CAVALIA: HORSES AND MAGIC

The horses are laying on the plain, no saddles or bits, some quiet, some rolling to find pleasure on the soil, some solitary, some entwined with a companion. People move among the horses, observing them, quietly talking to them, caressing them, but letting the animals have the day, happy to share in their freedom ....

The horses are running, circling the hill, their riders spinning and standing and flipping themselves around the bodies of their mounts, circling the plain, joy in the motion of the people, joy in the motion of the horses ...

A figure appears at the top of the hill, a woman mounted on a horse, both in silhouette; they stand for a long moment then begin to move, the rider still on her seat the horse mincing, moving, a delicate hoof raised, a sideral motion, a dance of rider and human ..

This is the world of Odyeseo, by Cavalia. This show has been described as Cirque de Soleil with horses and that is not too far off the mark. There is a lot going on here: Music played by a 5 piece band and singer, African drummers and musicians, tumblers, ring work, ribbon dancers .. and horses. Lots of horses, 62 in all.

The horses run, the horses dance, the horses have people who stand on them and flip off them and even flip all the way around them. Sometimes they just roll around on the stage. Other times they are controlled by their trainers with just the lightest flip of a quirt and hand gestures and body movement. Groups of four horses mirror the movement of a single human, let around by simple shadowing.

This is a show all about stunts. Stunts by humans and stunts by the horses. There is not really a story and sometimes it seems a bit disjointed. Most of the music is a Cirque-like European vaguely Celtic melange .. then we have the Africans with drums and traditional stringed instruments. Thematically it doesn't seem to coalesce but it doesn't matter much, it is so stunning and original you forget that it may not make much sense.

The staging is almost as impressive as the performances. The stage, under a custom constructed big top, is about 27,000 square feet, allowing the horses to run at will and achieve full gallops. The back of the stage raised up, creating a hill with an enormous wall behind it on to which is projected a wide variety of background. There is an enormous carousel that is lowered from the ceiling where numerous acrobats perform balancing and pole work

There were many things we had never before seen. We've watched many shows with suspended ribbon dancers but I've never seen the dancers lifted off the back of a horse or spun by riders on horseback. I've never seen dozens of horse, inside a tent, on a stage, running through 2 foot deep puddles of water.

The show is about 2 hours long but it seemed much briefer. That's always a good sign. Most of the time was literally spent on the edge of my seat. Also a good sign. My report on this show will be brief (I know, it's shocking, shut the fuck up) because I don't know if my words can do justice to what we saw and honestly, words sometimes rob the memory.

Odyesso was a unique experience. It was a fine example of art and athletics blending together. Of humans and animals working as one. Of music and magic. All under a tent in the middle of my city.