Craft Beer Combined with Aerial Arts: Introducing Cirque du Biere

Grab Your Tickets to Cirque du Biere at Hi-Wire Brewing Here.

Everyone's fitness journey looks different. Work For Your Beer co-founder, Mel Fox, tried everything under the sun. At-home workout videos like Insanity and P90X, Barre classes, hot yoga, HIIT-style classes, and even jiu-jitsu. However, when she tried her first aerial class, something was different.

While the workout itself was challenging, it was also fun. And outside of a few cardio dance classes (hi, The Jam: CLT!), she had never really qualified a workout as "fun" before.

So what was supposed to just be a quick spotlight on Work For Your Beer's social media quickly became a staple in Mel's routine. She started going once a week, then twice, and then before you knew it, she was at the studio 5 or 6 days a week. Yes, you could say it became a bit of an obsession.

But you know what? The workout was both physically demanding and emotionally stimulating. It allowed Mel to be creative, reach goals, and more than that: it introduced her to a community of folks who genuinely were rooting for one another.

Mel's first performance was in March of 2019 at Aerial CLT. She had been practicing aerial for about a year at that point, and while the performance itself is nothing to write home about — the feeling after performing was what made Mel fall in love with circus arts even more.

"I have never felt more supported in my entire life than after that first performance. I played soccer growing up, and while that was a team sport, it was still internally competitive — people wanted more playing time, and they knew if you messed up it could give them an additional opportunity to step in. This community is nothing like that," Mel states. "The aerial community is one of the most nurturing communities I've ever experienced. That post-performance feeling cannot be replicated."

One performance turned into two, and post-covid, Mel began performing around town, specifically at craft beer events, with the support and mentorship of Satya from Bloom Movement Artistry. 

Okay, but where does the beer come into play?

Hi-Wire Brewing, originally based out of Asheville, NC, opened its Charlotte taproom in July 2022.

This circus-themed brewery is well-known for its variety of well-balanced brews — and has even previously brewed a beer called "The Aerialist." Outside of serving great craft beer, the Charlotte taproom also has a ton of interactive games (like soccer pool, shuffleboard, corn hole, and more!). Oh, and it's dog-friendly. Mel knew this was her place. As soon as she heard Hi-Wire was coming to Charlotte, she realized she could merge her passion for craft beer with her love for performing in a space that was made for this quirky combination.

And in 2022, Mel launched Cirque du Biere — a group of extremely talented aerialists in the Charlotte area who will be performing their first show at Hi-Wire Brewing on January 6, 2023.

You can expect performances from Cirque du Biere at Hi-Wire every other month, and each event will have a different theme. (Themes such as emo, pop princess, gamer, musicals, etc.)

As far as show format, in the first act, this badass group of aerialists will perform a choreographed piece to a song of their choice. There will then be a brief intermission, so you can grab another beer (or two). And for the second act, the aerialists will improv to the audience's song requests! (The audience can suggest songs via Venmo @workforyourbeer.)

This format allows this group of aerialists to show off a select set of skills — the ability to choreograph, as well as the ability to improv!

The best part about this collaboration, though? Each event will benefit a local Charlotte non-profit.

$1 from each Lyra Lager and $1 from each Sling Slushie (non-alcoholic) sold throughout the evening will be donated to the selected non-profit.

You can grab your tickets to Cirque du Biere shows here.

Cheers to connecting your passions and doing the damn thing!