Written By Shaunna Prentis Modern Mama North Burnaby
A week ago I was fortunate to attend a media night for Odysseo by Cavalia. Being a huge fan of shows such as Cirque Du Soleil I was thrilled to attend. Held in False Creek in the world’s largest touring big top(“The White Big Top”). The stage features a real carousel and a magically appearing 80,000 gallon lake in front of a video backdrop that is the size of three IMAX screens. The show is visually stunning, the acrobats and aerialists are phenomenal performing on stage alone and with the horses. The backdrop transports you around the world and makes you feel as though you are in a movie. Words really can not express how beautiful the show is. 
One thing that surprised me was the music is live. Two musicians are tucked away above the stage and occasionally there would be a singer with the performers on stage. We were explained that due to working with animals one can never quite tell what they will do during the performance. It may go 5 minutes longer or shorter, this way the musicians can compensate. We experienced this first hand as one horse was quite cheeky and did not want to leave the stage. From start to finish I was in awe with the performance and would highly recommend it. 
Some fun facts:
- There are 350 costumes and 100 pairs of shoes and boots in the show. Artists may have up to seven different costumes
- There are 67 horses that represent 11 different breeds from around the world in Odysseo
- The stage is approximately 1,625 square meters, larger than a hockey rink
- An underground water system is built to flood 300,000 liters of recycled water onto the stage for the finale
- The high-definition backdrop is the size of three IMAX screens
Odysseo is in Vancouver until Jan 12th you can purchase tickets HERE