After being cooped up for days during the first great snow and ice storm of 2012, it was an immense pleasure to get out and see "Cavalia" at Marymoor Park in Redmond this past Sunday. There was much warmth there – both inside the massive tent complex where the show is being held, and emanating from the long and wide stage on which was played out a most thrilling and brilliant experience that audiences are bound to not soon forget.
"Cavalia: A Magical Encounter Between Human and Horse" will touch you in ways you can't know until you're there experiencing it. It will make you laugh, utter "wow" over and over, stare with your mouth hanging open in wonder, and maybe even cause you to shed a tear borne on the touching beauty of love and compassion these horses can bring out in us humans. This is not a "horse show" – meaning that you won't see a three-ring circus where the point is for the performers to prove "look what I can make these horses do." Rather, the tables are turned in "Cavalia" where the point is "look what these horses can make us do."
There's a distinct purity in what this show is all about – a deeply humble and reverent genuflection to a gift from God that is the horse. As stated in the program, "'Cavalia' is an ode to beauty; a freedom fantasy; a hymn to harmony; one step toward a new complicity." "Cavalia" explores and builds on that blessed moment of bonding with the wild – when beast and man become one like two dancers lost in the music.
Headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, "Cavalia" is the brainchild of Normand Latourelle. Since co-founding Cirque du Soleil, he has become renowned for his large-scale innovative productions that take spectators to new realms. The human performers in "Cavalia" do all the tricks. They fly through the air, ride horses standing up (Roman riding), build human towers, backflip, swing from trapezes, dangle from above hanging onto yards of fabric…the talent and passion in this young cast is astounding. The show features 38 acrobats, aerialists, dancers, musicians and riders.
But with all due respect to the human performers, the horses steal the show. "Cavalia" features 45 of them in a wide variety of breeds and sizes – including a miniature horse that's cute as a button. Some of the most profound moments are when the horses are turned loose to walk freely on the stage all by themselves wearing no saddles, bridles or other manmade contraptions. They seem to somehow know they're the center of attention, and they kept Sunday night's audience in rapt attention as they moved gracefully among each other to mystical music and lighting. All the music played in "Cavalia" is by a live band and singer Mary-Pier Guilbault, whose voice is like that of a songbird.
Presenting "Cavalia" in a specially built venue makes for an atmosphere that wouldn't be possible in any of the area arenas like Tacoma Dome or Key Arena. In the big-top tent, seating is all on one side to the right and on the left the stage stretches from end to end of the seating rows. There is not a bad seat in the house. Many spires with flags flying top the tent complex, looking like a medieval traveling show from centuries ago. This will well prepare you for what's waiting inside this "castle" where horses are our closest and most loyal friends. Bursting with special effects, "Cavalia" is presented in virtual settings created by the latest multi-media technology available.
Due to strong demand for tickets, Cavalia has been extended to run to Feb. 19. Tickets are on sale now and are priced from $34.50 to $99.50 plus applicable fees. For guests who desire an extraordinary outing, the show can be customized for an extended experience from $129.50 to $189.50, including a Horse Lovers Package that lets patrons tour the stables after the show, and the VIP Rendez-Vous Package that includes the post-show stable tour, a cocktail/dinner reception and much more. Special pricing is also available for children (2-12), juniors (13-17), and senior citizens (65+).
Marymoor Park is located at 6046 W. Lake Sammamish Parkway N.E. in Redmond. For tickets, visit www.cavalia.net. And be sure and bring $15 cash for parking.
