Charlotte Cirque and Dance Center

✨ TEACHER SPOTLIGHT ✨
Meet Zoe Flowers — our Student Company Manager, teaching trapeze, dance, and silks here at CLT Cirque & Dance Center!

This Summer Zoe just took 1st Place in the 3rd Session of the Elevate Pro Aerial Audition Showcase & Competition 🏆 — earning a cash prize AND an invite to perform in the Pro Show in front of casting agents for cruise lines.

A Charlotte native who trained right here starting at age 7, Zoe went on to San Diego Circus Center and École Nationale Du Cirque in Montreal before coming full circle to teach the next generation. So proud of you, Zoe! 💜👏

Soar Aerial Competition

Our campers are working hard on their contemporary jazz dances this week with the theme of Celebration. They are also learning aerial dance and acrobatics in preparation for an amazing performance with family and friends this Friday. Watching them build confidence, try new things, and cheer each other on is what summer camp is all about. 💙

We have 3 weeks of camp left, including next week’s Intermediate/Advanced Camp — open to anyone with experience in one of our three disciplines (acrobatics, dance, or aerial) and a desire to learn more and have fun.

Weeks of August 3 and 10 are our last Recreational Camps for the Summer. Man, has it flown by!

Link in bio for details.

What sparks your curiosity? This summer, we’re inviting you to try something new, explore a different side of movement, and see where it takes you. Here are a few classes that just might light that spark:

German Wheel — Thursdays, 6:10pm - 7:10pm

Hip-Hop — Wednesdays, 5pm - 6pm

Partner Acrobatics - Wednesdays, 7:20pm - 8:20pm

Curiosity is the first step to something amazing. Which class are you trying first? 💙

Last week’s campers brought the energy, the laughs, and so much heart! From dance and acrobatics to soaring on aerial sling, our crew made new friends, picked up brand-new skills, and showed us what happens when curiosity meets courage. We are SO proud of everything they accomplished!

And the magic continues — this week’s campers are already hard at work, and we can’t wait to see what they share with us at Friday’s showing! 💙

Stay tuned for more camp highlights, and check the link in bio for upcoming summer camp sessions — there’s still time to join the fun!

BREAKDANCING WORKSHOP WITH ELI MOTLEY

Ready to level up your breakdancing skills?

When: Monday, July 27 & Tuesday, July 28 | 6:00–7:00 PM

Cost: $50 per person

Link: https://www.cltcirquedancecenter.org/workshops

This workshop dives into the variations of top-rock, footwork, freezes and power moves.

About Eli: Elijah “Eli” Motley (Greensboro, NC) is a choreographer, dancer, and teacher who holds an MFA in Dance and Choreography from UNC Greensboro, plus a BFA in Dance and Theatre and a BS in Civil/Environmental Engineering from Old Dominion University. His artistry blends hip-hop, house, breaking, funk, and contemporary modern forms within the frame of Hip-Hop Theater and Immersive Theater.

Eli’s performance credits include Chicago Dance Crash, Rennie Harris Puremovement, and Caroline Calouche & Co. His choreography has been presented across the U.S. and internationally in Edinburgh, UK. He currently serves as a Visiting Professor at Elon University.

NEW CLASSES STARTING JUNE 29!

Summer is the perfect time to try something new — and we’ve got three exciting classes to help you stretch, strengthen, and soar!

Stretch & Conditioning
Build the flexibility, strength, and stamina that support every kind of movement. Perfect for anyone wanting to feel stronger in their body.

Ballet Foundations
Discover the grace and discipline of ballet from the ground up. A welcoming class for new dancers or anyone wanting to refine their fundamentals.

Adult Silks
Learn the basics of aerial silks in a fun, supportive environment designed just for adults — no experience needed.

✨ AERIAL WORKSHOPS WITH CONSTANCE ECHO PALMER

We’re thrilled to welcome internationally renowned aerialist Constance Echo Palmer to CC&DC for two unforgettable workshops! With 20+ years of performance experience and a biomechanics-informed teaching style, Constance brings technical precision and creative artistry to every session.

SLING IT
Thursday, July 30 | 7:30–9:00 PM
Discover the joy of dynamic sling work! Build momentum foundations with upright and inverted beats, then apply them to climbs, knee hooks, wraps, and exits. A fun, grip-saving way to level up your dynamic technique across all apparatus.

DANCE STRAPS
Saturday, August 1 | 10:00–11:30 AM
Throw out the rulebook! Constance shares her favorite dancey straps sequences, borrowing concepts from silks, rope, and even bars to create stunning shapes and fresh ideas using long flat straps with hand loops.

Spots are limited — register today at https://www.cltcirquedancecenter.org/workshops

The Wizard of Oz
June 20
7pm
Knight Theatre

Follow us down the yellow brick road to celebrate our students’ achievements this year.

The show is jam packed with creativity and talent.

Link in bio for more details.

🌟 SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: Ellen Amani Martin

Help us celebrate the incredible Ellen Amani Martin as she prepares to graduate from JT Williams Secondary Montessori! Ellen has been dancing when at the age of 3. She took her first classes with us in a Summer Camp in 2018 and then joined us year round in 2019. She has performed with our Student Company from 2022–2024. She has taken Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Hip-hop, Aerial Silks, Trapeze, Lyra, Acrobatics and Partner Acrobatics with us.

What’s next? Ellen is headed to Wingate University, where she plans to study Criminal Justice.
Ellen, thank you for sharing your artistry, dedication, and kind spirit with us over the years. We’ve loved cheering you on every step of the way, and we’ll be your biggest fans as you take on what’s next! 💙

🌟 SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: Sara Kellam

Say congratulations to one of our amazing graduating seniors, Sara Kellam! Sara first joined us in 2018 with a summer camp, followed by a full year of silks — and she’s been soaring ever since. She’s been a proud member of our Student Company since 2022 and will graduate this spring from Providence High School.

Most memorable cirque moment? Turning the silks into a slide on the last day of Silks in 8th grade — iconic.

Signature sayings (according to her Student Company friends): “67,” “I’m tired,” “what?,” “no,” “bro-,” “ahhhh,” “wait?,” and of course… “Oí!”

What’s next? Sara is headed to Western Carolina University, where she’s considering a major in Forensic Science.

Sara, thank you for the years of laughs, hard work, and unforgettable moments. Your journey with us has been nothing short of inspiring, and we know your next adventure will be just as bright.💙