Friends, I know it's been a while since my last post, but I'm extremely delighted to share my review on the most wondrous spectacle I've ever attended.
Last week I had the absolute honor of attending Odysseo by Cavalia. Perhaps you've seen the White Big Top standing tall in the south lot of Soldier Field, or ads all over Chicago showing a beautiful white horse announcing Cavalia's return to the city. If you were curious enough to investigate, you noticed that this is no ordinary show. With over 1,300 performances already in North America, Cavalia has brought wonder and nature to audience members since its world premier in 2011.
The VIP experience I was kindly given was phenomenal. Inside a beautifully decorated tent, guests were treated to a gourmet buffet dinner before the show that included delicious dishes like salmon, couscous, kale salad, sausages, and steak. Intermission was a true delight--so many yummy desserts to choose from!
According to its press kit, Cavalia's horses come from all over the world, such as Portugal, Australia, Spain and Canada. The show travels with 65 horses of 11 different breeds like the Arabian, Spanish Purebred, Quarter, and Lusitano. I was so excited to have met one of these beauties during my VIP tour of the stage and stables after the show--you can tell I was pretty much starstruck!
These majestic creatures absolutely stole the spotlight during the two hour performance. They galloped at full speed across the 17,500 square foot stage--which is covered with 6,000 tons of dirt, sand, and stone--with and without their equally as stunning riders. At one point, the stage even fills up with water! The artists who gracefully rode, trained, and essentially connected with the horses during the performance also come from various parts of the world, but their main troupe hails from Quebec, Canada. These highly talented people did seemingly everything from acrobatics, to dancing and aerial gymnastics. To say I was amazed at their precision, strength and balance is an understatement; I gripped the edge of my seat as the artists stood on top of horses, kept their posture and spun around them as they galloped around the stage seemingly effortlessly. As the men and women rode across the mounds of sand, I was honestly reminded of the Dothraki scenes from Game of Thrones--the women were very much real versions of khaleesi!
The music during the show was also mesmerizing. Everything we heard that night was live, including the amazing singer who graced the stage a few times. On both sides of the stage above were live musicians playing the violin, bass, drums, guitar, flute, saxophone, and other instruments from different countries.
Cavalia's artistic director and creator, Normand Latourelle, truly outdid himself in coming up with an extraordinary experience that combines both the femininity and masculinity found in humanity. Combined with the talents and beauty of one of Earth's most exquisite creatures, Odysseo provided an exceptional escape from reality, transporting me and the rest of the audience members all over the world. Upon leaving, I felt like I had just seen someone's dream played out, or like a painting had just come to life; either way, I am thankful for a show like Odysseo in which the wild, elegant nature of horses that sometimes goes unnoticed was center stage, and that it allowed for a soulful connection of spirits between both humans and animals that share this planet.
Note: A very special shout out & thank you to Mathieu Hebert-Thompson for our tickets--you were the kindest of hosts!
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Last week I had the absolute honor of attending Odysseo by Cavalia. Perhaps you've seen the White Big Top standing tall in the south lot of Soldier Field, or ads all over Chicago showing a beautiful white horse announcing Cavalia's return to the city. If you were curious enough to investigate, you noticed that this is no ordinary show. With over 1,300 performances already in North America, Cavalia has brought wonder and nature to audience members since its world premier in 2011.
The VIP experience I was kindly given was phenomenal. Inside a beautifully decorated tent, guests were treated to a gourmet buffet dinner before the show that included delicious dishes like salmon, couscous, kale salad, sausages, and steak. Intermission was a true delight--so many yummy desserts to choose from!
According to its press kit, Cavalia's horses come from all over the world, such as Portugal, Australia, Spain and Canada. The show travels with 65 horses of 11 different breeds like the Arabian, Spanish Purebred, Quarter, and Lusitano. I was so excited to have met one of these beauties during my VIP tour of the stage and stables after the show--you can tell I was pretty much starstruck!
These majestic creatures absolutely stole the spotlight during the two hour performance. They galloped at full speed across the 17,500 square foot stage--which is covered with 6,000 tons of dirt, sand, and stone--with and without their equally as stunning riders. At one point, the stage even fills up with water! The artists who gracefully rode, trained, and essentially connected with the horses during the performance also come from various parts of the world, but their main troupe hails from Quebec, Canada. These highly talented people did seemingly everything from acrobatics, to dancing and aerial gymnastics. To say I was amazed at their precision, strength and balance is an understatement; I gripped the edge of my seat as the artists stood on top of horses, kept their posture and spun around them as they galloped around the stage seemingly effortlessly. As the men and women rode across the mounds of sand, I was honestly reminded of the Dothraki scenes from Game of Thrones--the women were very much real versions of khaleesi!
The music during the show was also mesmerizing. Everything we heard that night was live, including the amazing singer who graced the stage a few times. On both sides of the stage above were live musicians playing the violin, bass, drums, guitar, flute, saxophone, and other instruments from different countries.
Cavalia's artistic director and creator, Normand Latourelle, truly outdid himself in coming up with an extraordinary experience that combines both the femininity and masculinity found in humanity. Combined with the talents and beauty of one of Earth's most exquisite creatures, Odysseo provided an exceptional escape from reality, transporting me and the rest of the audience members all over the world. Upon leaving, I felt like I had just seen someone's dream played out, or like a painting had just come to life; either way, I am thankful for a show like Odysseo in which the wild, elegant nature of horses that sometimes goes unnoticed was center stage, and that it allowed for a soulful connection of spirits between both humans and animals that share this planet.
Note: A very special shout out & thank you to Mathieu Hebert-Thompson for our tickets--you were the kindest of hosts!