Imagine a dozen powerful Arabian horses, all
in unison, surrounding a small figure center stage, as they ride together
gathering momentum, in faster and faster circles never passing each other, until
they stop and each horse rests his head on the breast of the horse in front of
him in an exquisite moment of connectedness, beauty and selflessness.
The Montreal
based CAVALIA has come to Boston with their
latest spectacle, ODYSSEO, (cantering through August 25th) in the
largest tent structure ever assembled, just off Rte. 93 in Somerville. CAVALIA has played world wide to
some 800,000 spectators, showcasing Spanish purebreds, Lipizzaners,
Holsteiners, Appaloosas, Oldenburgs,
Arabians and Canadians along side human acrobats, singers, musicians and
drummers.
Picture billows of silk floating in the air
behind female performers standing up, as they ride against the wind like
Valkyries, with left leg on one horse and right leg on another, Roman (chariot)
style. You’ll see an “equestrian carousel” with horses dancing sideways in
intricate dressage movement. You’ll marvel at the trick riders who can mount
and dismount their galloping steeds forwards and backwards (and slip down one
side, pass under the horse’s belly and reappear on the other side to sit in the
saddle again!).
The lithe female acrobats fly into the air on
ropes of silk fabric, which they knot and un-knot with their bodies like
elegant contortionists. The male acrobats propel themselves through hoops and
over barricades, then some on stilts (which look like Oscar Pistorius’ famous
metal “legs”) jump as high as the horses.
This “odyssey” embraces the world, including
an acrobatic troupe from Africa, who perform
as consummate musicians and dancers, who can leap and bound to the sky, and who
drum until our hearts are pounding with ecstasy.
CAVALIA adds lots of bells and whistles
(which are impressive, to be sure) like an actual merry-go-round which descends
from the big top—and a pond for the
horses to slosh through—and
gorgeous, panoramic projected scenery—but it needn’t have gone to the expense. The horses, all by themselves,
take your breath away.
