There were lots of gorgeous horses, but I was also fascinated by the enormous "Big Top" which served as the showcase for the event. It was like actually being inside a huge theater rather than a tent. It was even air-conditioned.
Too bad about the Shell sign getting in the way, but at least this picture will give you a sense of scale.
I traded half of one of my already-sold horse portraits for a ticket to Cavalia, which I went to see yesterday along with the owner of the portrait. It was truly a remarkable performance both theatrically and on the part of its equine participants. The staging was magnificent with exceptional use of light, projected images, sound and scenery. The horses were both amazing and amusing. The acrobats were thrilling, especially in the way that their movements interacted with the horses’ positions on stage. My favorite bit (pardon the pun) was a guy on a large (maybe 4 foot diameter?) ball, doing flips and moonwalking and generally showing off. A horse walks in on the action, all by himself, and the two of them walk forward and backward across the stage with the guy still on the ball. Finally, the horse decides he’s had enough of the guy and will show him what’s a real trick. So he lies down on the floor and rolls over, gets up, and waits. Nothing. He cocks his head a bit, looks directly at the audience, which finally “gets it” and applauds. I’ve never seen comedy timing by a horse before, but this one worked to perfection.
Alli Farkas Artist Adventures 