COMMON DANCES (2015)

Shannon Hummel’s COMMON DANCES premiered in September 2015 featuring 18 short works no longer than 7 minutes, repeatedly performed in over 30 locations throughout Red Hook, Brooklyn for over 100 short performances over a 4-hour period. Featuring a multi-generational cast of 20 performers ages 9-62 with varying degrees of experience, COMMON DANCES is a true community celebration of the power of everyday moments and movements to draw us closer.

Each dance, though small in scale, is the ticket to intimate spaces. Equal parts dance “scavenger hunt” and self-guided walking tour COMMON DANCES is Hummel’s love letter to the neighborhood Red Hook and its people and a friendly reminder to intersect.

Inspired by the ordinary, beautiful moments of loss, love, struggle, surprise, forgiveness and resolution that we all share, COMMON DANCES takes place on living room couches, park benches, at dining room tables, in church pews, bars, restaurant booths, hallways and even inside of cars.

Each short gem is an invitation to get to know all parts of the community on a broad, yet personal scale. From the hallways of public housing to bars, parks, cars and the breathtaking waterfront of Red Hook, COMMON DANCES challenges audiences to explore the entire Red Hook community, through its people and their stories.

Choreography: Shannon Hummel in collaboration with the performers 

Original Performers: Cora Dance Company Members: Kelly Bartnik, Sarah Burke, Katie Dean, Solomon Goodwin, Nadia Tykulsker; Supporting cast: Yancy Greene, Megan Chu, Angelic Ortiz, Karen Ross, AJ Sharp, Isabel Umali; Guest Performers: Stephanie Batchelder, Cynthia Thompson, Carolyn Hall, and members of the Cora Youth Company: Mykie Laidlow, Dontae McCoy, Phoebe Pfaffman, Claire Sifton, Mateo Vidals.