The Historic Masonic Theatre hosts the 3rd Annual Alleghany Highlands StoryFest, an enchanting weekend of storytelling performances, classes, and workshops in the heart of Clifton Forge, Virginia bringing together celebrated storytellers and regional tellers. Shannon Hummel/Cora Dance will present informal excerpts of Hummel’s critically acclaimed duet, down here, at 6:30pm as a pre-show performance to a night of storytelling.

Shannon Hummel’s 2015 work, called “a rare gem” by The New York Times, down here is a dance of fierce attachments existing because of, despite, and within the compromises we make to survive remaining together. down here makes visible, with the help of hundreds of tiny silver dolls, the little scars we leave on one another in our pursuit of control. Originally performed in 2015 by Calia Marshall and Katie Dean at New York City's Brooklyn Academy of Music, portions of this work will be performed by Cora Dance company members Ross Honaker and Ammara Shafqat with reflections on the process by choreographer Shannon Hummel.

The Historic Masonic Theatre hosts the 3rd Annual Alleghany Highlands StoryFest, an enchanting weekend of storytelling performances, classes, and workshops in the heart of Clifton Forge, Virginia bringing together celebrated storytellers and regional tellers. Shannon Hummel will speak on her work as a movement storyteller, sharing reflections on her life and career dedicated to silently telling stories with a substantial emotional impact.

For tickets and information, click here.

Cora Dance Alleghany kicks off its fall fundraising drive with a special event at Jack Mason’s Tavern! Jack’s Hometown Mondays are a chance for the Tavern to support local nonprofits and when you dine at Jack Mason’s Tavern on Monday, October 21, Jack’s will donate 10% of food sales to support Cora’s FREE and PAY-WHAT-YOU-CAN programs! Stop by the Taproom throughout the evening for a raffle (there is a certificate for a free stay at the Omni Homestead), special performances, and of course, a chance to donate! For information, click here or contact Cora at CDA_info@coradance.org or 540-862-5655 X306. Donations are accepted and 10% of Food Sales support Cora.

Cora Dance’s professionally led dance education programs return! PAY-WHAT-YOU-CAN classes ensure everyone can access programs and performances no matter their financial circumstances. 

Cora Dance Alleghany classes in Creative Movement, Modern Dance, and Repertory for ages 5-18 take place at the Historic Masonic Theatre in Clifton Forge, VA, and other locations throughout the Alleghany Highlands region. For times and information on class registration, contact CDA at CDA_info@coradance.org or call 540-862-5655 X306.

Shannon Hummel/Cora Dance professional dancers, Ross Honaker and Carli Mareneck, will perform a new duet in development by Cora Dance Artistic Director and Choreographer Shannon Hummel, entitled Day at Clifton Forge’s Fridays in the Forge (FIF), an outdoor celebration of music, games, dancing, fun, vendors, and more in Downtown Clifton Forge, VA. Longtime Lewisburg, WV dance artists, Ross and Carli have danced together for decades and will take the stage at FIF in this new duet celebrating lasting connections, journeys together, and opportunities for tenderness and beauty found along the way. Fridays in the Forge starts at 6 pm, with Cora performing at approximately 7pm. For more information, please contact the Clifton Forge Manager’s office at (540) 863-2500 or click here. FREE!

Shannon Hummel/Cora Dance professional dancers, Ross Honaker and Carli Mareneck, will perform a new duet in development by Cora Dance Artistic Director and Choreographer Shannon Hummel, entitled Day at Clifton Forge’s Arts Community Celebration (ACC). In its fifth year, ACC showcases local arts and artists, and offers two days of artist demonstrations, arts activities & classes, gallery exhibits, live performances, the Art Market, local restaurant specials, food trucks, and more! Longtime Lewisburg, WV dance artists, Ross and Carli have danced together for decades and will take the stage at ACC in this new duet celebrating lasting connections, journeys together, and opportunities for tenderness and beauty found along the way. Clifton Forge’s Arts Community Celebration takes place Friday, September 20, 3–9pm and Saturday, September 21, 10am–5pm, with Cora performing on Saturday at 12pm and 1pm. For more information, click here. FREE!

Cora Dance’s beloved annual retro, high-school-prom-themed dance party (in an actual high school gymnasium) returns: RED HOOK COMMUNITY PROM! Saturday, June 8, from 7–11pm, 173 Conover Street, Red Hook, Brooklyn. Proceeds go toward the Cora Dance Tuition & Ticket Assistance Fund to continue providing FREE and PAY-WHAT-YOU-CAN programs for students and audiences.

Whether you want to relive or re-do your high school days, RED HOOK COMMUNITY PROM is the place to make it happen! Dance to throwback 70s, 80s, 90s, and 00s hits and support dance for all children at RED HOOK COMMUNITY PROM! 

Admission: PAY-WHAT-YOU-CAN! Suggested donation of $125; minimum of $10. 

Tickets are available by Saturday, May 4, 2024, at coradance.org/red-hook-prom. ADVANCE PURCHASE IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED.

All ages are welcome. Those 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult.

DOWN HERE OPEN REHEARSAL AT THE MASONIC!

Tuesday, April 30, from 4-5:45pm, Shannon Hummel/Cora Dance invites audiences of all ages to open rehearsals of Hummel’s 2015 work down here. Presented at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York City with dancers/collaborators Katie Dean and Calia Marshall and called “a rare gem” by The New York Times, the 2024 version with dancers Ross Honaker and Ammara Shafqat, premieres as part of the Masonic’s StoryFest this October. Drop by the Masonic’s Hillert Auditorium between 4 and 6pm on April 30, grab a snack at the concession stand, and watch the artists at work! There will be a Q&A talkback for the last 20-30 minutes and a chance to ask more questions at Jack Mason’s Tavern, where the artists will gather after rehearsal! Courtesy RSVP to CDA_info@coradance.org appreciated but not required. FREE (Donations encouraged).

Don’t miss this chance to see all the participants in Cora Dance Alleghany’s intesnives share their progress throughout the year! Young dancers participating in these intensives perform alongside CDA’s Youth Company dancing in works by Shannon Hummel and CYC Directors Ross Honaker and Ammara Shafqat on the beautiful stage of the Historic Masonic Theatre! Bring the entire family and all your friends to this inspiring pay-what-you-can event!

Admission: $20 or Pay-What-You-Can

Click here to purchase tickets online.  

Click here to watch the video about how to purchase tickets online. 

Come see this year’s Hip Hop and Modern CYC/Cora Youth Companies present this year’s repertoire of dances under the direction of Nikki Assanti and Keon Washington. CYC Programs provide Cora’s most dedicated and talented students in grades 4-12 an opportunity to study dance more seriously by learning and performing a wide range of works by professional choreographers. Chosen through annual open auditions, CYC includes two tiers of Hip Hop and Modern, divided by age and ability. Join CYC/Cora Youth Companies as they present the year’s culminating performances. There will be two shows on this day at 2:30pm and 7pm.*

*A reception party and milestone ceremony recognizing 2024 graduate Z’Yanah Gonzalez immediately follows the 7pm performance.

Admission: $20 Suggested or Pay-What-You-Can. Tickets can be purchased here.

Come see this year’s Hip Hop and Modern CYC/Cora Youth Companies present this year’s repertoire of dances under the direction of Nikki Assanti and Keon Washington. CYC Programs provide Cora’s most dedicated and talented students in grades 4-12 an opportunity to study dance more seriously by learning and performing a wide range of works by professional choreographers. Chosen through annual open auditions, CYC includes two tiers of Hip Hop and Modern, divided by age and ability. Join CYC/Cora Youth Companies as they present the year’s culminating performances. There will be two shows on this day at 2:30pm and 7pm.*

*A reception party and milestone ceremony recognizing 2024 graduate Z’Yanah Gonzalez immediately follows the 7pm performance.

Admission: $20 Suggested or Pay-What-You-Can. Tickets can be purchased here.

Clifton Forge School of the Arts is excited to announce the exhibit The Color of Movement by Leah Thompson, February 6 - April 30.

Thompson works in layers of expressive color, showcasing the human figure in movement and action. This exhibition highlights the bold breadth of Thompson’s works through her lyrical use of color and form. CFSOTA will host an Opening Reception for this exhibition on March 1 from 5-6:30pm featuring refreshments, an opportunity to meet the artist, and an exciting performance by Ross Honaker and Shannon Hummel of the professional company, Shannon Hummel/Cora Dance. To get more information about this exhibit or any of our other programming, you can send us an email at info@cfsota.org or give us a call at (540) 862-7275

TICKETS (online or at the door)

Shannon Hummel/Cora Dance shares a full-length preview of the professional company’s latest work-in-progress, Because.

Gymnasiums are emotional spaces of triumph, defeat, intensity, and mundanity. They are both distinctly different, recognizably the same, and always timeless. Created specifically for gymnasiums, Shannon Hummel/Cora Dance’s latest work-in-development, Because, is an expansive, intimate, and existential exhibition of athleticism and humanity. Because, like gyms, we are always the same and different at every age; Because memory is just as much an act of imagination and fantasy as a recollection of fact; Because all that is certain is the end… there will be a party in a gym. And we believe it’ll be beautiful. 

Choreography by: Shannon Hummel in collaboration with the dancers

Dancers: Nikki Assanti, Ross Honaker, Ammara Shafqat, Keon Washington

Original Score by: Hans Bilger

Suggested Admission: $20 or pay what you can

TICKETS (online or at the door)

TICKETS

Shannon Hummel/Cora Dance shares its first full-length preview of the professional company’s latest work-in-progress, Because. Created specifically for the CF Armory’s gymnasium, each performance will be followed by a talk-back with the artists.

Because we are the same and different at 15, at 35, at 55; Because we are inexplicably moved by small moments we carry in our hearts or leave behind; Because the hopes of youth push us toward inventing ourselves and losing our dreams, Because of this… there will be a party… in a gym. And we hope it’s gonna be fun.

Choreography by: Shannon Hummel in collaboration with the dancers

Dancers: Nikki Assanti, Ross Honaker, Ammara Shafqat, Keon Washington

Original Score by: Hans Bilger

Production Manager: Carter Adcock

Suggested Admission: $25 or pay-what-you-can.

Tickets will be available by December 1, 2023. 

For more info and questions, email events@coradance.org.

tickets

Shannon Hummel/Cora Dance shares its first full-length preview of the professional company’s latest work-in-progress, Because. Created specifically for the CF Armory’s gymnasium, each performance will be followed by a talk-back with the artists.

Because we are the same and different at 15, at 35, at 55; Because we are inexplicably moved by small moments we carry in our hearts or leave behind; Because the hopes of youth push us toward inventing ourselves and losing our dreams, Because of this… there will be a party… in a gym. And we hope it’s gonna be fun.

Choreography by: Shannon Hummel in collaboration with the dancers

Dancers: Nikki Assanti, Ross Honaker, Ammara Shafqat, Keon Washington

Original Score by: Hans Bilger

Production Manager: Carter Adcock

Suggested Admission: $25 or pay-what-you-can.

Tickets will be available by December 1, 2023. 

For more info and questions, email events@coradance.org.

CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS

Celebrate and support Cora Dance’s mission to provide high-quality dance performance and education to every person!

Enjoy:

• Performances by the Cora Youth Company and the professional company, Shannon Hummel/Cora Dance

• Food and drink

• A DJ and dance party

• Meeting the Cora Dance Board and all the fabulous people who work to provide dance to the Alleghany community

• Supporting Cora financially and learning more about future volunteer opportunities

Tickets are pay-what-you-can (Suggested Price: $60)

Tickets $60 or above get you a free ticket to the preview of Hummel’s newest work, Because, premiering at the Clifton Forge Armory on January 12 & 13

tickets

Shannon Hummel/Cora Dance shares its first preview of the professional company’s latest work-in-progress, Because.

Because we are the same and different at 15, at 35, at 55; Because we are inexplicably moved by small moments we carry in our hearts or leave behind; Because the hopes of youth push us toward inventing ourselves and losing our dreams, Because of this… there will be a party. And we hope it’s gonna be fun. 

The company will share excerpts of this work-in-progress in Cora’s intimate studio setting followed by a talkback with the artists.

Choreography by: Shannon Hummel in collaboration with the dancers

Dancers: Nikki Assanti, Katie Dean, Ross Honaker, Ammara Shafqat, Keon Washington

Original Score by: Hans Bilger

tickets

“Stone Soup” is a metaphor for the power and positivity created by engaging and organizing community resources. This low-key community event will feature works-in-progress by CYC/Cora Youth Company and other guests, faculty, and community artists! Food will be graciously donated by our friends at Hometown BBQ.

Suggested Donation is $10 (or pay-what-you-can)

Join us for a special Tree Lighting Ceremony on Sat, Nov 18 at 6pm in front of the Clifton Forge Town Hall. The Ceremony will include opening remarks by town officials, dance performances by Garlynda’s Fancy Feet, A1 Studios, and Cora Dance, Christmas caroling with Immanuel Baptist Church, and the lighting of the tree! Bring your family to enjoy the festivities of the season and show your support for all of our local youth dancers!

Inspired by German Advent markets, Clifton Forge School of the Arts’ Kriskindlmarkt is a one-of-a-kind beloved event filled with a diverse array of vendors selling artwork, crafts, and unique holiday gifts amidst bratwurst, beer, and other German-inspired favorites; live music and dance performances; and the beautiful festive atmosphere of CFSOTA’s mill and outdoor gardens. Cora will present live, open-air performances throughout the event. Proceeds support the Clifton Forge School of the Arts. For info and tickets, visit cfsota.org.

CDA Staff will be set up in the lobby of the Historic Masonic Theatre from 1–3pm during Clifton Forge Main Street’s downtown Trick-or-Treating event. Come show us your Halloween costumes, learn more about our pay-what-you-can programming, and most importantly—raid our candy stash! Reminder: we will NOT have intensives or rehearsals on Tuesday, Oct 31 so that dancers can enjoy the holiday with their families!