Review: “˜Cavalia’ reins audiences in with equine acrobatics

These are not your average show ponies. And for people who grew
up with a My Little Pony lunch box as their closest encounter with
an actual horse, “Cavalia” will bring audiences back to
the barefooted fantasy of black beauties and white knights.

Under the big top circus tent of the traveling show, the
performance will take you out of the hot, polluted Glendale
shopping metropolis and into a fantasy that’s part Middle
Eastern, part European and part magic with dynamic lighting and
sound effects. These elements combine to emphasize the smallest
muscular miracles of both man and animal.

The show uses a few circus tricks that are typical of its
creator, Normand Latourelle, who also developed the famous Cirque
du Soleil. Combining open galloping with controlled equestrian
arts, the show utilizes horses both as the main attraction and as
simple platforms for human acrobatic stunts.

Other acrobatic apparatuses such as the Russian bar and the
flying trapeze are present as usual, but they can’t compare
to the amazing stunts performed with the animals.

In examining the history of man’s relationship with
horses, the show explores two main themes through music, light and
movement. The horses are used in militaristic choreography while
their trainers usher them into synchronized prances and bows.
Fortunately, this is contrasted with open running and free
movement, which is the show’s central theme.

A few intensely cheesy moments might deter people who
don’t have unicorn fantasies. But if they can get past the
performers’ adoring gazes and overly ornate watery
projections, the aerial tricks should be enough to hold their
attention. Pretty soon they forget to follow the show’s
obscure narrative and become absorbed in the movements.

“Cavalia” works on the principle that circuses have
used for years: exploiting the contrast between an uncontrollable
element of a powerful animal with the acute physical control of
human acrobats.

Despite the amazing physical feats of all the artists involved,
the show is definitely enhanced by creative lighting designs and
live music. A ghostly band appears in dramatic moments from behind
a backdrop to reveal musicians and singers, providing yet another
brilliant performative aspect without distracting from the
show’s visuals.

“Cavalia” is a fun and complex exhibition of human
and animal physicality.

-Alexis Matsui