THE WHITE BIG TOP

Standing 110 feet tall, the White Big Top is a traffic stopping addition to the skyline of each city Cavalia Odysseo visits. When visitors enter, they are immediately transported into a lavish and comfortable environment reminiscent of any permanent theatre. Two exclusive VIP tents offer guests a variety of experiences including dining, an open bar, a photo opportunity with the artists and a private tour of the stables.

From their seats the audience will become part of a truly immersive, three dimensional experience as a state-of-the-art video screen, the size of 3 IMAX theatres, projects images that transport the viewer to a world of dreams. Beginning in a misty, enchanted forest where a herd of horses graze and frolic under a sky of rolling clouds and a setting sun, Odysseo travels to some of nature’s greatest wonders. Without ever leaving their seats the audience will see the desert and savanna of Africa, the American Southwest, the Northern Lights, an ice cave, verdant fields and Easter Island.

The Odysseo White Big Top is more than twice as big as the structure created for Cavalia’s original production. The newest incarnation was designed in collaboration with the consultants at the Italian firm Canobbio, who also oversaw the construction. Asteo in France and Genivar in Canada supervised engineering operations. The arches that support the massive structure were built by Show Canada.

[youtube width=”600″ height=”350″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyX8VgpuuPg[/youtube]

DIMENSIONS

•   Rises 110 feet – 10 stories – into the sky.
•   Bigger than an American football field, it covers an area of 394 feet long by 312 feetwide.
•   Spans more than 120,000 square feet.

INSIDE THE BIG TOP

•   A stage covering close to 15,000 square feet.
•   80,000 gallons of water creates a lake on stage in minutes.
•   A seating capacity of 2,000.ASSEMBLY AND TRANSPORTATION

•   The installation requires a 240 ton mechanical crane.
•   The 2 arches are 89 feet high by 203 feet wide.
•   20 trucks are required to transport the Big Top. An additional 55 trucks transport theequipment.

FUN FACTS

•   Odysseo features 53 horses of 9 different breeds including the Appaloosa, Arabian, Canadian, Lusitano, Oldenburg, Paint Horse, Quarter Horse, Spanish Purebred (P.R.E.) and Warmblood.
•   The horses are from Canada, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the United States.
•   There are 43 artists – riders, acrobats, aerialists, dancers and musicians.
•   The artists are from around the world including the United States, Canada, Brazil,France, Guinea (Africa), Russia, Spain and Ukraine.
•   There are 350 costumes and 100 pairs of shoes and boots in the show. Artists may haveup to 7 different costumes.
•   An artist may have no more than 90 seconds to do a quick costume change betweennumbers.
•   A team of 20 artisans, including four cutters, 12 dressmakers, one property master, onedesigner and one shoemaker worked in the Cavalia studios to create the costumes.
•   Materials used in the costumes include linen, silk, cotton, leather and some imitation fur. The use of natural fibers gives the clothes a sheen and lets them fall in a way thatsynthetic fibers simply cannot match.
•   The costumes are adapted to the artists’ needs, especially those of the acrobats andriders, to facilitate their onstage movement while not compromising their appearance.
•   The on-tour costume department consists of 1 wardrobe person and 3 dressers wholaunders, mends and cares for the costumes. At times during the show, they juggle 15 simultaneous wardrobe changes. They have two sewing machines, one shoe-repair machine and one overlock machine.

THE CREATIVE TEAM

ARTISTIC DIRECTION – NORMAND LATOURELLE

In his 40-year career in the performing arts, Normand Latourelle has followed a path that has led him through all aspects of the industry, having occupied every position from lighting designer to agent, production manager, director and artistic director. A pioneer of Cirque du Soleil from 1985 to 1990, he has been the driving force behind many impressive and memorable events, such as the sound and light show on Parliament Hill in Ottawa and the 350th anniversary celebrations for the founding of Montreal. A visionary in constant quest for innovation, Normand Latourelle is renowned for combining different forms of artistic expression and reinventing the scenic space, with the ultimate goal of taking audiences to new dimensions. Since 2003, Normand Latourelle has been fully dedicated to Cavalia, instilling his talent, passion and imagination into the productions. In 2007, he received the Ordre national du Québec for his achievements.

DIRECTION – WAYNE FOWKES

Born in Leeds, Great Britain, Wayne Fowkes now lives in Austria with his family. He began his career as a singer and dancer in London’s West End, where he acted in several big shows. His career path led him to explore choreography and artistic direction, among other things, for television productions in Great Britain and Europe. At age 30, he became resident director for Andrew Lloyd Webber. In 2000, Wayne took on a huge London venue, the Millenium Dome, as artistic coordinator. The same year he became the artistic director for Notre-Dame-de-Paris, also overseeing its subsequent adaptations in eight different languages. Shortly after, in 2004, Fowkes became artistic director for the musical Don Juan. In 2007 he directed his very first production, Butterflies, presented in Beijing. For Wayne, working with horses in a creative environment is a totally new adventure and an eye-opening experience.

EQUESTRIAN DIRECTION AND CHOREOGRAPHY – BENJAMIN AILLAUD

Born in Toulouse, France, Benjamin Aillaud has been constantly evolving in the equestrian world since childhood. At the age of 6 he bought his first horse and began jumping, vaulting, Western riding, dressage and carriage riding for pleasure. From this moment on, his objectives and philosophy began to take shape: training versatile horses that will enjoy and maintain their interest in performing. At the age of 33, his career is already impressive. Twice vice-champion of the world and four-time champion of France in four-horse carriage, he has also directed equestrian shows. Since 2009 he has acted as equestrian director for Cavalia’s two productions.

SET DESIGN – GUILLAUME LORD

The versatile stage designer Guillaume Lord works in theatre, circus, dance, variety shows, rock concerts and musicals in Canada and abroad. Over the past 15 years, he has worked with Serge Denoncourt (Hosanna), Marie Chouinard (Le nombre d’Or), Jean Grand-Maître (Ballets de l’Opéra de Paris) and Gilles Maheu for whom he designed the scenography of Zaia (Cirque du Soleil). He also designed the sets for Nomade and Rain (Cirque Éloize). With Odysseo, he takes up the challenge of creating the set-design for a much quicker and more physical star performer.

VISUAL CONCEPT – GEODEZIK

The visual world created for Odysseo was conceived by Geodezik, a multimedia company specializing in video content production and system design for stage shows, public events and permanent installations. The Montreal-based company also acts as a consultant for various stage and architectural designs. Geodezik offers a comprehensive vision in multimedia, from project design to final spectacle, by creating original content and new technology with the help of a community of visual artists and stage and new media professionals. Numerous artists have relied on Geodezik’s expertise for their stage and video concepts, including Justin Timberlake, Cher, Bette Midler, Cirque du Soleil, Tina Turner, Taylor Swift, Usher, Katy Perry and Grubb. The visual world designed for Odysseo is meant to discreetly serve as an alternative echo for the