Our Cavalia Afternoon: An Equestrian Ballet

It’s not often a show that caught my attention and was reviewed so favorably also lives up to its hype and our expectations.  Cavalia was that show for us.   My daughter and I watched the highly acclaimed and advertised show last Saturday as a prelude to her 10th birthday weekend.  This was a special treat for a girl who has always loved horses, especially white ones .

Cavalia has been described as an “equestrian ballet” exploring man and horse’s relationship through the ages.  The whole show was a fusion of the equestrian and world of performing arts filled with acrobatics, dance and live music.  This was created by one of the founders of the popular Cirque de Soleil shows but Cavalia isn’t one of those cirque shows with horses added.

The performance was in a white big top tent that was set up next to Petco Park in downtown San Diego which was hard to miss.  Looking like castle turrets, the tents were supposed to be the equivalent of a ten-story building.  It takes about 150 people and 12 days to set up the nine tents in the village and about 3 days to take them down.

I was surprised the seating arrangement looked like a theater with the stage in front instead of being in the center like the Cirque de Soleil shows or other circus performances.  Its large stage was covered with sand.  Despite its size, it felt intimate since there wasn’t much that separated the stage from the audience.

Before the show started, we were entertained with some questions and answers on the big screen regarding the four- legged stars of the shows.  We found out that the show has 50 horses – all male. They were mostly Pure Spanish Breed, 16 stallions and one miniature horse.

The show opened with a woman playing a hauntingly beautiful tune on a cello followed by a short video of a newborn colt after it was just born.  It was a fitting opening showing the horse’s beginning and new life.

Its 210 ft (70 m) screen provided the backdrop where various images, sometimes transparently, were projected.  The transformation of the stage based on the lighting, special effects and projection were amazing.  They transformed it into a Roman arena, a fall countryside, a meadow including falling leaves, rain and snow.

Photo courtesy of cavalia.net

The show was a playful and magical journey especially for horse lovers. The various horses were beautiful, and some even came out with braids.  Sometimes, there was only one act and other times multiple acts on the stage which made it a bit hard to focus on one area.

There were gravity defying trapeze artists, acrobats with some very flexible and daring entertainers. The audience exclaimed “WOW!” repeatedly in many of the acts. My daughter constantly turned to me and asked ‘How’d they do that?” or saying ‘That was so cool!’ which echoed my sentiments.  We were in awe with many of the acts including how well they controlled those horses.

I can imagine the skill and mastery involved in training those horses and incorporating them into the various acts. Some horses were choreographed to march to the beat of the music and the most impressive involving the choreography of eight horses.

Photo courtesy of cavalia.net

My daughter’s favorite part and an exciting way to end the show was the last act where the majority of the performers were doing acrobatic tricks riding the horses as it quickly galloped across the stage. It was a whirlwind of one astonishing act after another.

The live band and singer were the perfect accompaniment and provided the fantastic soundtrack throughout the whole show.

I had hoped there was some sort of storyline but the separate acts were enough to captivate our attention including many kids around us.  We highly recommend Cavalia as a holiday family activity and especially if you or any of the kids love horses.  The show was creative, engaging and wonderful – worthy of its standing ovation and loud cheers from the audience.

Photo courtesy of Cavalia.net

We had the opportunity to visit the stables for 15 minutes after the show which made my daughter’s night. But, there was no flash photography, no feeding or no touching of the horses.  There were plenty of staff watching to ensure you don’t violate any of these rules.

Many of the horses were eating during our visit but some managed to look up.  They were even more beautiful up close.  It took a lot of courage for many people, including us, not to touch them.  The horses’ names were displayed, including their origin and role they played on the show.  A team of 20 people diligently takes care of the horses.

Their stuffed horses are just adorable.  These make for great gifts for the holidays too.

Courtesy of Cavalia.net

Watching Cavalia Tips and Basics

• Check their website for the show closest to you. A variety of ticket options are available including VIP packages.

• Picture taking is not allowed during the show for everyone’s safety.

• Seats can get uncomfortable after awhile.  We saw quite a few tall people sit uncomfortably in the center.  Try to get the aisle seats if you’re over 6 feet tall.

• If your kids have interest in horses, it would make for a better overall experience. The show is over 2 hours long with a 20 minute intermission so please keep it in mind when taking active toddlers.

*Have you seen this show?  Do you have any horse lovers who would love to watch Cavalia?

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*Disclosure: We were provided with two complimentary Cavalia show tickets and Stable Tour Passes.  Cavalia did not require that we express a particular viewpoint or financially compensate us.  All opinions expressed here are my own after watching the show.