Here’s What to Expect at Cavalia’s Odysseo Horse Show

You’ve almost certainly seen the billboards and ads by now: “Cavalia’s Odysseo — the best show ever!” Hyperbole and oversaturation are to be expected in advertising, naturally. But when the Canadian equestrian-performance company invited the Scene to its media-preview day ahead of Odysseo’s extended Nashville run — Aug. 30-Sept. 17 beneath a massive big top just off Briley Parkway — freelance photographer Angelina Castillo and I were intrigued enough to bite.

Created in 2003, Cavalia is a Montreal-based performance outfit that’s been referred to by some as “Cirque du Soleil with horses” — which makes sense, as creator and artistic director Normand Latourelle also co-created Cirque. On Tuesday, Cavalia presented a truncated performance of Odysseo featuring several of the show's set pieces. The separate acts were presented, according to Latourelle, out of sequence to some extent.

With a live band on two raised stages flanking the main floor (for what it’s worth, they played a vaguely New Age-y blend of Latin, classical and folk music), 10 breeds of horse and performers from 10 different nationalities offered us a roughly 55-minute show. Tuesday’s media preview featured about seven or eight sequences, each with an impressive degree of production, lighting cues and choreography. Below you’ll find a quick rundown of the sequences we saw, with a photo to accompany each.

An opening sequence, in which the equestrians performed some show-jumping maneuvers, and acrobats — some of them on spring stilts — performed jumps, flips and castell-like stacking.

A trainer — a blonde woman who Angelina and I agreed had a Daenerys Targaryen-esque presence about her — commanded a team of nine white stallions. The horses would encircle her, follow her based on vocal cues and more.

At this point, the set’s massive curtain lifted for a choreographed routine of something like 20 riders in front of a grassland backdrop. The set’s use of forced perspective was clever, as riders came in over what appeared to be a distant hill. Not to double down on Game of Thrones references, but especially given the grassland imagery, a Dothraki mention is unavoidable here.

A carousel set descended from overhead rigging, and aerial performers did acrobatic pole sequences while a woman sang along with the band. This was the only set piece that didn’t feature any (real) horses, and so if you’re not into Cirque stuff, this won’t be the bit for you.

A large ring remained in the center of the stage, and riders performed on-horse acrobatics — some of the stunts looked truly high-risk. 

At this point the lights were brought down, and when they came back up, the stage had been flooded with water. In front of a waterfall backdrop, a single silhouetted rider danced her horse through the water before being joined by seven others in a choreographed pattern.

The finale was a sort of free-for-all, with performers on rings suspended from overhead, while dancers on horses sprinted through the water at the front of the stage. 

But perhaps most importantly, how are the animals in the show treated? Well, they’re trained via what’s known as “liberty training” — in which they’re taught, unrestrained, in a free environment. What’s more, most of the press materials we were sent explained, and reiterated, just how much respect, down time and special treatment the 65 horses in the show are given. 

Further information and tickets are available at Cavalia’s site.