Happy horses for Cavalia

Hold your horses. Or actually don’t.

That’s because the world renowned stage production, Cavalia, is making its way to Singapore next month. The show will be trotting into Bayfront Avenue for its Asian tour debut on Aug 12.

The simplest way to describe Cavalia is Cirque Du Soleil with horses — except it’s so much more than that.

The brainchild of Cirque Du Soleil co-founder Normand Latourelle, Cavalia is the world’s largest touring show featuring 93 equine and human performers. The official buzz about it is that it’s “a fresh mix of equestrian and performing arts, multimedia and special effects, innovatively integrating acrobatics, dance, aerial stunts and live music”. Some have taken to calling it “equestrian ballet”.

On paper, Cavalia producers say the show “celebrates the relationship between humans and horses, virtually reinventing the equestrian arts”. The press statement also says the show “combines advanced technology and the fundamental relationship that humans have developed with horses throughout time” and goes on to add that it enables us to “build bridges between cultures” and “to produce the purest form of art, one created through kindness, patience and love”.

The inspiration for the multi-media theatrical production came when Latourelle attended a show and noticed that a horse was entranced by the spectacle on stage.

“I saw that it was looking at the performers and was just staring at them the whole time,” he said, “so I thought to myself, ‘Hmm, what if we can include horses into an act like that?’”

On stage, the show features acrobatic, aerial, dance and musical sequences, all of which include movements and styles from the horses — and this has never been seen on stage. Inside the White Theatre Tent, which is specially shipped to Singapore and where the show will take place, 3D images will be projected onto a surface that is twice as big as an IMAX theatre screen.

“It’s not just a dance show, it’s not just a circus act — it’s a story about love and life and we hope the audience can take away their own interpretations of that,” expressed Latourelle.

What you see on stage is really the result of one of the most unique things about the production: Its training philosophy. According to head trainer Benjamin Ailloud, it revolves around one key element — understanding the horses and making sure that the performers and staff accommodate the animals’ needs first.

“The horses are the main attraction in the company, so the show is made around them,” he said.

Stunt rider Fairland Ferguson added: “(The horses) have grooms, vets, chiropractors and even massage therapists to tend to their needs.”

Even when travelling from one country to another, head of operations David Fischer said that the horses would get special treatment.

“We ship the equipment by sea but fly the horses in,” he said, adding that the company charters one jet just to transport the horses.

And they baulk at the suggestion of any ill-treatment. “The horses are treated better than the humans on the show!” said Ailloud.

And the show’s creators have added an extra interactive element to the show: Those interested to watch the show can get up close and personal with the equine stars with the purchase of the Horse Lovers Package. You can visit the horses in an exclusive tour of the stables after the show. Think of it as the post-gig after party — but with horses.

“At the end of the day, we want to present a dream to the audience and the only way to make sure that works is to have horses that have (a sense of) expression,” said Ailloud.

For Ferguson, this human-equine interaction is one of her favourite things about doing a show like Cavalia. “Because then, the audiences can see how well the horses are treated and that we are really committed to bringing happy, healthy, talented horses out on stage to perform for them,” she said.

You can’t say “neigh” to that.

Cavalia runs from Aug 12 to 31 along the Bayfront Avenue beside the Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre. Tickets are priced from S$58 to S$188 and are available at http://www.cavalia.sg or 3158 6735.