FlyingOver - Fly - Frédéric Chéhu - Photo used with permission.
“How are they doing that?” Claire asked, her eyes wide with disbelief as she watched the women flying above the horses. She gasped again. “How are they doing that?” she whispered to me.
“Do you really want to know?” I asked in return. “Or do you want to just see it for the magic it is?”
“I really want to know,” she said. She’s four-and-three-quarters, after all. She needs to know things.
So, I told her there were wires attached to harnesses, and that’s how the women on the stage were gliding like fairies over the horses and their riders.
As they spun together in the center of the stage, almost appearing to come together as one, Claire said, “They look like a butterfly!” The logical explanation did not diminish the magic of the moment in the least. “They’re beautiful.”
I couldn’t agree more.
At times, ours eyes were tricked into believing they were defying gravity, mocking it even at times. Sometimes the artists were defying gravity, or at least bending it a little to their will.
I still get shivers when I think about what we witnessed on the stage at Cavalia. In fact, words can’t describe it….but I’ll try: Cavalia is an equestrian show from one of the creators of Cirque du Soleil, and like any Cirque du Soleil show I’ve seen, I spent a good portion of it gasping and holding my breath.
The three of us were given free tickets to the premier on September 22 in Denver. Our seats were five rows back from the stage. Incredible! I do have a confession to make: Yes, I was given free tickets, but I’m not obligated to write about this at all, let alone give in a glowing review. I’m writing about this, because what we experienced at Cavalia can’t be described; it has to be experienced, and if you have it in the budget to go, go. Now.
Before arriving at the show, my husband said he hoped our seats weren’t too close to the stage, just as Claire was asking if we got to ride the horses. In fact, I have another confession to make: I knew I would love this show the minute I saw it was about horses. My husband wasn’t initially convinced. He’s not what you’d call “a horse person.” I knew Claire would like it too, and she was thoroughly impressed before it even officially started.
I was curious to see how they would work the horses into the routines, and I was absolutely amazed. The skill, training and genuine caring for the horses was evident.
Trick Riding - Lynne Glazer - Photo used with permission.
The verdict: As someone who appreciates horses, I thought it was a fantastic show, and I can’t stop gushing about it. My husband, who “isn’t a horse person” thoroughly enjoyed himself, but put it on par with other Cirque du Soleil performances (which, in case you didn’t know, means he loved it despite the fact that horses were involved.) Claire, on the other hand, loved it on a whole different level. Her interest in horses has dramatically spiked. She’s asked if she can take riding lessons to go along with her Ballet! I’m afraid we’ve created a monster.
I’m not sure which was my favorite part: Was it the moments when horses galloping at full speed sped by our seats as the performers showed off their tricks and skills? Or the image of the horses projected on what appeared to be a fine mist, giving a ghostly presence to the stage? Or the woman who calmed and controlled eight horses at once, just by a movement of her hand or a sound? Or the “real” snow that fell on the stage and parts of the audience while acrobat danced with rider, in blatant disregard to gravity?
Bungee and Rider - Frédéric Chéhu - Photo used with permission.
No.
My favorite part of the show was the look on my daughter’s face when she realized that magic really does exist.
…wires or not.
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