Because
Choreography by Shannon Hummel in collaboration with dancers Nikki Assanti, Ross Honaker, Ammara Shafqat, Keon Washington (with additional contributions by Katie Dean)
Original Score by Hans Bilger including work by Fiona Apple, The Alan Parsons Project, Pink Floyd, and The College of Wooster Marching Band
Production Team: Company Manager, Sarah McCullough; Production Manager, Marissa Barber
2024-2025 because performances & events:
TUESDAY, OCT 29, 2024: BOYS HOME OF VA, COVINGTON, VA
FRIDAY, NOV 2, 2024: CLIFTON FORGE ARMORY, CLIFTON FORGE, VA
TUESDAY, FEB 18, 2025: APPOMATTOX REGIONAL GOVERNOR’S SCHOOL, PETERSBURG, VA
FRIDAY, MARCH 3 - SATURDAY, MARCH 4, 2025: ATHENS-COXSACKIE MIDDLE SCHOOL, COXSACKIE, NY
UPCOMING BECAUSE PERFORMANCES - SAVE THE DATE!
FRIDAY, OCT 3 - SATURDAY, OCT 4, 2025: PAVE Academy Charter School, Red Hook, Brooklyn, NYC. TICKETS COMING SOON!
Photos above by Jada Callender of dancers Nikki Assanti, Ross Honaker, Ammara Shafqat, and Keon Washington in Shannon Hummel/Cora Dance’s Because. Shot on location at the Clifton Forge Armory in Clifton Forge, VA.
Gymnasiums hold a unique place in our collective memory, serving as spaces of triumph, defeat, intensity, and mundanity. Distinctly different yet universally familiar, gyms are timeless. Shannon Hummel/Cora Dance’s latest work, Because, transforms these spaces into a stage for an expansive, intimate, and existential exploration of athleticism, humanity, and nostalgia.
Created specifically for gymnasiums, Because unpacks how, like gyms, we are simultaneously constant and ever-changing. It reflects on the hopes of youth, the inevitability of endings, and the beauty of shared experiences. Through an evocative blend of movement and music, this work invites audiences to consider how memory intertwines fantasy and fact, connecting us across time and place.
Choreographed by Shannon Hummel in collaboration with her celebrated company, Because is a dance for gyms—plain and simple. It’s a powerful reminder of who we are, where we’ve been, and the unifying moments we create together.
Because when we are together again, we hope it’s as beautiful as our very first dance… and that you are there with us.