Saturday, November 19, 2011

Cavalia dazzles with its story of friendship between horses and humans (review)


Ray Whitehouse, The Oregonian Portland, Oregon--November 15, 2011-- Cavalia, the multimedia equestrian show, opens in Portland Nov. 16, 2011. These scenes are from a special sneak peek of the show open to media and special guests. Jamie Francis/The Oregonian

Published: Friday, November 18, 2011

By Grant Butler, The Oregonian

The horse-themed circus Cavalia begins in a hush, with an ethereal female voice piercing the darkened big-top tent, creating a sense of mystery. Then a pair of horses gallop across the 160-foot stage, and a ripple of electricity runs through the awe-struck audience.
It's just the start of the magical thrills of this 2 1/2-hour spectacle, which opened Wednesday in the Pearl District and continues there at least through early December, with further extensions a strong possibility. Cavalia uses complex staging and plenty of technical wizardry to tell the story of humanity's interaction with horses. But even if it didn't have all the razzle-dazzle, the show would captivate because the horses are so magnificent.
Cavalia's massive scale is truly impressive. The show features 45 horses representing 10 breeds. The horses are all male, and 18 of them are high-spirited stallions -- known for their temperamental nature, as well as their love of showing off. There also are 41 riders and circus performers, many from far-flung locales like Morocco, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. The whole venture occupies several blocks' worth of space, with nine tents housing everything from stables and a cafeteria to souvenir stands, including the 110-feet-high performance tent, which is the largest of its kind in the world. read more:
http://www.oregonlive.com/performance/index.ssf/2011/11/cavalia_dazzles_with_its_story.html

No comments:

Post a Comment