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Arts & Entertainment

Cavalia: Equine and Equestrian Extravaganza With the Flash and Spectacle of a Circus

The show, featuring stunt riders, acrobats and aerialists, runs through April 8 under the Big Top in downtown St. Louis.

Cavalia, the equine and equestrian extravaganza being performed in St. Louis through April 8, combines all the flash and spectacle of a circus with the serenity and beauty of a walk in the woods.

The show, called “A Magical Encounter Between Human and Horse,” explores humankind’s longstanding relationship with horses.

Cavalia features 37 highly skilled riders, acrobats, aerialists, dancers and musicians and 49 magnificent horses. Over the course of two hours, the horses gambol, trot and gallop across the expansive 160-foot-wide stage, sometimes free to wander, occasionally guided by a trainer through a series of balletic movements, but usually carrying riders executing fantastic, eye-popping stunts.

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The riders hang from hurrying horses at seemingly impossible angles, such as off to the side and leaning backwards over the horse’s rear end. They straddle two speeding steeds while standing and leap from a running horse’s back over a bar and back onto the horse. Meanwhile, a troupe of talented tumblers on the ground and suspended in air spin, twirl, flip and pirouette in moves choreographed to the actions of the horses and riders.

The performances are enhanced by a 200-foot-wide screen showing a constantly changing digital background, plus live music. The result is stunning and breathtaking, which is just what Cavalia founder and artistic director Normand Latourelle intended.

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“My goal in life is to please as many people as possible,” he said.

Creating Cavalia

Latourelle, who co-founded Cirque du Soleil in 1985, said it took 10 years from the time he dreamed up Cavalia until the first show.

“I knew nothing about horses, so I had to go through the full process of exploring the horse world,” he said.

In 1998, he came to St. Louis and met with the Circus Flora organizers to learn how to handle a show involving animals.

“I was very inspired, because I thought there was a lot of love between the people and the animals,” he said. “And I just realized that it was possible to do a show with animals with the full respect of them, and not abusing them.”

Cavalia, which features amazing stunt riding coupled with astounding acrobatics on the ground and in the air, is Latourelle’s creation.

“It didn’t exist,” he said. “And actually, it was pretty challenging, because since I was not from the horse world, most of the people I was talking to were very skeptical about the way I envisioned the integration of performing arts and equestrian arts. At first, everyone said, ‘You can’t have people flying over a horse, because he’s going to be spooked.’ And that was part of the challenge – how to convince the horse world and the trainers that we might at least try it and see how we can do it.”

At various times during the show, aerialists soar next to or above the horses, spinning, twirling, flipping and dancing. Horses instinctively fear sudden or erratic movements that could signal an attack by a predator, Latourelle said, so teaching them to remain calm with people flying nearby was a gradual process.

“When you bring somebody from the top to the horse, he thinks it could be a vulture, or a tiger, attacking,” he said. “So the way you do it is you take a long time. So at first, you bring somebody up there, and you leave them up there, and the horse just sees it. Then the day after, you bring (the aerialist) down one foot, and then you start to move, and then the horse sees it, until, after weeks, we reach the horse, and we give him a carrot. Now the horse, when they see somebody flying, they know carrots are flying, and they want to be with them and they’re not afraid.”

Training horses involves respecting them.

“Sometimes, life is so simple,” Latourelle said. “When you deal with animals, it’s not a mystery, and it’s not magical. First, if you’re gentle with them, if you listen when they have to tell you something, they will be the best friends. Then you feed them, and they just love you.”

A Bond Between Rider and Horse

Fairland Ferguson, a stunt rider in the show, started her love affair with horses at age 4.

“I just remember always having this insane love for horses,” she said. “My mom tells me that when other little girls were like, ‘Ooh, Barbies, Barbies, Barbies,’ I was like, ‘My Little Ponies, My Little Ponies.’ So honestly, I just think it was something I was born with. It was a natural born adoration of horses.”

Ferguson, 28, spends several hours a day with Poncho, the brown and white horse she rides in Cavalia.

“That’s the way to build any relationship, you know, is time,” she said. “So we always work with the same horses so there’s a really clear understanding of what we’re asking of them. You can’t have a marriage with four other people in it, so one horse, one rider – we always work together.”

Ferguson and Poncho have been a team for a year, and their connection and understanding was forged one step at a time. Now, Ferguson can
dangle off Poncho in startling positions while doing incredible stunts, her curly red hair flying as the horse gallops at top speed, and know he can be relied on.

“Now I think we have a very clear understanding,” she said. “He trusts me, I trust him. You have to in this job.”

Ferguson, in her third year with Cavalia, has been on both sides of the show.

“I remember, when I first saw the show, how inspired I was by just everything – the music, the singing, the acrobatics, and then, of course, the horses,” she said. “Now I’m that inspiration for people every night. People come up and they’re so excited, or they have tears in their eyes.”

Some people are moved by the human-horse bond, while others are amazed by the fitness and athleticism shown by the riders and acrobats.
Ferguson is proud to be part of something that entertains, motivates and
inspires audiences.

“Whatever anybody takes away from this show – (finding) inspiration from any angle – if I can be that for somebody, that’s the biggest blessing of the show,” she said.

People are impressed and astounded by the things Ferguson does on a horse.

“The number one thing I get all the time is, ‘You’re crazy,’” she said, smiling. “That’s the number one thing I hear. I think they mean it in a positive, funny way.” People also say “everything from ‘That was amazing’ to ‘You guys are just so awesome,’” she added, or they say the show reminded them how much they love horses.

“I feel like it awakens feelings in people, and however they convey that to me is what I hear every night,” Ferguson said.

Cavalia came from an engagement in Seattle and goes to Mexico City after St. Louis. Latourelle enjoys sharing his creation with people everywhere.

“My reward is when everybody stands up at the end of the show,” Latourelle said. “That’s my reward, and that’s why I’m doing this. I just want to please the audience. Life is very difficult, especially these days, and this show brings happiness. My dream is to bring more happiness to this planet.”

Getting There

“Cavalia: A Magical Encounter Between Human and Horse,” runs daily through April 8 under the towering, 2,000-seat Big Top tent at Cerre and South 7th Streets, just south of Busch Stadium.

Tickets range from $54.50 to $99.50, plus applicable fees. For prices from $134.50 to $189.50, people can get the Horse Lovers Package that includes a post-show tour of the stables and the VIP Rendez-Vous Package including the post-show stable tour, a cocktail-dinner reception and more.

Special pricing is available for children (ages 2-12), juniors (13-17), senior citizens (65 and older) and groups. The onsite box office is open daily 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. (9:30 p.m. on show nights).

See the Web site for additional information about tickets and show times, or call 1-866-999-8111.

A pay parking lot ($10) is open 90 minutes before each show.

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