NY Dance & Performance “Bessie” Awards for Service to the Field of Dance. In that spirit of service, during the closure, Hummel made the decision to use the time to expand on 25 years of service and programming in rural communities, primarily through Cora’s celebrated Crossroads Project, an in-depth intensive experience using dance, writing, and storytelling to intersect and create cultural understanding between urban and rural youth.

The Crossroads Project & Cora Dance Alleghany

In late 2020, Hummel established a residency space in the Alleghany Highlands region of VA, and began working closely with local arts organizations to thoughtfully integrate Cora’s programming into the region. In 2023, Cora cut the ribbon on a dedicated office and shared rehearsal and performance spaces in the Historic Masonic Theatre and Amphitheatre in Clifton Forge, launching Cora Dance Alleghany.

Through CDA, Cora now offers ongoing, local pay-what-you-can dance education programs in five locations across the region; year-round community-based performances and workshops merging local and NYC-based professional artists; and biennial opportunities for urban and rural youth to intersect and collaborate via The Crossroads Project. Now in its 26th season, Cora’s transformative initiatives continue to make exceptional dance accessible while promoting connections within and between communities across America.