Equestrian ecstasy in a big top

THERE'S certainly no horseplay in Cavalia, the new big-top show on Bayfront Avenue.

When the horses first appear, they stand seemingly on their own on the 50-metre-wide stage, elegant and proud as slow music floats in. Suddenly, the pace quickens, the curtain lifts and the lights turn from a dreamy blue to a fiery red. Dancers, acrobats and riders leap to the front of the stage, whooping in delight as they begin the first number.

And so the show begins, and dictates the rest of the evening with a mix of quiet and elegant moments, swiftly but fluidly transforming into quick-paced stunt acts, with no dull moments or predictable moves. With the use of multimedia effects, viewers are transported from fairytale woods to icy caves or deserts and even volcanoes, where aerial ballet dancers, acrobats, riders and their horses dominate the stage, swathed in costumes reminiscent of a travelling gypsy tribe.