SANDY — Cavalia’s “Odysseo” allows audiences to go on an equestrian journey exploring an African savanna, perusing the Mongolian steppes and uncovering Easter Island, all inside the confines of a tent, according to a recent news release.
The show is making a stop in Utah from April 20 to May 8 under its White Big Top, temporarily located at The Shops at South Town.
“Odysseo” portrays the story of man and horse discovering the most beautiful landscapes on Earth together, according to Normand Latourelle, the show's artistic director, and it does so through a combination of "equestrian arts, stage arts and high-tech theatrical effects," according to the show's website.
“At first, I didn’t know that I was creating something so different, but today I see it when I look at my show," Latourelle said. "The approach is more like writing a poem, but it’s a poem for the ears and the eyes."
He said the result has been a "treat" to be a part of as no other organization in the world is performing a show quite like "Odysseo."
According to The Atlanta Journal Constitution’s review of the show, “It's not a horse show, it's not a play, it's not Cirque du Soleil, it's not a 3-D movie, it’s not a concert. It's all of these things, blended together in a way that not only entertains but … elevates the spirit. ‘Odysseo’ saddles up for a poetic, elevating journey.”
Origins of ‘Odysseo’
Latourelle said the process of creating "Odysseo" caused him to gain respect for the history humans and horses share, a history that spans about 5,000 years, he said.
“(It is) very inspiring because when you tell the history of the horse, you tell the history of humanity,” he said.
The idea behind Odysseo came from a show Latourelle produced in Canada that had a cast of 125 people and only one horse. He noticed that whenever the horse came onstage, the audience would focus on the horse.
After that realization, Latourelle began buying horses despite having no prior experience with them since he had been raised in urban Montreal.
“I was attracted by the beauty of the animal,” Latourelle said. “They are very innocent.”
Latourelle has 40 years of experience in the performing arts, including work as a lighting designer, director, agent, production manager and as "a pioneer of Cirque du Soleil from 1985 to 1990," according to his biography on the Odysseo website. Whenever he creates a show, he said, his main concern is bringing beauty to the stage, and he felt it was a perfect fit when he paired his ideal with his growing knowledge of horses.
“When I learned about horses, I learned about how natural they are,” Lautourelle said. “I wanted to reproduce nature onstage.”
Latourelle has been strictly committed to Cavalia since 2003, according to cavalia.net, and he wanted to create a new production bigger than any of his previous shows.
“I felt like I had all of the elements of doing something artistic with them,” Latourelle said.
Setting the stage
Latourelle's show pairs the performing arts with technology, combining real-life elements such as a troupe of Guinean acrobats with digital aspects, including a screen three times the size of those used in most cinemas. The screen functions as a backdrop with projected 3-D images while an orchestra of six provides live music to accompany the onstage performance, Latourelle said.
The stage, which is larger than a professional ice hockey rink, showcases 65 horses and 48 performers, including acrobats, riders, dancers and musicians, according to the news release.
Rachel Karabenick, an aerial acrobat featured in the show, said because of the large venue and advanced equipment, she gets to fly higher than she would normally.
“There aren’t a lot of opportunities to perform in such a large venue,” Karabenick said. “We get to go high and fly all over the place, so I love that.”
The set has a variety of three-dimensional elements, including a scaled forest and 40-foot mountain, Latourelle said, but there was one more large element he wanted to include.
“I had enough mountains and I had enough forest, so I wanted a lake,” Latourelle said. “The horses just ride and splash in the water.”
To create a makeshift lake, the production uses 40,000 gallons of water to flood the stage in a minute and a half, he said.
“There is so much depth to the show,” Latourelle said.
The horses
Latourelle knew crafting the show would be a challenge because he knew the basic element of making horses happy is giving them “a big space to play,” he said.
“If you put them in the play mode, they’re just fantastic,” he said. “They’re great performers.”
Claire Beer, a rider and aerial acrobat, has performed with “Odysseo” for a year and a half. Beer, who has prior experience in the horse industry, said “Odysseo” is one of the biggest collaborations of horse skills she’s seen onstage.
Because the horses are free of equipment such as a saddle or stirrups, it is mainly up to the horses’ trainers to keep them focused while they perform. This can be a challenge, Beer said, since the horses sometimes view the large stage as a “playground.”
“It really comes down to the relationship you have with the horse,” Beer said. “You have to have a trust and a bond between you and your horse to go and execute all the tricks you need to do and do the acts you need to do.”
Latourelle said he has been very conscious of the care and training that the horses receive and is concerned about them staying engaged.
He said horses are commonly typecast based on their most prominent skill. Latourelle did not want the horses to lose interest and wanted them to continuously be excited about performing.
“It’s like bringing a kid to a sandbox,” Latourelle said. “You give them the same toy and you give them the same sandbox, and at some point the kid goes, ‘What do we do next?’”
To keep the horses interested, the creative team has the horses rotate among different activities so the animals are not executing the same function every performance.
“In Odysseo, we have changed the approach,” Latourelle said. “We teach them three different things, and from one show to the other they do different things.”
Beer said “no show is ever the same” for her and her horses because they rotate the different acts assigned to both horse and human performers so often. Beer explained that rotating the horses’ activities also keeps them healthy because “they’re using their bodies in different ways.”
“Most of the horses are very versatile, and that’s a big part of keeping them interested,” Beer said. “They’re just like us in that they have their personalities. They have their likes and their dislikes.”
Beer said in addition to the exercise and rehearsal plans their trainers create for them, the horses have room to do much of what they love, including rolling, jumping and playing.
“They’re as free as possible,” Beer said. “I think that’s one of the most beautiful things about the show: They’re allowed to be horses.”
A show for all ages
Latourelle said he’s enjoyed developing the show and expanding his scope in the performing arts, and he hopes many families in Utah will enjoy the show.
“What we see is if you’re 4 years old, 40 years old or 84 years old, it’s for everyone,” he said.
Karabenick said the show has helped her stretch her abilities in a way she’s not sure she could have anywhere else.
“As an artist, I think every time you’re forced into a new set of circumstances it forces you to grow,” Karabenick said. “I think you come out of it just getting a rich array of experiences.”
Karabenick said the show is great for families. She added that the "Odyesso" cast is excited to come to the greater Salt Lake area. She said she is "hoping everyone is as excited to have us there as we are to go."
Email: aramirez@deseretnews.com