Odysseo -- Rodeo Meets Cirque du Soleil in Stampede of a Production

By Lauren Yarger

Finally back from a prolonged road trip to share with you a wonderful show I saw while in Washington, DC.

It's Cavalia's Odysseo, a gigantic production featuring 63 horses and 47 artists (riders and tumbling performers). It's a veritable rodeo meets Cirque du Soleil and it is selling out where ever it goes. The DC show has been extended through Nov.10 at the Harbor Yard. Next stop: Seattle. Check http://www.cavalia.net/en/odysseo for information.

The action takes place in a huge tent on a stage with a panoramic backdrop that changes to different terrains as the story takes us to different places around the earth (though, ike with Cirque du Soleil, the story kinds of gets lost in the wake of all of the thrilling visuals and music taking place).

I'm just going to paste here some information from the show because this isn't really something I can "review" in the regular sense. Trust me, it's worth it, even before the amazing finale which floods the stage with a river and falls through which the horses ride. A great show for the family:

From the show:

Odysseo: Larger Than Life 

The horse has marked human history and progress more than any other animal. Horses have 

taken us to the ends of the earth, enabled us to build bridges between cultures and expand 

civilization. It is the beauty and harmony of this ancient relationship, this meeting of two worlds 

– those of horse and man – that inspired the creators of Cavalia’s second show, Odysseo. As 

friends, partners and inseparable performers on stage, 63 horses and 47 artists lead the viewer 

on a great journey in yet another world – a world of dreams – where, together, they discover 

some of the planet’s most unforgettable landscapes. 

With this new creation, Cavalia marries the equestrian arts, stage arts and high-tech theatrical 

effects at never-before-seen levels. A veritable revolution in live performance, Odysseo 

comprises a list of superlatives: the world’s largest touring big top, the biggest stage, the most 

beautiful visual effects, and the greatest number of horses at liberty. 

The creators of this new ode to the horse made the decision to indulge their wildest artistic 

ambitions. Their gamble paid off: Odysseo pushes the limits of live entertainment by creating a 

larger-than-life show that sends hearts racing, but it is also a feast for the eyes that succeeds in 

delivering the spectacular with soul.

Scenography and Visual effects 

To give life to this extraordinary equestrian adventure, Cavalia created a 17,500 square feet 

stage, in the middle of which rise two hills each three storeys tall. Some 10,000 tons of rock, 

earth and sand are trucked in and then sculpted to create the vast space of freedom where 

human and horse come to play in complicity. 

Above the stage hangs an imposing technical grid capable of supporting 80 tons of equipment 

including, a full-sized merry-go-round, far beyond anything attempted to date on any touring 

show and comparable to the best-equipped theaters of Las Vegas, London or New York. 

Odysseo presents a “live 3-D” voyage with extremely high-definition computer graphic images 

that transport the audience across the world’s most beautiful landscapes. To project these 

breathtaking graphic backdrops on an immense cyclorama the size of three IMAX screens, 

Odysseo uses projectors as powerful as those illuminating the grandest movie theaters. But 

whereas a cinema has only one projector, Odysseo uses 18 simultaneously! 

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. To the sound of an African harp called a 

Kora, audiences witness the beauty of 20 horses lying on sand dunes awaken. 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 80,000 

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 the traces of their 

splashes and an astonished audience. 

A show that feeds the soul 

Although the audacity, inventiveness and monumental scope of Cavalia’s new creation may 

boggle the mind, the essence of this magnificent equestrian odyssey lies elsewhere. Beyond the 

impressive technical display and equestrian and acrobatic numbers that are unlike anything 

ever seen on stage, 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. 

CAVALIA’S ODYSSEO WHITE BIG TOP 

Standing 125 feet tall, the White Big Top is a traffic-stopping addition to the skyline of each city 

Cavalia’s Odysseo performs. When visitors enter, they are immediately transported into a lavish 

and intimate environment reminiscent of any permanent theatre. 

Following the instant success of the first Cavalia show in 2003, Latourelle began to dream of 

how to break through the limitations of a big top tent. The biggest challenge was to open up 

the performance area. Latourelle knew that such unprecedented flexibility would allow him to 

showcase more horses and acrobats to create mind-boggling scenes. This involved removing 

supporting masts from the stage, a common staging issue in tent shows. A specially-designed 

big top was created in Europe, where the weight of the structure shifted from masts to three 

arches above the tent. The Italian firm Canobbio, in collaboration with Artistic Director 

Normand Latourelle, designed the tent and supervised construction. Asteo of France and 

Genivar of Canada supervised engineering operations. The arches that support the massive 

structure were built by Show Canada. 

More than twice the size of the structure created for Cavalia’s original production, the White 

Big Top is the size of two NFL football fields. The 17,500 square feet stage, larger than a hockey 

rink, and the 50-foot wide backstage area offer a vast playground for more than 30 cantering 

horses. The grandiose stage also offers incredible possibilities for large-scale stagings 

A total of five tents comprise Cavalia’s Odysseo village. 

A show that feeds the soul 

Although the audacity, inventiveness and monumental scope of Cavalia’s new creation may 

boggle the mind, the essence of this magnificent equestrian odyssey lies elsewhere. Beyond the 

impressive technical display and equestrian and acrobatic numbers that are unlike anything 

ever seen on stage, 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. 

FUN FACTS 

 Odysseo features 63 horses of 11 different breeds including the Appaloosa, Arabian, 

Canadian, Holsteiner, Lusitano, Oldenburg, Paint Horse, Quarter Horse, Spanish 

Purebred (P.R.E.) and Warmblood. 

 The horses are from Spain, Portugal, France, The Netherlands, Germany, The United 

States and Canada. 

 There are 47 artists - riders, acrobats, aerialists, dancers and musicians. 

 The artists are from around the world including the United States, Canada, Brazil, 

France, Belgium, Guinea, Russia, Spain and Ukraine. 

 There are 350 costumes and 100 pairs of shoes and boots in the show. Artists may have 

up to seven different costumes. 

 An artist may have no more than 90 seconds to do a quick costume change between 

numbers. 

 A team of 20 artisans, including four cutters, 13 dressmakers, one property master, one 

designer and one shoemaker worked in the Cavalia studios to create the costumes. 

 Materials used in the costumes include linen, silk, cotton, leather and some imitation 

fur. The use of natural fibers gives the clothes a sheen and lets them fall in a way that 

synthetic fibers simply cannot match. 

 The costumes are adapted to the artists’ needs, especially those of the acrobats and 

riders, to facilitate their onstage movement while not compromising their appearance. 

 The on-tour costume department consists of one wardrobe person and three dressers 

who launders, mends and cares for the costumes. At times during the show, they juggle 

15 simultaneous wardrobe changes. They have two sewing machines, one shoe-repair 

machine and one overlock machine.

TICKETS in DC - Ticket are priced from $34.50 to $149.50 + applicable taxes and fees. For a memorable evening, the Rendez-Vous package offers the best seats in the house, exquisite buffet-dinning before the show, open bar, desserts during intermission and an exclusive visit of the stable after the show. This unique VIP experience takes place in a luxurious tent alongside the White Big Top. The Rendez-Vous package prices range from $154.50 to $229.50 + applicable taxes and fees.

ABOUT CAVALIA INC. – Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, Cavalia Inc. is an entertainment company that specializes in the creation, production and touring of innovative shows for audiences of all ages. Founded by Normand Latourelle, the company has an expertise in equestrian and performing arts, and is known for making the most of cutting-edge technology, multimedia and special effects, which allows for the creation of magical, unique, never-before-seen theatrical experiences. Cavalia, seen by some 4 million people across North America and Europe since its 2003 debut, celebrates the relationship between humans and horses by loosely recounting the evolution of this bond. Odysseo, which premiered in 2011, takes the next step, leading viewers on a great journey where horses and humans, together, discover some of the planet’s most unforgettable landscapes. Follow Cavalia Inc.’s latest developments at www.twitter.com/cavalia or www.facebook.com/cavalia.