CAVALIA Comes to Australia for the First Time This Spring

Cavalia: A Magical Encounter Between Human and Horse, an innovative multi-media and multi-disciplinary production created by Normand Latourelle, one of the co-founders of famed Cirque du Soleil, announces the addition of two more cities to its debut tour of Australia. Cavalia will open in Sydney on May 15, 2013, under its signature White Big Top, on The Showring at the Entertainment Quarter in Moore Park. In Melbourne, Cavalia will open on August 7, 2013, at The Docklands. Tickets for Cavalia, one of the world's most critically acclaimed shows, will go on sale tomorrow, November 28, online at www.cavalia.com.au or by calling 1800-765-955.
Prior to the Sydney and Melbourne seasons, Cavalia will play in Brisbane from March 6 under the company's famEd White Big Top in the parking lot adjacent to DFO at Brisbane Airport. Tickets for the Brisbane season are already available online and by phone.

"We are thrilled to announce our first ever Australian tour and it is an honor to bring this show, an idea that started in Canada, on the other side of the world, to a country which has such a great affinity with both the performing arts and the horse," said Normand Latourelle, Founder and Artistic Director of Cavalia. "Having travelled half the globe, the art of Cavalia is truly a universal language and we can't wait for Australians to experience its magic."

Enjoyed by some 3.5 million people across North American and Europe, Cavalia is a lavish production involving 50 magnificent horses and featuring 42 riders, aerialists, acrobats, dancers and musicians from all over the world. A show unlike any other, Cavalia celebrates the relationship between humans and horses, virtually reinventing the equestrian arts.

In Cavalia, horses cavort with the many artists in front of a constantly changing digital background projected onto a 60 metre-wide screen, drawing spectators into dream-like virtual environments. Unlike traditional horse shows, Cavalia's audience faces a single 50 metre-wide stage which allows the horses space to gallop at full speed, at times running completely free, unfettered by bridles or halters. Cavalia takes place under a white, 2,440-square-metre big top, rising some 35 metres high that gives the horses an ample playground to perform with their trainers and artists. Cavalia's gleaming White Big Top is the second-largest touring tent in the world – surpassed only by the one housing Cavalia's sister production, Odysseo.

Delightful, thrilling and poignant, Cavalia explores humankind's longstanding relationship with the horse. Juxtaposed with the vibrancy of the production is a subtle thematic line that takes audiences through the evolution of horses and human's interaction with them. Cavalia's horse training is based upon a philosophy of understanding horses, rather than making horses understand the humans around them. The tone of the show, embraced by the entire company, is one of mutual respect, kindness, patience, and trust. Audiences have found Cavalia exhilarating in scope, yet touching in the compassion shown by both horse and human.

Cavalia has received critical acclaim from around the world, including The New York Times, which noted that the theme of Cavalia is "Celebrating horses, humans and their bond", while The Washington Post described the show as "Horseplay of the highest order". Las Vegas Magazine claimed it is "One of the most spectacular hybrids of modern theater in the world", The Toronto Star said "A new fairy tale-like show from the imagination of a Cirque du Soleil founder", while Paris Match defined it as "Pure poetry". Bild in Berlin called Cavalia "A wonderland full of mystery and poetry" and Telecinco in Madrid raved "One of the most beautiful shows in the world".