Joe Calleri's Movie, Theatre, and Comedy Festival Reviews: Cavalia

What – Cavalia

Where and When – Big Top at Docklands, 473-507 Docklands Drive, Docklands, from July 24, 2013 until August 18, 2013.

Reviewer + Photographer - Joe Calleri.
Stars - 5.

Full Disclosure - I attended the opening night of this production on a complimentary ticket as the guest of a media invitee.

Beautiful, talented human performers meet even more beautiful, and talented equine performers on a series of grand, magical, and often mystical landscapes, during the remarkable, high concept theatrical production, Cavalia.

This is an often breath-taking, jaw-dropping, heart in your mouth, and very sophisticated fusion of music, sound, lights, circus performances, and those exquisitely trained, 48 horses from 11 separate breeds.

Make no mistake, Cavalia will play with your emotions. So, you will find yourself embarking on gentle, quiet meditations during “The Discovery”, where a beautiful girl steps into an on-stage pool to quench the thirst of her horse, and “Le Miroir” where two of the female riders, dressed as medieval princesses on their white chargers literally mirror each other’s movements as they canter across the stage, and the “Grand Liberte” during which the pony-tailed horse whisperer, Keith Dupont, commands his 5 chargers with the briefest of words and smallest of gestures.

But, be sure to check your heart-rates during the performances of Roman Riding, and the powerhouse, hooping and hollering finale, Trick Riding (featuring the ever-exuberant, flame-haired, Fairland Ferguson), where the horses gallop at unbelievable, break-neck speed while their riders perform a series of stunts that would not have been out of place in one of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West extravaganzas.

When you add some muscular, ebullient acrobats (including the cheeky Anchoune brothers, Lahcen and Mohamed, from Morocco), graceful high wire and trapeze performers, a wonderful four piece live band, cellist (Anne-Louise-Gilbert), and some truly mesmerising lighting design by Alain Lortie (look out for the holographic stallions as they emerge from a rain fall), and evocative scene design (Marc Labelle), you have a tightly directed (Erick Villeneuve), highly detailed and cohesive world-class production that has to date been enjoyed by more than 3 million people.

Cavalia, created by one of Cirque du Soleil’s co-founders, Normand Latourelle, is a wonderful night’s entertainment for the whole family, and easily deserves my highest praises and, consequently, highest star score.