Magical relationship between human and horse gallops into San Diego
Por David Schwab | Reportero SDUN
Parte espectáculo ecuestre, parte producción teatral y parte acto circense, “Cavalia” es todo entretenimiento.
The multi-media show showcasing 50 majestic horses and 42 international riders – including aerialists, acrobats, dancers and musicians – pranced into town on Nov. 13 in the parking lot adjacent to Petco Park in Downtown San Diego.
The dreamlike show is visionary, said Cavalia President and Artistic Director Normand Latourelle, who co-founded the famed Cirque du Soleil.
“It’s very difficult to describe what it is; it’s another world,” he said, referring to what takes place both on stage and onscreen under the 110-foot-high, 26,263-square-foot, 5,000-pound white Big Top tent. It takes 100 trucks to transport and 50 people to set up, and seats 2,000 people.
“It’s a full integration of equestrian and performing arts,” Latourelle said. “It’s a one-of-a-kind show. You can’t see anything similar to it anywhere in the world.”
Billed as “a magical encounter between human and horse,” “Cavalia” explores the 5,000-year-old relationship humans have with the animals in a modern, poetic and moving way.
“People cry, they laugh [and] they go through all sort of emotions. It’s a show that touches the heart,” Latourelle said. “It’s a feel-good show.”
Enjoyed by over 3.5 million people, “Cavalia” is a lavish production that has horses cavorting with the many artists in front of a constantly changing digital background drawing spectators into dream-like virtual environments.
Latourelle said you don’t have to be a horse person to enjoy “Cavalia.” In fact, he said that at first he was not one himself.
“The theme we created, … we didn’t know anything about horses,” he said. “The horse was a pretext to do the show.”
Leaving Cirque du Soleil in 1990, Latourelle said wanted to do something different.
“And animals for a show was a challenge,” he said, adding he did not realize, until after working with horses, that they were “real artists.”
“They are a very gentle animal, very playful,” he said. “If you deal gently with them, they will give you as much as they have.”
Horses are given free reign during “Cavalia.”
“Half of the show the horses are free on stage,” Latourelle said. “No bits, no rope; nothing. They just run and they play. The other half they are ridden. I really tried to integrate all the riding techniques – bareback, Roman, dressage, vaulting – into the show.”
It is the second visit for “Cavalia,” which first came to San Diego in 2004.
“Seas o no un jinete, es imposible no disfrutar de estas criaturas místicas”, dijo Latourelle. “Con una comunidad ecuestre tan grande en todo San Diego, estamos encantados de estar de regreso”.
The multimedia show has evolved over the last eight years, he said, noting that all the horses and all but one of the artists have changed. The show has also transformed with technology, allowing a virtual set which projects accentuating images onto a 210-foot-wide screen.
“Cavalia” has already traveled across both North America and Europe and after San Diego is headed on to Australia.
“Cavalia es el espectáculo itinerante más grande del mundo, instalado bajo una carpa grande, que es la carpa itinerante más grande del mundo”, dijo Latourelle. “Creé el escenario que es el patio de juegos para los caballos. Creamos la carpa a la medida del escenario. Es como un castillo”.
The show’s presentation is unique in other ways, Latourelle said.
“Es un auditorio real frente al escenario que es muy diferente a cualquier otro espectáculo itinerante, incluso al Cirque du Soleil”, dijo.
Unlike other horse shows, “Cavalia” audiences faces a single, 160-foot-wide stage which allows the horses space to gallop at full speed, at times running completely free, unfettered by bridles or halters.
Latourelle dijo que el tema equino del programa se inspiró en parte en los cuentos populares franco-canadienses. Combinar esos cuentos con caballos guiados por artistas escénicos le permitió “reinventar las artes escénicas al integrar las artes ecuestres”.
Latourelle wants audience members to leave “Cavalia” with a specific overall impression.
“This show is about happiness, a good feeling,” he said. “It’s about nature. We forget, because we don’t live with horses, that horses are important in our life. Horses are part of our blood. We’ve shared the same space with them for 5,000 years.”
Headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Cavalia Inc. operates two separate touring shows, “Cavalia” and “Odysseo,” both of which marry the equestrian arts, stage arts and high-tech theatrical effects at never-before-seen levels. “Odysseo,” which premiered in autumn 2011, leads viewers on a journey through some of the breathtaking landscapes horses have helped humans discover around the globe.
Tickets for “Cavalia” start at $39.50, with special pricing and packages available for children, juniors and seniors. Show times include afternoon and evening performances, and are scheduled to end Dec. 30. For complete dates and times, and to purchase tickets, visit cavalia.net or call 866-999-8111.
