staff & production
Artistic & Executive Director
Caroline Calouche
Caroline Calouche began dancing in the small North Carolina town of Gastonia right outside Charlotte and then branched out to Texas Christian University for two BFA degrees in Ballet and Modern Dance. From there she studied, performed and taught in Rome, Brussels and Austria where she completed a postgraduate program in choreography at the Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance.
​
Finally home sick, Caroline returned to Charlotte and founded Caroline Calouche & Co. in 2006. She is known for blending a variety of dance and circus arts disciplines in her choreography. She has created over 70 choreographic works for the professional stage. Notable works are 'Carmina Burana', 'Lingua', 'Stargazer' and 'Clara's Trip'.
​
Many people have inspired her along the way in the dance and circus field. Some influential teachers are Li-Chou Cheng, Elizabeth Gillaspy, Mary Cochran, Susan Douglas Roberts, Kerry Kreiman, Susan Quinn, Joao da Silva, Andrew Harwood, Libby Farr, Keren Levi, Elsie and Serenity Smith, Molly Graves, Susan Murphy, Nancy Smith, Nicole Merman, Christine van Loo, Aimee Hancock, Amanda Lynch, Rodleigh Stevens and Tanya Burka.
Charlotte Cirque & Dance Center Program Director
Kristin Bridges
Kristin Bridges is from Winston-Salem, NC and discovered her passion for the arts through community theatre. She attended UNC Greensboro for Theatre and The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York for Musical Theatre Performance. While in New York she worked with HHC Marketing, Telsey Casting, and was Marketing and Creative Director for Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival. She moved to Charlotte in 2016 and discovered her love of Aerial Arts with Aerial CLT. She is a professional petsitter and also a volunteer for the Humane Society of Charlotte and Blumenthal Performing Arts.
Production Manager
Shaun Wilson
Shaun Wilson comes all the way from sunny Melbourne, Florida (where NASA is located), and is a cheerleader gone dancer gone aerialist. With over 12 years of performance experience under his belt, he has trained in ballroom, jazz, hip-hop, gymnastics, and aerial arts. With a passion for teaching and sharing, Shaun has coached dance and tumbling at various dance centers, with students ranging from kindergartners to adults. Shaun joined the production team at Caroline Calouche & Co. in January of 2022.
Production and Stage Manager
Valerie Wheeler
Valerie Wheeler has served as a Production Stage Manager at opera companies and festivals across the US, including New York City Opera, Portland Opera, Opera Carolina, Toledo Opera, Opera Grand Rapids, Wichita Grand Opera, Wolf Trap Opera Company, Opera Cleveland, University of Southern California/Thornton Opera, Opera Santa Barbara and Chautauqua Opera. With over 25 years of experience in the field, among her additional roles and credits, she served as Production Manager for the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival from 2010-2017.