httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HAlHugETJQ
If there was any doubts that circus was in town a drive down Kenaston would put that to rest.
The big top is up kitty corner to IKEA and lots of activity is taking place in advance of Cavalia’s production of Odysseo. The show runs September 10 to October 4 and features an equestrian and acrobatics show in a creation put together by one of the founders of the Cirque du Soleil.
The fencing went in an around the production in the last days and the additional tent tops are in place for horses, performers and services for the audience. Outsides lights now fill the night skies illuminating the largest touring tent show in the world. At over 38 meters high and covering 6,320 meters of space, it is bigger than the Winnipeg Blue Bomber field. The stage within the tent is bigger than the MTS Centre’s skating surface.
It is simply an enormous facility. And yet for all that, only 2000 or so people will seated in side for a show. The bulk of the space will be for the performance featuring a 13 meter mountain and 380,000 liter lake for the 65 horse and the 45 human performers.
Everything about the show is big and the 80 workers assembling the site are at it every day. The $10 production is expected to generate around $5.5 million in economic benefits to the city and about 100 local temporary jobs. Ticket prices range from $50 to $250 at the highest VIP level of experience.
Cavalia generally performs in large cities around the world and the reviews are often glowing. It is a little more unusual that they appear in a city under a million people. Expect quite a bit of excitement as the show nears opening date.
This has been a guest editorial by John Dobbin.
To read more from John, visit his blog Observations, Reservations, Conversations
