Meet Cora’s Team

Co-Directors

NIKKI ASSANTI
(SHE/HER)

Director of Cora DAnce Brooklyn

Nikki Assanti is a dance artist, administrator, yoga instructor, and the Director of Cora Dance Brooklyn. In her role, she dances for Shannon Hummel/Cora Dance's professional company, teaches all levels of Modern Dance and dance for Seniors, and directs the Modern Cora Youth Companies in addition to working to oversee the work of the CDB administrative team and production team. Nikki is the founder and lead choreographer of Nikki and the Noise, a Brooklyn-based dance company. Her choreographic work with Nikki and the Noise has been shown in NYC venues such as The Cherry Lane Theatre, Cora Dance, Creative Cultural Center at St. Veronica’s Church, Gallim Dance, Green Space, and Triskelion Arts. Nikki has performed in works by Brit Falcon, Digital Movement Dance, JACKS, Joanna Mendl Shaw, Raja Feather Kelly, and Shannon Hummel. Nikki also teaches on faculty at Open Arts Studio. She has been a guest artist and speaker at multiple universities including University of Florida and University of Southern Maine. She received her BFA in Dance from the University of Florida, and is a 200 hour registered yoga instructor. Nikki has held many roles over 9 years at Cora in administration, productions, performance, and teaching and is proud to serve as Director of Cora Dance Brooklyn for the 2025–2026 Season.

shannon hummel
(SHE/HER)

FoundEr, Director of professional company & Mobile Programs

Shannon Hummel is a choreographer, educator, and nationally recognized advocate for equitable access to dance. As the Founder of Cora Dance, Hummel has spent nearly 30 years creating emotionally resonant choreography and developing equity-driven education programs. Her professional company, Shannon Hummel/Cora Dance, is known for bringing elegant, accessible performance into community spaces where dance is often limited, while also being presented at major venues such as BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music), Brooklyn Museum, New York Live Arts (NYLA), among others. Described by The New York Times as “poignant, funny, and remarkably assured and perceptive,” “a rare gem,” and “vivid and true,” as well as being a Top 10 Critics Pick for Dance, she has received numerous accolades, including a New York Dance and Performance “Bessie” Award Citation for Service to the Field of Dance in 2019 and being named an Extraordinary Woman of Brooklyn by District Attorney Charles Hynes in 2011. She has taught and developed dance programs across the country—from major universities like James Madison University (her alma mater, where she was named Distinguished Alumni of the School of Theatre and Dance in 2000) to youth studios. She spent a decade shaping young artists and programming at BAX/Brooklyn Arts Exchange, Poly Prep Country Day School and Queensborough College in NYC and has been a guest speaker and panelist for organizations such as the American Dance Festival NY-Intensive, American College Dance Association, Movement Research, New York Live Arts, BAX, and the Poverty Studies Program at Washington & Lee University among others. In 2009, she founded Cora Dance Brooklyn, followed by Cora Dance Alleghany in 2020—youth arts centers dedicated to providing high-quality, pay-what-you-can dance education in communities facing barriers to access. Under her artistic leadership, Cora has received support from the National Endowment for the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council on the Arts, Virginia Commission for the Arts, among other support. Hummel currently splits her time between Clifton Forge, VA and Brooklyn, NY, anchoring her creative life in both rural and urban settings. She is a mama and godmama, a wanderer at heart, and someone who continues to find joy and purpose in sharing dance across every landscape and community she can.

ammara shafqat
(SHE/HER)

director of cora dance alleghany

Ammara Shafqat is a dance educator, performer, arts administrator, and the Director of Cora Dance Alleghany. She is from Harrisonburg, VA and has worked professionally throughout the state as well as in New York City. She holds a BA in Dance from James Madison University, where she was a member of JMU’s pre-professional touring company, the Virginia Repertory Dance Company, as well as serving as the Co-Director of JMU’s Associate Dance Ensemble for first-year dance majors. At JMU, she worked with globally recognized artists Kyle Abraham/Abraham.In.Motion, Rubén Graciani, Kiki Lucas, and Matt Pardo, among other choreographers. Ammara's work extends beyond her growing body of credits as a performer and teacher to include arts advocacy, production, administration, and community engagement. She is currently a dance faculty member at Cora Dance Alleghany and several independent studios and schools in the Shenandoah Valley and Alleghany Highlands regions of VA. Ammara tours internationally as a company manager and assistant with The Blanket and historic post-modern dance icon Lucinda Childs and her company. In addition to dancing with the professional company, Shannon Hummel/Cora Dance, since 2022, she has served as the Youth Advancement & Programs Manager and Youth Company Director for both Cora campuses—NYC (Cora Dance Brooklyn) and Virginia (Cora Dance Alleghany)—and moved into an Artistic Associate role in 2023. Now in her 4th season working with the organization as an administrator and artist, Ammara is proud to take on the role of Director of Cora Dance Alleghany in 2025–2026, heading the Cora Dance Alleghany team, deepening education and access work in the Alleghany Highlands region while continuing to dance with the professional company.

Administrative and Artistic Team

hans bilger
(he/him)

SH/CD company COMPOSER

Hans Bilger is a musician, sound engineer, and evolutionary biologist who serves as composer-in-residence at Cora Dance. A musician since childhood—he grew up playing American folk and country gospel in a family band with his classical singer mother and science writer father—he seeks to blend intuition and rigor in his musical work. Bilger is a classically trained double bassist who studied with members of the Staatskapelle Berlin and Ornette Coleman’s band. His debut solo album Meridian, was released on Good Child Music in 2019, and his recent collaboration with composer Eli Greenhoe, Orchids, was released on Adhyâropa Records in 2025. Bilger’s technical expertise as a recording engineer and producer enhances his compositional work. He trained at Yale University’s Fred Plaut Recording Studio and has worked on production teams for recordings on ECM Records and with renowned jazz artists such as Doug Weiss and Kit Downes. Recordings by his audio production company, Two Fields Sound, have been featured on Apple Music’s Best New Songs. Bilger also holds a PhD in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior from the University of Texas at Austin, where he published papers on the musicality of birdsong and the evolution of the voice box. He currently serves as a Visiting Scientist at Berlin's Museum für Naturkunde and UT Austin.

eleanor crawford
(she/they)

advancement & DEVELOPMENT manager

Eleanor Crawford is a choreographer, educator, and arts administrator invested in making dance accessible for all. Eleanor grew up dancing at the Brooklyn Arts Exchange (BAX) where they have stayed involved in the alumni community. Eleanor graduated from Hampshire College with a focus in choreography, cultural studies, and youth studies. Eleanor’s passion for supporting young people has manifested in many years of teaching and administrative work in arts education spaces, summer camps, and special education schools. She has shown her choreographic work at BAX, the School for Contemporary Dance and Thought, Atland, Triskelion Arts, Anchor House of Artists, and virtually through skewl, as well as at Vienna Union Hall as a Bearnstow Young Artist Intern in 2024.

josÉ joaquÍn garcÍa
(he/him)

CDB faculty

José Joaquín García was born and raised in Alphabet City on Manhattan's Lower East Side where he learned his passion for singing and developed the incredible sense of urgency that is palpable when he steps up to the microphone.  Jose has graced the stage with the Pregones Theatre Company since 1986 as a singing actor performing original musical theater works. He appeared with Marc Anthony and Ednita Nazario on Broadway in Paul Simon’s "The Capeman", understudying for Ruben Blades.

One of the most versatile singers in New York City, Jose transitions seamlessly from rock, roll, rhythm & blues to a wide array of Latin styles to European works he has classically trained to sing. He performed Robert Schumann’s Dichterliebe with San Francisco’s Zaccho Dance Theatre in October 2016. He has performed with the Lehman College Orchestra and the Boricua College Chorus as a tenor soloist in works by Mozart, Handel and Mendelssohn. He and his group Rubi Theatre Company have frequently collaborated with Dan Zanes, most notably on Catch That Train, which won the 2006 Grammy for Musical Album for Children, and 2008’s ¡Nueva York!, which won the Independent Music Award for Best Children’s Music Album. Jose will also be heard on an upcoming Leadbelly tribute album on Smithsonian records, to be released in April. He is the co-founder and Lead Vocalist of Rubi, Brooklyn’s premier rock & roll neoyorquino band. This is his third year as a faculty member for Cora Dance.

CHRIS HAMMETT
(he/HIM)

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Chris Hammett brings over 25 years' experience to Cora as a theater producer and non-profit arts administrator. He was co-founder and managing director of Falconworks Theater Company from 1997 until 2022. In that role he led the company's financial management, fundraising, compliance, and HR functions, as well as helping develop and manage programming including Falconworks' award-winning Off the Hook playwriting program for young people and developing the groundbreaking Police-Teen Theater Project. Chris also has nearly 25 years experience in the financial industry in marketing, product management, and compliance. A native of Ohio, he still dreams of home. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in English from Kenyon College, and a master's degree in teaching from the University of Chicago.

kaitlyn hawkins
(she/her)

SH/cd production & company manager

Kaitlyn Hawkins is a freelance Stage Manager, Dance Artist, and Choreographer, dually based in Brooklyn and Minneapolis. She has Stage Managed with Arena Dances and Sparkle Theatricals and has worked as a Production Assistant for Honeyworks, Hatch Dance, and Company SBB. As a performer, she has worked with TU Dance, Shapiro & Smith, Black Label Movement, Doma Dance, Honeyworks, and Contempo Physical. She has been a part of the Candybox Dance Festival and Movers Make and has self-produced shows in both Minneapolis and NYC. She is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and holds degrees in Dance and Health & Wellbeing Sciences.

ross honaker
(he/they)

SH/CD dancer

Ross Honaker, an Appalachian native of Lewisburg, WV, began studying dance in high school with a local youth performance group like CYC. This experience was pivotal in the pursuit of his passions and spurred him to complete first a BFA in Dance and Choreography at Virginia Commonwealth University and then an AAS in Massage Therapy at Queensborough Community College. Before adding the focus of healthcare, Ross developed his dance career in NYC where he studied and performed with world class artists and companies including Doug Varone and Dancers, David Dorfman Dance, and the Limón Company. He also enjoyed a short international dance career with Arch8, an Amsterdam-based company. With the pandemic Ross came back to his roots in Appalachia, opened a massage therapy clinic, and is thrilled to share his love of dance through teaching and performing throughout these beautiful mountains we call home! This is his second season as part of Cora Dance.

Sarah McCullough
(SHE/HER)

SH/CD Company Management Assistant

Sarah McCullough is a Minneapolis-based dance artist and educator in contemporary forms. She is a highly collaborative artist who is passionate about aliveness in performance, and seeks to perform works that center humanity, vulnerability, and play. Originally from Virginia, Sarah attended James Madison University as a Madison Achievement Scholar, and earned her BA in Dance and Mathematics. Since joining Minneapolis’ dance community in 2018, she has had the pleasure of performing works choreographed by Alexandra Bodnarchuk, Berit Ahlgren, Carl Flink, Elayna Waxse, Helen Hatch, Mathew Janczewski, Taja Will, and more. She is currently a member of ARENA DANCES, a new repertory company led by Mathew Janczewski. Sarah began working with VA/NYC-based company Shannon Hummel/Cora Dance in company management and as a collaborating dance artist in 2024.

tyler renfroe
(He/him)

CDB Production Manager

Tyler Renfroe (he/him) is a dancer, production manager, and certified yoga instructor from Bradenton, FL. Tyler received his BFA in Dance from the University of Florida in 2019 and moved to Brooklyn to continue performing and producing dance in New York City. Tyler has performed with companies such as Sarasota Contemporary Dance, Digital Movement Dance, and Nikki & the Noise, as well as choreographers such as Juel D. Lane, Joanna Mendel Shaw, Dante Puleio, Jennifer Archibald, Elizabeth Johnson, and Trent D. Williams Jr. Tyler also has a passion for the technical and production elements of dance, and has used that passion to stage manage for Rush Johnston, Kaleid Dance Collective, Nikki and the Noise, Brooklyn Arts Exchange, Kinetics With Karley, Sarasota Contemporary Dance, and the University of Florida’s School of Theatre and Dance. Tyler has been the Production Manager for Cora Dance and Brooklyn Arts Exchange since 2023, while also serving as the Facilities Associate for BAX and receiving his 200-hour yoga certification to teach at CorePower Yoga.

Tiffany shull
(she/her)

CDA volunteer parent liaison

Tiffany Shull was born and raised in Alleghany County. Tiffany is the proud mom of her twins, Jack and Faith, and has been married to her husband Richard for 19 years. She is an active Cross Country, Swim, and Dance mom! Tiffany’s family is her world. She graduated from Alleghany High School, went to work in retail management, and now works in the paper industry, where she has spent the last 15 years. Tiffany was introduced to Cora Dance in 2021 and fell in love with the program. She knew Cora Dance Alleghany became a place she wanted to be a part of with dance being open to every child no matter their family’s circumstances. She is excited for this year at CDA!

CYNTHIA THOMPSON
(SHE/HER)

sh/cd dancer

Cynthia Thompson is a James Madison University (JMU) professor emeritus of dance. During her 38-year tenure at JMU, she served as the School of Theatre and Dance Assistant Director, the Dance Program Coordinator as well as the Artistic Director of the Contemporary Dance Ensemble (CDE). In the role of CDE Director, she mentored generations of student choreographers and made well over 30 dances for students. As a professor she was awarded the university-wide Carl L. Harter Teaching Award as well as the College of Visual and Performing Arts Madison Scholar Award and the Distinguished Service Award. Professionally, Thompson toured nationally and internationally to critical acclaim as an independent artist and as the co-founder/performer/choreographer of the thompson & trammell dance company. Since the 1990’s, she has been a guest artist with Cora Dance and accompanied the company on tour as well as appearing as a featured soloist at various venues in New York City including the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Before attending graduate school, Cynthia was a soloist with Ballet South and the Chattanooga Ballet. While in graduate school she was a soloist with the M.M. Colbert Modern Ballet Company and a faculty member of the Wisconsin School of Ballet. She received her M.F.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and was twice invited to perform there as a distinguished alumna. Thompson served on the faculty of the Mid-Atlantic Summer Dance Intensive for over 10 years. In retirement, she is engaged with social justice work through the Unitarian Universalist Church of Waynesboro.

keon washington
(he/him)

sh/cd dancer

Keon Washington is a New York City native, who has been dancing and performing for twelve years. Once he gained an interest in dance, he began training in Hip Hop and other styles with some of the best teachers in New York City, such as Robert Cecil Brooks III, Amanda Pope, and the late Maurice C. Dean. Throughout high school and post-graduation Keon began realizing his love of training dancers as well as performing. To further cultivate his skill set as a teacher, dancer and choreographer, he began working alongside his mentor Amanda Pope as a teaching assistant at Lower Manhattan Arts Academy, Harlem School of the Arts, Amanda Pope Dance Company and Chimera Concept dance team. Keon has taught at the Harlem School of the Arts, Aubrey Lynch-Extra Essential Arts (AL-EEArts), among others. He has been a beloved teaching artist for Cora since 2016 and was a dancer with Shannon Hummel/Cora Dance from 2016–2018. In 2021, Keon became Cora’s first Associate Director, working alongside Artistic Director, Shannon Hummel, in re-establishing balanced programming organization-wide during the build-back from COVID and creating a new structure of artistic leadership by forming a council of Artistic Associates to help guide the organization into the next quarter century. In 2023, Keon stepped into the role of Artistic Associate, returning to dancing in the professional company Shannon Hummel/Cora Dance; serving as founding director of CDB’s Cora Youth Company-Hip Hop; teaching all levels of CDB in-studio and off-site hip hop classes; and working with the other Associates to plan for the organization’s future. Keon is now in his 10th season with Cora Dance.