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T he equestrian theatrical marvel Cavalia, an innova- tive multimedia and multidisciplinary production cre- ated by Normand Latourelle, a cofounder of Cirque du Soleil, is set to open in Seoul on Nov. 12. Already enjoyed by some 4 million people across North America, Europe, Australia and the Middle East, Cavalia is a lavish production involving 50 hors- es and featuring 40 riders, aerialists, acrobats, dancers and musi- cians from all over the world. Cavalia’s depiction of the relationship between humans and horses virtually reinvents the equestrian arts. Thrilling and poignant, Cavalia is a celebration of beauty and na- ture encompassing imagery that whisks the spectator’s imagina- tion over land and sea by displaying a vast array of equestrian and performing arts. Supported by state-of-the-art multimedia, Cavalia can be described as an epic adventure; a fantastic demonstration of horsemanship that transports the audience into virtual environ- ments. Cavalia’s horse training is based upon a philosophy of under- standing the needs, the preferences and the emotions of the four-legged stars. 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. In Cavalia, horses cavort with the many artists in front of a constant- ly changing digital background projected onto a 60-meter-wide screen, drawing spectators into dream-like virtual environments. Unlike traditional horse shows, Cavalia’s audience faces a single 50-meter-wide stage that allows the horses space to gallop at full speed, at times running complete- ly free and unfettered by bridles or halters. Cavalia takes place under a white, 2,440-square-meter big top, some 35 meters high, that gives the horses an ample play- ground to perform with their train- ers and artists. Cavalia’s gleaming White Big Top is the largest tour- ing tent in the world. “Cavalia” is a fabricated word, inspired by the Spanish and French words for horse (caballo and cheval) and the English word cavalry. Latourelle says he’d love to open a dictionary some day and see “Cavalia” as an entry, defining his multimedia production about the historical relationship between humans and horses. Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, Cavalia Inc. is an enter- tainment company that specializes in the creation, production and touring of innovative shows for audiences of all ages. Founded by Latourelle, the company has expertise in equestrian and perform- ing arts. It is also known for its use of cutting-edge technology, multimedia and special effects, all of which allow for the creation of never-before-seen theatrical experiences. Cavalia celebrates the relationship between humans and horses by loosely recounting the evolution of this bond. Latourelle’s fol- low-up effort, Odysseo, takes the next step, leading viewers on a great journey where horses and humans, together, discover some of the planet’s most unforgettable landscapes. Fairland Ferguson is one of the 40 artists in Cavalia. Ferguson performs a breathtaking Roman riding act, in which she rides standing atop two horses while driving a team of up to four ad- ditional horses. She also performs trick riding, which consists of the gorgeous redheaded American doing crazy acrobatic stunts on one of her horses while he gallops full speed across the mas- sive stage. Why and how did you join cavalia? I was 4 years old when I started riding horses, but I didn’t start stunt riding until I was 23. I was very athletic growing up (I was heavily involved in sports, such as basketball and soccer). So when I had the opportunity to combine my love and passion for horses and my athleticism it became very natural to do tricks on horses! I auditioned for Cavalia when they were in America and a few days after the audition, I was hired! I think they thought I had a great presence on stage and my love for the horses was undeniable. I was so excited to meet the Cavalia horses for the first time! What is your everyday training routine like? What is the most challenging stunt you have to perform in the show? I get up, shower and go to the Cavalia site to play with my horses. To keep my body and mind healthy, I exercise every day, either at the gym, running outside or riding my bike to work. I do two dif- ferent stunt riding acts in the show. One of them is Roman riding, where I stand on top of two horses, one foot on each. The other is trick riding, which consists of performing acrobatic stunts on my trick horse Poncho while he runs full speed across the stage. Sometimes I get a little nervous, especially when I perform a new trick in the show, but I trust my horses and they trust me. We are a real team, and every night is a beautifully inspiring learning experience. compared to human costars, what are the fun aspects and challenging diffculties performing with horses? Here at Cavalia we don’t share horses. This minimizes any mis- understandings between us and them and allows us to develop that bond and partnership with them, on and off stage. What I learn working with horses is that they never make mistakes. It is IntervIew wIth FaIrland Ferguson, CavalIa perFormer CavalIa’s horse traInIng Is based upon a phIlosophy oF understandIng the needs, the preFerenCes and the emotIons oF the Four-legged stars. the tone oF the show, embraCed by the entIre Company, Is one oF mutual respeCt, kIndness, patIenCe and trust. ADvERTORIAL