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created by Normand Latourelle,

directed by Érick Villeneuve

Voltige Inc., Big Top at Mill and Cherry Streets, Toronto

April 20-May 29, 2005

Since its first run here in 2003, the equine spectacle Cavalia has changed quite a lot.  The show has junked its earlier premise of portraying man’s relationship with horses through the ages in favour of more generally celebrating humans and horses in motion while emphasizing the amazing powers of “horse-whisperers” Frédéric Pignon and Magali Delgado.  Roughly 40% of the show is new material, the music’s caught a world beat and the lighting’s even more high tech.

Act 1 benefits the most.  Instead of pseudo-cavemen spying on wild horses, the show now opens with a horse playfully imitating Delgado’s movements seemingly without command.  The act now steadily builds in excitement through a projection-enhanced mirrored dressage routine to culminate as it did before with a thrilling demonstration of Roman riding where three men, each standing on two horses, race around the sandy on-stage ellipse. 

Act 2, however, is a let-down.  Acrobatics and songs are obvious filler.  Bungee-trapeze artists still distract from the exhibition of rodeo trick riding where horses gallop the full 50-meter length of the stage.  The climax that once showed off Pignon’s magical whipless training technique now is undermined by the presence of a whip and the rebelliousness of two of the three horses.   

©Christopher Hoile

Note: A version of this review appeared in Eye Weekly 2005-04-28.

Photo: Cast of Cavalia. ©Tina Hines.