8/8/13: Cavalia Odysseo in Somerville, MA

When I got the invite to Cavalia Odysseo in Somerville, MA I accepted right away knowing that this looked like an amazing show.  Amazing is an understatement now that I have seen it.  My best words to describe it would be visually stunning!

Here are the kids ready for the show.  As you may see my daughter has on a sparkly horse shirt.  She loves horses so I knew this show would be great for her.

Here is the White Big Top.  You can see it while driving on 93 as it stands 125 feet tall.  It is the size of two NFL football fields and has a 17,500 square feet stage.  There is also the Rendez-Vous tent which I will talk about later as we were lucky enough to attend the VIP reception after the show.

We were extremely lucky to be in the first row.  Really all seats are great in the theater.  The kids had seen the billboards around Boston and couldn't wait to see the show.

It is unbelievable to see so many horses trained to do such amazing things.  Horses combined with acrobatics, musicians, beautiful backdrops, and riders it is beautiful to watch.  The images behind on the screens made you feel totally enveloped in the action and allowed you to travel through many different landscapes.

Photo credit to Cavalia Odysseo Website

The journey leads the audience from the Mongolian steppes to Monument Valley, from the African Savannah to Nordic glaciers, from the Sahara to Easter Island.

It was unbelievable the things that they did on these horses.

Photo credit to Cavalia Odysseo Website

One of my favorite parts of the show was the Carousel which had people performing acrobatics on poles.  They were so skilled and beautiful to watch.

Photo credit to Cavalia Odysseo Website

Of course we loved the horses the most and so wonderful to watch.  It was a surprise to all of us that the area where they were performing was filled with water.  80,000 gallons to be exact!  The kids were mesmerized and so was I.  When my husband saw it he asked me if we were in the splash zone.  No need to worry even in the front row you won't get wet.

Photo credit to Cavalia Odysseo Website

One of my favorite moments was when the acrobats got the crowd involved saying "O Walu Guere Moufan".  When going to show you will learn what it means and why the crowd cheers when its meaning is divulged.  It is a phrase in the Susu language, spoken in the coastal regions of Guinea, home of many Odysseo acrobats.

Photo credit to Cavalia Odysseo Website

Here is a video preview:

As you walked around the tent there were beautiful pictures.

Then we were treated to the VIP Reception.  You can purchase this as an option and it provides access to the private RENDEZ-VOUS VIP Lounge 90 minutes before the show, during the intermission and after the show. Plus you get Center-row seats, VIP pass, Buffet with a wide variety of complimentary food served before the show, Wine, bubbly and beer at will, Dessert buffet, coffee and tea served during intermission and after the show, and an Odysseo souvenir from their boutique.  

Here are some of the desserts.

But the best part of the VIP Experience was the exclusive stables tour after the show that we got to experience.

The show features 63 horses of 11 different breeds including the Appaloosa, Arabian, Canadian, Holsteiner, Lusitano, Oldenburg, Paint Horse, Quarter Horse, Spanish Purebred (P.R.E.) and Warmblood.  All the horses are male – stallions and geldings. They hail from 7 countries including Spain, Portugal, France, The Netherlands, Germany, The United States and Canada. You got to see all of them.  Many of them were getting their hair braided which was super cute.

Absolutely beautiful.  No touching or taking flash photography but you could take pictures with no flash.

The kids also got to meet some more of the cast.

They are all so beautiful.  The average age of the horses is 10 with the youngest at 5 and the oldest at 18. At the heart and soul of every Cavalia performance is the age-old bond between human and horse. The company fosters an environment where patience, trust and deep-seated respect for the four-legged stars come first. Cavalia’s training methods are designed to ensure the horses enjoy training and performing on stage. Trainers pay close attention to the horses in order to ensure that every request is adapted and respectful of what the horses are ready to offer.

Hair braiding!

The kids loved it.

There were fact sheets on the front of each of the stables to talk about that horse.  

Beautiful!

There was also a photo opportunity with one of the horses.  I am not sure what the cost was of this.

I can't say enough about this show.  It is really a must see!  They have already added shows due to the popularity of the show that goes till August 25th.  Get tickets here.

Like them on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/cavalia

Follow them on Twitter: @Cavalia #Odysseo

Disclosure:  I received 4 tickets to Cavalia Odysseo and access to the VIP reception after the show.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.