Mission

The Charlotte Cirque & Dance Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring people of diverse backgrounds to explore beyond their boundaries through dance and circus arts. Our vision is to create educational opportunities for people to experience the world, which will enrich their lives and the lives of those around them.

Values

We believe in the positive impact that dance and circus arts can bring to people and the community.

We value technique as means to move your body safely.

We foster creative thinking to solve unique challenges through dance and circus arts.

We value the passion and dedication of our faculty, staff, board and volunteers.

Education Goals

To encourage and inspire creativity, innovation and dedication.
To train dancers to be expressive performers on the ground and in the air.
To build a strong foundation in dance and circus arts is key to exploring safely.
To improve health and fitness while gaining an appreciation for dance.
To offer unique and well-rounded training for all ages and levels.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility

Caroline Calouche & Co. / Charlotte Cirque & Dance Center is committed to fostering, cultivating and preserving a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion. We embrace and encourage all students, artists, staff, and volunteers of age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make us unique.

We at the Charlotte Cirque & Dance Center pledge to:

Strengthen our local community by creating opportunities for people of different backgrounds to have shared experiences through movement and the arts.
Use our position to amplify the voices, stories, and histories of marginalized communities through movement
Hold ourselves accountable and learn from past missteps.
Ensure that all CC&Co spaces (theaters, offices, events) remain respectful, inclusive, and safe
Foster conversations on the intersection of performative dance, classes in social and cultural dance disciplines and social change
Be active listeners, respect existing knowledge, and avoid assumptions on how to best meet the needs of those in our local and artistic communities.

History

The Charlotte Cirque & Dance Center (CC&DC) was established in 2010 as the school for Caroline Calouche & Co. (CC&Co.) that was founded in 2006. CC&DC creates educational opportunities for hobbyists to professional. We see the value in cross-training and encourage students to try a variety of dance and circus arts, so they can appreciate different disciplines.

Land Acknowledgement

The Charlotte Cirque & Dance Center recognizes that we are all here on the stolen land of the Waxhaw, Sugaree and Catawba and the many other tribes who have stewarded this land. We thank them for their stewardship of this land. We respect and honor the many lives lost, exploited, and otherwise harmed by the colonization of this land, and we recognize the intergenerational trauma passed down through the families of these indigenous peoples. The Charlotte Cirque & Dance Center is committed to including the experiences and perspectives of indigenous peoples as we continue on our equity journey.