The Pepsi Center parking lot has a new guest – Cavalia’s Odysseo is housed there with multiple white tents, 64 horses, 120 employees (including artists) and a performance that is literally unlike anything that I, and many, have ever experienced before.

Odysseo is just that: an odyssey full of culture, remarkable equestrian technique and talented artists who put every ounce of energy and skill into each performance to produce a legacy of a show.

You’re about to read a review of the show and unlike the format that 303 Magazine usually publishes, I’m going to give you a review from my first-person perspective. Why? I’ve seen Odysseo twice and whenever I’m asked what the performance is like, I’m almost lost for words. It has taken me since Wednesday night’s premiere to meticulously explain what I saw and how I felt. And here’s why.

Cavalia’s Odysseo Premiere Review

I walked into the main tent to find a smaller looking stage. White lacy curtains hid the 17,500 feet of ground that I now know lurked behind those curtains and I sat in my seat with popcorn in-hand. While hearing the audience discuss what they thought they were about to see, Odysseo was referred to as a “horse circus” and a spin-off a Cirque du Soleil-like show with horses.

guests with performers from the show

guests with performers from the show

A short quiz came up on the screen as the lights bowed. It was interactive and it spiked my curiosity by giving me facts to look for during the performance. The lights on the stage became relevant and one horse walked on stage, then another. The scene was so beautiful that tears literally fell from my eyes. It was such a magical moment seeing these horses interact with each other without having a handler nearby. Finally, an artist came on stage and the horses seemed captivated by her. They followed her every move and began to almost dance on the stage. Not only could I tell that the horses of Odysseo are well-trained, they are well-loved.

The first of two acts was basically an introduction to characters and the cultures they represent. Tribal dancers performed acrobatic stunts and their bodies looked like jelly as the flipped and flew through the air. Horse riders raced across the stage while hanging on by one arm, being upside down, and even looking like they weren’t holding on at all. The crowd gasped and cheered for each stunt. The stand-out scene in this first part of the show was hands-down when a full-sized merry-go-round gently descended from up above, holding performers that looked weightless as they twirled around it and danced in harmony. If I was able to verbally gush every detail about it, I would. But it’s a sight that has to be seen in person.

Act two started after a short intermission. The curtains were closed but when they opened, a charming moment between human and horse once again brought tears to my eyes. It was literally like nothing I’ve ever seen. These horses looked so strong and mighty but evoked emotion that everyone in the audience felt. Stemming off of the merry-go-round scene in the first half of the show, there was another only this time it was formed solely by artists and their costumes. Everyone around me also had their mouths wide open as we experienced beauty and artistry that connected the performers in the sky to performers riding horses on the ground.

But the last scene of the show – this is something that you can tell took years to perfect. It incorporates choreography, extreme equestrian technique and water. Need I say more?

with the creator, Normand Latourelle

with the creator, Normand Latourelle

After the show, I was given a backstage tour guided by the creator and president of Cavalia himself, Normand Latourelle. I couldn’t congratulate him enough on creating such a beautiful performance and I was in awe of how humble he was. I saw him before the show guiding the thousands of guests to their seats, and now he walked a few of us through the horse stalls, behind the stage and through the dirt to show this birthing of culture.

When I asked Latourelle what his favorite part of the show was, he was ready with the perfect answer: “My favorite scene is when everybody stands up at the end. I love this show from A to Z, so it’s hard to say which part I prefer. But when I see the public happy, that makes my day, everyday.”

 

If you see me between now and the first week of October, when this shows packs up and heads to another city, I’ll probably talk about Odysseo. It’s a cultural experience that delivers every night with jaw-dropping stunts, the most intricate visual effects, performers that you can tell dedicate their lives to it and horses that show you a different side to the animal.

To be a part of history by experiencing Odysseo, click HERE for tickets

View the GALLERY of the premiere