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enthusiasm for the industry and making his mark as alighting designer, agent, production manager, directorand artistic director, it is evident Normand lives forthe adventure.“It felt risky and that’s what I like. It was very scary,because from everything I’d seen nobody has ever donewhat we’ve achieved with Cavalia, which is the integrationof the performing arts and the equestrian arts,” he says.Normand has nurtured the idea of simplicity; it is anelement of the show he is proud to have maintained. Inthe simple environment the majestic complexity of nature,of the horse, is on display.“One day I created a show where I required one horse asan extra. I noticed when the horse came on stage it tookthe focus from the performer. The public was looking atthe horse instead of the 120 performers with fabulouscostumes and makeup,” Normand recalls.“From that moment I realised how beautiful they(horses) are. The aesthetic of the horse was revealed.”Normand’s inspiration for creation is more a matter ofdoing than planning.“There is no one way. A lot of the time I have inspirationwhen I wake up with an idea; other times by talking withthe team; other times in rehearsal when something is amistake. I’m not a guy who has to stop with paper andsay ok, now I have to have ideas. I just need the action,the work, the teamwork,” Normand says.The equine performers are the heart and soul of theproduction, with a team committed to nurturing thehorses and prioritising their health and well being.“We started Cirque du Soleil being very proud to havea circus with no animals and then I was moving towards ashow with animals and I wanted to make sure I could dothat with total respect for the animal.“My rule is not to ask them to do what they wouldn’tdo in natural behaviour. The line is very thin – how muchyou push, how much you don’t push.“Like when you bring a kid to a sandbox, if it is notfun for the horse he will not stay. That is how we buildthe show.”This is how they have built Cavalia – an exploration ofthe mutual respect between man and horse throughoutthe ages.Dream-like virtual environments come to life througha 60-metre-wide screen behind the 50-metre-wide stage.“When I went out of Cirque I wanted to explore differentfields within the performing arts, so I started to developand to push large-image projections,” Normand says.“The image is at the core; it enhances what’s going on.It brings continuity; it does not overstage.”As Las Vegas Magazine describes, the result is “one of themost spectacular hybrids of modern theatre in the world”.“There is one part of the show I’ve never changed,xxxxxxbecause the first time I saw the show I said ‘we’ve gotit!’ It’s a beautiful act where two girls are flying. Theyland next to the rider and it’s like ballet with white horsesturning around.”Normand explains he was inspired by Pegasus fromGreek mythology.“Of course you can’t have a horse fly, so my idea is tohave the spirit of the horse, also the spirit of the rider. It’skind of a love affair where the spirit goes away and youwant it back. I think it’s kind of romantic.”Normand’s ultimate goal is to take his audience intonew dimensions.“I don’t pretend to change the society with my show. Ilike to bring happiness to this planet. I like to emphasisethe beauty, because sometimes you don’t see it.“We are very urbanised. Our pace of life is very fast. Wethink we see more beauty on TV than in nature. This showis telling us ‘well look at the nature a bit more’.“It’s like entering into a dream for two hours and whenyou get out you float. I hope people are going to floatfor a few hours, a few weeks, a few months, a few years.”“It’s not often that people discover something theyhaven’t experienced before.”Cavalia premieres in Brisbane on March 6 beforetouring the Australia. •www.rotarydownunder.org 43