TheLoWDoWN - Rotary Down Under

XxxxxxUnbridledmagicOften labelled an equestrianballet, Cavalia is a spectacularand moving tribute to therelationship between manand horse throughouthistory; a dream of freedom,cooperation and harmony.Amy Schostakowski speaksto Founder and ArtisticDirector Normand Latourelleabout the conception of thismystical event.Asea of white tents rises to meet the settingsun. The tent peaks resemble the RockyMountains; the white peaks of the snow. Anatmosphere sparkling with excitement whipsat your heels. The magical warmth exudingfrom within draws you inside.The adventure has begun.Forty-four horses gallop at full speed towards you.Completely free. No bridles. No bits. No spurs. No riders.In the distance is a continually evolving landscape. Amultimedia experience that ties a thread between eachact. The thread unravels to reveal the magical encounterbetween human and horse. Cavalia.Founder and Artistic Director Normand Latourelleencapsulates the philosophy behind Cavalia in oneconcise statement.“The stage is a playground.”The Canadian-bornspectacle incorporates44 horses and 30 artists, including riders, aerialists,acrobats, dancers and musicians, into a show that hasbeen described as an equestrian ballet. Over 3.5 millionpeople have been enchanted by Cavalia in NorthAmerica and Europe over the past decade. And now it isAustralia’s turn.Normand, a co-founder of Cirque du Soleil, is on aconstant quest for innovation.“I wanted to do something different; to be challenged.When we created Cirque we were very proud that we hadreinvented the circus world, so I didn’t want to go and dothe same thing,” he says.After 40 years in the performing arts, building his42 Issue 548. March 2013