Registration opening soon!
Court Square Theater and Cora Dance present
“Add Water, Make Dance” Summer Camp
July 7 – 11, 2025
Rising 7th – 10th Grades
Inspiration Through Process to Performance
Join Shannon Hummel and Cora Dance artists for an unforgettable summer dance camp experience where movement, storytelling, and creativity come together! Designed for rising 7th–10th graders of all abilities, this immersive program invites participants to explore dance as a powerful tool for expression, connection, and performance. Whether you’re a seasoned dancer, a theater or music enthusiast, an athlete, or simply curious about movement and creativity, this camp is for you!
REGISTRATION
$299 Early Bird until April 30th, 2025
$349 after April 30th, 2025
Scholarships provided in part through
The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County,
Earlynn J. Miller Fund for the Arts
What to Expect:
- Fun & Engaging Movement: Explore contemporary dance, improvisation, and movement games that build confidence, coordination, and creativity.
- Dancemaking & Personal Storytelling: Learn how to translate personal experiences into dynamic choreography. Work with Cora Dance artists to craft original pieces inspired by your own stories and ideas.
- Games & Creative Collaboration: Participate in team-based activities that spark imagination, build trust, and encourage bold artistic choices.
- Writing & Reflection: Engage in short creative writing exercises that support dancemaking, helping you develop a deeper connection to your movement and storytelling.
- Performance Opportunities: Showcase your original work in a culminating performance that highlights the collaborative and individual artistry of each participant.
This is a supportive, welcoming environment where every mover is celebrated.
No prior dance experience is needed—just bring your energy, ideas, and an open mind!
Come move, create, and perform with us this summer!
Schedule:
Monday – Thursday
9am Check in
9:30 – 11:30 Session
11:30-12:30 lunch
12:30-2:00 Session
2:00-2:15 Break
2:15-3:30 Session
4:00pm End of Day
Friday
10:00 Check In
10-12:30 Session
12:30 – 1:30 lunch
1:30-3:00 Session
3:00-3:15 Break
3:15 – 4:30 Session
4:30-5:00 Break
5:30 Showcase Open to public
Attire:
Tennis shoes. Attendees will also be dancing in bare feet. Comfy cloths. No Jeans. Sweatpants. Shorts
Food:
Attendees are required to bring their own lunch. We will have refrigeration available. Healthy snacks and bottled water will be available during the day.
Location:
Check in will be at Court Square Theater. Sessions will take place on stage, the Court Square lawn, and other public spaces.
Allergies:
Please note that some dancing may take place outside in the grass of the Court House lawn. Part of the Participation and Waiver Form grants permission to take your child outside.
About Cora Dance
Founded in 1998, the acclaimed professional dance company Shannon Hummel/Cora Dance performs the work of choreographer and arts educator, Shannon Hummel. The company is a dynamic cohort of artists, educators, and community advocates who work collaboratively to create and perform Hummel’s detailed and emotionally powerful choreography, both on tour across the United States and in Cora’s two dedicated education hubs: Cora Dance Alleghany in the Alleghany Highlands of VA and Cora Dance Brooklyn in Red Hook, Brooklyn, NYC. CDA and CDB offer year-round free and pay-what-you-can dance education rooted in SH/CD’s collaborative process of dance-making. At the center of the education methodology, young artists receive a strong technical foundation while using dance as a tool to grow as performers who value the importance of collaboration, inclusion, and community.
Artistic Director Shannon Hummel
Shannon Hummel (she/her) is a choreographer, educator, and celebrated advocate for dance access. Her company, Shannon Hummel/Cora Dance, is best known for mounting her intimate, accessible works in community spaces and places where access to professional dance is limited. Beyond those spaces, she has also been presented by BAM/Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn Museum of Art, NYLA/New York Live Arts, among other celebrated venues. She has been a “Top 10 Critics Pick for Dance” by The New York Times, where her work has been praised throughout her career, as “poignant, funny and remarkably assured and perceptive; vivid and true; quirkily, sweetly private and delightful” and “a rare gem”. Hummel has taught and created dances in countless colleges and universities but also loves the intimacy of small studios for young dancers. She taught and developed programs for youth artists at BAX/Brooklyn Arts Exchange and Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn, NY for 12 years before establishing two equity-driven dance education centers – Cora Dance Brooklyn in NYC (2009) and Cora Dance Alleghany in Alleghany County, VA (2020). She has been a speaker at American Dance Festival NY-Intensive, American College Dance Association, BAX/Brooklyn Arts Exchange, Movement Research, New York Live Arts, and the Poverty Studies Program of Washington & Lee University; among others. She served on faculty at Queensborough College and her alma mater James Madison University, where she was The School of Theatre and Dance Distinguished Alumni in 2000. She was named a 2011 Extraordinary Woman of Brooklyn by District Attorney Charles Hynes; acknowledged in 2020 by the New York Dance and Performance “Bessie” Awards for Service to the Field for her work with Cora Dance Brooklyn; and received significant support from the National Endowment for the Arts, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, and the New York State Council on the Arts. While Hummel’s focus for the past 25 years has been strongly rooted in choreography and education, she has recently enjoyed “dabbling” in performance again, in diverse projects including speaking in live improvisations as “the voice in your head” in Charles Atlas’ Mathematics of Consciousness at Pioneer Works in NYC; grooving to Bowie at the PAC NYC Perelman Performing Arts Center in The 20 Years Project by Monica Bill Barnes and Robbie Saenz de Viteri; donning four prom gowns a night co-emceeing the annual Red Hook Community Prom alongside Keon Washington; and singing a little harmony with vocalists Annabel Cole and Jose Joaquin Garcia. She is a mama and god-mama who lives in Clifton Forge, VA, anchoring her creative work there as well as in Brooklyn, NY. She loves to wander the roads that take her between these places and to other spots beyond that offer her a chance to keep sharing dance with others.
Associate Director Ammara Shafqat
Ammara Shafqat is a dance educator, performer, and arts administrator from Harrisonburg, VA, who 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 Associate Director in 2024–2025, heading the Cora Dance Alleghany team, deepening education and access work in the Alleghany Highlands region while continuing to dance with the professional company.
