The following is sponsored by Odysseo by Cavalia.
Known as the world’s largest touring production, Odysseo marries the equestrian arts, stage arts and high-tech theatrical effects at never-before-seen levels. This larger-than-life show sends hearts racing, but it is also a feast for the eyes that succeeds in delivering the spectacular with soul. Audiences of all ages are rediscovering with emotions the century-old relationship between human and horse. As friends, partners and inseparable performers on stage, 70 horses and 45 artists lead the spectator on a great journey in a world of dreams where, together, they discover some of the planet’s most unforgettable landscapes.
A world of dreams and fantasies
The dream begins in a misty, enchanted forest where horses graze and frolic under a sky of rolling clouds and a setting sun. Horses, riders, acrobats, and musicians embark on a soulful journey that leads them from the Mongolian steppes to Monument Valley, from the African savannah to Nordic glaciers, from the Sahara to Easter Island.
Throughout this grand voyage, spectators discover urban stilters and applaud the prowess of a troupe of African acrobats. Viewers are mesmerized by horses powering angelic aerialists in a four-person silks act that takes them into the skies. Audiences will witness the beauty of 15 horses lying on sand dunes awakened by the sound of an African harp called a Kora. They will likewise appreciate the beautiful liberty number, uniting purebred Arabian horses directed by inaudible vocal commands from their kneeling trainer.
The scenes follow the seasons and their attendant wonders. At times, the horses and people in this fabulous caravan become too numerous to count.
The Odysseo epic wraps up with a fantastic crescendo as the stage is inundated with 40,000 gallons of water in just a few minutes. A vertiginous virtual waterfall overhangs the resulting lake, in which horses, riders, and artists join to frolic, leaving behind them traces of their splashes and an astonished audience.
A show that feeds the soul
Although the audacity, inventiveness, and monumental scope of Odysseo may boggle the mind, the essence of this magnificent equestrian odyssey lies elsewhere. Unlike anything ever seen on stage and beyond the impressive technical display and equestrian and acrobatic numbers, Odysseo is first and foremost a work that feeds the soul. In these difficult, troubled times, Odysseo offers up something gentle, even tender. The poetry flowing from this grand adventure shines a light on a more humane world where human and horse may live in harmony. For just a few hours, the spectator sets off to discover new horizons, the limits of his imagination, and gets to experience a waking dream in a world where beauty, serenity, and hope reign.
