As a large trailer pulled up to the rear entrance of a temporary structure on West First Avenue near the Olympic Village, journalists jostled each other for the best vantage point.
The doors of the trailer opened and the sound of the repeated click of camera shutters and flashes of light filled the cool afternoon air.
The celebrities who were the focus of the paparazzi treatment remained oblivious to the commotion as each was led down a short ramp and paraded in front of the media. The first to appear was a Canadian-born, brown Quarter Horse nicknamed “Bud.”
Bud is one of the 67 horses used in the Cavalia production of Odysseo, which takes place under the largest touring tent in the world. On Monday afternoon, Vancouver journalists were invited for a behind-the-scenes tour of the massive set and a look at the horses as they arrived in the city.
The highlight of the tour was a visit to the set’s temporary stable, where the horses are stalled separately. The horses come from 11 breeds, including 15 Arabians, 17 Lusitano, one Lipizzan and two Appaloosas.
In the stable the different personalities of the horses showed: some stretched their necks towards passersby in search of attention while others played together by reaching through their stall doors. Several had no interest in interacting with human or beast and pointedly turned their backsides to the cameras.
Cavalia founder and creative director Normand Latourelle said it’s partly because of those distinct personalities the majority of horses used in the production are stallions.
“Geldings just don’t have the same personalities,” he said of male horses that have been castrated. “Stallions also grow longer manes so they look more impressive.”
Latourelle led the media tour, which included a sneak peek under the massive big top as a full-sized loader and smaller shovel were at work creating two and three-storey tall hills out of a special mix of dirt and sand.
The hills, located in the middle of the 1,626-square-metre stage, will create the backdrop for the spectacular production, which Latourelle described as a “6D” show pushing the boundaries of projection technology.
“We call it that because there are 3D images projected behind the live action,” said Latourelle.
The technology is used to create a dream sequence that begins in an enchanted forest where horses graze and frolic under a sky of rolling clouds and a setting sun.
It’s then the horses, riders, acrobats and musicians embark on a journey that leads them from the Mongolian steppes to Monument Valley, the African savannah to Nordic glaciers and from the Sahara Desert to Easter Island.
In one scene, 20 horses sleeping on sand dunes awaken to the sound of an African harp, while in what’s described as a “liberty” number, a team of purebred Arabians are directed by inaudible vocal commands from kneeling trainers.
The state-of-the-art technology is combined with the creative genius of a team lead by Latourelle, including director Wayne Fowkes, equestrian director and chorography Benjamin Aillaud, set designer Guillaume Lord, visual concept coordinator Geodezik, costume design by Georges Levesque, who passed away in 2011, and Michele Hamel, and choreography by Darren Charles and Alain Gauthier.
But technology and creative genius aside, on Monday it was very clear who the true stars of the production are, despite sporting some very un-diva like monikers, such as Frosty, Gus, Nugget and Gee Gee. Odysseo runs Dec. 7 through Jan. 5. For more information, visit cavalia.net.
