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| Elise Verdoncq and Omerio. Photo courtesy Cavalia and Dan Harper. |
Created in 2003 by Cirque du Soleil co-founder Normand
Latourelle, the troupe Cavalia combines intricate human acrobatics with complex
equine performances featuring dozens of trained horses in the lavish custom
settings. Their recent touring show Odysseo
is a melding of visual delight and incredible precision, simultaneously evoking
a fantasy dreamscape and the horse-riding cultures of the world. The
performance continually exceeds its own standards for what’s possible in human and
equestrian motion, never settling to simply meet audience expectations.
Normally, descriptions of the technical theatre go near the
end of a Theatre and Bites review,
but because Odysseo’s performances
are so profoundly tied to its venue, the subject deserves to be mentioned
first. The show takes place in a gigantic white tent that can be seen from the
highway, featuring a curved proscenium stage several times bigger than that of
Bay Area regional theatres. Because of its size and subtle lighting, the space
almost seems like watching a show outside. The stage itself tilts to create the
illusion of great distance, which provides a sense of vastness and glory.
Odysseo consists
of fourteen scenes; almost all feature its four-legged performers. These scenes
can almost be seen as an introduction to the spectrum of horse performance,
with riders enacting deliberate, precise dressage routines at one moment and
performing wild Cossack riding acrobatics the next. The scenes don’t simply hew
to formal notions of equestrian skill, either: “The Odyssey,” which opens Odysseo’s second act, opens with horses
lying prone and slowly bonding with their handlers before joining together into
the spectacular choreography of a Liberty performance.
Though all of the scenes are gorgeous, the very best are the
two at the end: “The Great Adventure” and the grand finale, “Odysseo.” Without
giving too much away, “Great Adventure” begins with a quiet, captivating solo
performance by Elise Verdoncq, riding Lusitano horse Omerio, as the front of
the stage fills with a shallow layer of water. This water, though no great
impediment to human or horse, adds a layer of spectacle to the daring,
adventurous routines about to unfold.
The inclusion of horses adds an interesting dash of
uncertainty to a performance art that is almost robotically precise with only
human dancers. The horses are well trained and talented, but they are still
animals and possess their own habits and idiosyncrasies. (I saw the
aforementioned Omerio try to sip some water out of a groove in the stage at the
end of “The Great Adventure.”) The broad staging and ensemble of Odysseo allows audience members to follow
a horse that particularly interests them, which adds a nice touch to the
theatrical experience.
Cavalia’s Odysseo
is a lavish, incredibly well choreographed performance piece that combines the
best work of human and horse alike. It provides an evening of stunning visuals,
uplifting themes, and a glimpse at the connection between species that has
existed since the dawn of civilization. For people drawn to the performing arts
for aesthetics as much as they are for a well-crafted script, Odysseo is a must-see.
