Your family has probably seen the eye-catching billboards of a beautiful white horse around Chicago for weeks now. Odysseo by Cavalia and “The Best Show Ever,” has officially opened in a grand white tent on the doorsteps of Soldier Field. Inside is truly a one-of-a-kind visual treat for kids and adults alike.
If you go
Through April 23, 2017
The White Big Top – Soldier Field
South Lot, 1410 Museum Campus Drive
Here are five reasons you should take your kids to see Odysseo:
You’ve never seen anything like it
Once you step foot in the football field-sized heated tent, Cavalia will look different than any show you have ever been to–because it is. Former Cirque du Soleil co-founder Normand Latourelle created the world’s largest touring production by combining around 200 employees, 48 human performers and 65 horses for the $30 million dollar theatrical production.
The landscape
More than 10 tons of earth were brought in by 110 semi trucks. The backdrop is an 8,400 square-foot screen displaying breathtaking landscapes from different seasons all over the world. Humans and horses perform beautiful and extremely challenging choreographed moves as the projection of the landscape continues off the screen, hovering over 10 tons of stone, sand and earth.
The orchestra
Once you get past the visual treat of horses sprinting and performing tricks that took years to perfect, you’ll notice the music being played by a live orchestra. The vocalist would be a show stopper, if the show wasn’t so darn good. She creates the calming, mysterious and harmonic atmosphere that takes over your spirit from the very start of the show.
The story behind the performance
Acrobatics, aerial artists, equestrians and horses alike, frolic around 17,500 square-feet of stage to tell the timeless story of the bond between humankind and horse. The show depicts the connection between them, and the bond is undeniably beautiful. At one point, the crowd became part of the show, chanting what translated to be “no more war on earth.”
The horse-filled finale
40,000 gallons of recycled water filled the front of the arena for a finale of epic proportions. Children and adults alike had their eyes wide open watching horse after horse march, dance and sprint across the water while a waterfall projected behind. Acrobats were flipping, spinning, springing and splashing with movements as wonderful as the horses themselves. I’m not sure however, who had more fun throughout; the horses who were patted and celebrated at every move, the performers with smiles as big as the stage, or us, the enchanted audience of Odysseo.
