Caroline Calouche & Co. is thrilled to be back with their annual holiday treat, Clara’s Trip: A Cirque & Dance Nutcracker Story at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center’s Booth Playhouse. Clara’s Trip is a contemporary twist on a holiday classic. Artistic Director Caroline Calouche performed the ballet many times in her childhood and dreamed of inventing her version. For the past nine years, her adaptation has brought joy to audiences of all ages. Filled with athletic and high-energy dancing on the ground and in the air, the unique take on the classic story is the perfect holiday treat for your friends and family. Calouche’s story begins with Clara, a beautiful young and single woman, attending a holiday party hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Flowers. At the party, she meets Beau, who quickly sweeps her off her feet. Clara is a passionate dancer but not the most coordinated. She trips, falls and is whisked off to the hospital to learn that her ankle is broken. Her friends cheer her up with some gifts that come to life in her dreams. This year, the lead role of Clara will be performed by one of the Charlotte Cirque & Dance Center’s senior students, Zoe Flowers. “She has performed in all nine Clara’s Trips and I could not be more proud of the artist she is becoming,” says Caroline Calouche. Avi Wolf Borouchoff from Philadelphia first performed with CC&Co. in their 2021 Summer Season shows and is back to perform the role of Beau. Two new artists, Abbie Rooney (Kansas City) and Joel Herzfeld (Boston) will perform the lead roles of Mr. and Mrs. Flowers. Expect an incredible, and high-flying, grande pas de deux in Act 2 from those two!