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| - I saw Cavalia in March/April 2011 when the original show came to Vancouver. My family and I were blown away and I was in awe. I'm a horse-person already, and I felt immense appreciation for the work and talent of the two- and four-legged performers.
Fast forward 2-and-a-bit years to December 2013. Yelp Elite gave us the opportunity to attend Odysseo with the VIP Rendezvous package. The VIP treatment was phenomenal--there was a buffet before the show, a special tent with seating and ambiance, an open bar, free popcorn, a complimentary Show Book from the gift shop, and then dessert buffet at intermission. The staff were all fantastic: friendly, helpful, and efficient. My only complaint about the VIP experience is that as someone with dietary restrictions, none of the dishes were labelled with names, much less ingredients.
The show itself was fantastic. I was in awe and the audience sometimes forgot to clap--stunned into silence! As a horse-person, I appreciated the training and choreography that went into the performance. I kept whispering things in my mom's ear (she was my date!) about training horses and types of dressage movements. For non-horsey types, I think it's easier to appreciate the aerial or acrobatic parts (since you know you couldn't do it yourself) as well as the overall ambiance and music.
The reason I didn't give it 5 stars is as follows:
- Some of the numbers made me feel awkward: there was a circus troop of 11 black men, and they performed a couple of "tribal" numbers with drums and chanting. Only later did I read in a newspaper article that these were actually a New Guinea circus troop and some of these vignettes were created specifically for them. Okay, that makes me feel less awkward about the cultural appropriation.
- On that note (lack of knowledge) the non-horsey audience members would benefit from more information about *why* 4 horses running together unbridled is impressive. While a lot of the show is visually interesting and immense, unless you are very informed about the show and the experience, you may not fully appreciate it. I suppose that's why they want you to get/buy a Show Book.
- The bleacher-style seating was roomy but only moderately comfortable. Fortunately, the show is well-timed to include an intermission just as you start to get fidgety.
- We got to do a Stable Visit after the show (part of the VIP experience) but you couldn't touch the horses, there were very few performers or grooms to speak with, and if you wanted to know about the horses a loudspeaker recording instructed you to read the informational sign posted on each stable door. If you wanted a photo with a horse and a performer, they had a professional set up charging $20. I was interested in the saddles and tack they used, but no one was near the tack room to answer my questions.
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