Cavalia

I thoroughly enjoyed the show from the second row. The synchronization between man/​woman and horse was magnificent. Highly recommend.

I enjoyed the show… just not as much as I thought I would… I expected more artistry from the horses… they were fantastic, don’t get me wrong… but I’ve seen similar acts at rodeos. Still, the music, the performers, the horses all made me a fan and I look forward to their next show!
If you can afford it, get the VIP treatment. Earlier parking closer in, with drinks and a buffet, a private bathroom for the VIP folks, drinks and desserts at intermission, with drinks after the show… after the show, we got a tour of the stables.
Kept us busy while the majority of parkers were leaving. Very delightful!

Since reviews of transient events are not *really* what Unilocal is about, I’ll keep this one short.
Parking fee was quite high ($ 15 for parking in a place surrounded by empty fields and tech companies with sprawling lots in the middle of suburbia?). We parked near 1^st street and walked.
A lot of the show seems to be about getting horses to do things they’d not naturally do, but if you don’t really understand the limits of what a horse will do on its own, it becomes somewhat less impressive. They have some really good acrobatic acts, though. And some good trick riding.
Having seen a bunch of Cirque shows, I’d probably save my money for when one of those comes to town, given the choice.

Finally saw Cavalia a couple of days before it closed. Purchased tickets at the box office, saved $ 7 per ticket, plus it was easier to see what was available, box office staff was very helpful. Recommend checking website for directions as it is not obvious how to get there despite being very visible from 101.
Agree with other reviews that the show had a bit of a slow start, live music was very good although musicians were somewhat hidden (at first thought music was recorded). The horses and human performers put on a fantastic show, they all made it all look so easy,
Regarding ticket price, clearly it must cost a fortune to stage this show, the back of the program lists hundreds of performers, support staff, vet staff etc, if you have ever priced boarding a horse, you can only imagine what it would cost to take 50 horses on the road with handlers, grooms, vets etc. It’s the type of show you will probably see once in your lifetime and it may not be back here again. People do not flinch when they pay $ 150+ to see Madonna or an NFL game, so puzzling why they think these tickets are overpriced?
Also, saw a number of complaints on Unilocal about parking. We found the parking to be well organized. We arrived 20 minutes before showtime. Paid the $ 15 in the concession area, gave ticket to the parking attendant on the way out. Pricey but cheaper than the San Jose Arena and more efficient.
The show is also good for school age kids, but it is not geared for toddlers/​pre-​school. The audience gave a standing ovation, so clearly the show was a big hit.

Magnificent horses but just a so-​so show. As we were able to attend the show with discounted tickets, I found the pricing to be adequate. However, at regular price, I think the show is overpriced. When I initially bought the tickets at the box office, I was told the parking cost would be $ 10 and that I could wait until the show to purchase it. When we arrived, the parking had jumped to $ 15 — while the $ 10 fee was still posted on the website.
I agree as other reviewers that this show isn’t really something to get dressed up for and comfortable shoes help with the steep stairs. I really liked the stadium seating –much better than a regular Cirque show. I found that the first half of the show to be rather boring. It consisted of mostly human acts that were obviously not finessed. Some of the acts were fairly simple (as far as circuses go). The second half was far more entertaining and went by quickly. The horses were just stunning, each with their own personalities.
The concession stand offered decent popcorn for $ 5 a bag and the fiancée was able to get beer. There were plenty of bathrooms and they were fancy portable ones — never been in those before (almost like a house bathroom).
One thing about the show that really bothered me was that we came in and had stellar seats down the middle near the top. The two rows in front of us were mostly vacant so the view was awesome. Once the show started, people started switching seats to get better views — and I’m sure were then seated in pricier spots. The usher did nothing at this point and my view was then blocked by some 6’0 husky dude. LAME.
Interesting concept as a show and beautiful horses, but I’d much rather watch Cirque du Soleil.

I am not someone that is hard to please — but this show was truly one of the most boring shows that I have ever witnessed — and if there was a «entertainment» guarantee at intermission — I would have been the first in line to get my money back!
I have been around horses my entire life — so it is not that I don’t appreciate the difficulty of controlling these beautiful animals at one time — but any local rodeo will give you better entertainment value.
This was truly a waste of $ 200 for a couple of seats (I even scooted to the middle about 10 rows back — in hopes that it might be a little more exciting — NOT!)
Save your money — and go to the park — you might see a horse walk by and it will seem like you were at the show for FREE!
Take two minutes to watch this video and you will know exactly what to expect — BORING!

Cavalia was an amazing show, definitely worth watching while it’s in the Bay Area. There wasn’t really a bad seat in the house, except for what they do list on their site as the partially blocked view seats. Each set is carefully choreographed, and I left with a grand appreciation at how much dedication must go into preparing for this performance. For most of the show, the horses are directed by hand gestures, and it looks like they thoroughly enjoy the gasps and applause they garner from the audience as much as the human performers.
The only thing I’d wish I’d done differently is selected to watch it in the evening, I saw it on Saturday afternoon and it was definitely a more family-​oriented crowd. Not that I have anything against families, I can get why you’d want to bring your kids to the show, but kids can be noisy and sometimes I wish strangers could reprimand unruly kids in public.
Bottom Line: Worth watching, if you want to avoid the younger crowd, try planning for an evening showing.

WOW! Breath taking show!
Every scene was filled with new ooh’s and ahh’s! I have never seen horses so well trained! Not only were the horses amazing (and beautiful) but the combination of talented gymnastis, music, use of technology, water, and light was unbelievable.
If you have the chance to see Cavalia GO!
Highly recommended! :)

Okay, maybe i missed something or fell asleep but this is the most overpriced show i have ever attended! I don’t understand what the big draw is. The beginning of the show is a cheap on screen trivia sort of thing regarding how many horses are in the show and what kind of horses, etc. Can they not afford to have a host make it a little more lively? Oh, and the seats are very very uncomfortable after a romp up some unstable steps. Yes, i realize it’s in a tent they put quickly but i couldn’t imagine what would happen if a fire were to break out!
Back to the show… the funniest parts were when a horse would lift his leg and the crowd would clap likes it was a miracle for this to happen. Seriously? The actual funniest part of the show was the very first horse that came out and decided it was the perfect time to, well, take a nice dookie right on stage! Now, THAT was talent.
As far as the tricks on the horses, the performers fell on every difficult trick. They handled the «easy» ones but the hard ones were when they fell. The synchronized horse dancing was interesting but not mind boggling.
Yes, they were beautiful horses and some of the acrobatics by the people were great but as far as paying over $ 100 for a show, this was definitely not worth the price of admission. Parking was $ 15 more which wasn’t paid when going in but paid for inside and then you had to give your pass on the way out… kinda strange but it worked.
Overall, disappointing but i feel that San Jose is always looking for something different to do and they will fill the house when they find it. Don’t expect a Cirque du Solei satisfaction after Cavalia and Jay Leno is a liar!

My girlfriend wanted to go to Cavalia for her birthday. She has been wanting to go for a couple of years. We are both huge animal lovers and she has good hands on experience with horses. We researched the show, read reviews about other cities’ shows and felt our expectations were realistic. I didn’t read many reviews for the San Jose shows, but they seem to run the gamut. We decided that various complaints about parking, ticket prices, the food/​concessions, hard seats, etc. could be overlooked if the show is good.
We weren’t too bothered by the ticket prices (front row was about $ 265 for the pair), but we left feeling unsatisfied by the show itself. We were sitting close enough to be entertained and feel the rush of air from the horses running by, but were rarely impressed.
My summary is that it was a lame Cirque du Soleil show with some horses performing cool but not outstanding tricks. It was a people show with some horses, not vice versa. There are a couple notable acts/​tricks in Cavalia, but recently, we were more impressed watching a 10 minute youtube video of some guy doing dressage.
My very positive, optimistic, appreciative girlfriend was disappointed with Cavalia and would not endorse it. This is despite the fact that the horses are beautiful and knowing they have likely spent a considerable amount of time training.
We won’t be back. I would recommend spending your money on a horseback ride instead. You should have enough left over for some carrots and sugarcubes and might even be able to justify being a bit saddle sore.
I just read Peggy S.‘s review and like it, but I can’t be as generous as her and gave it one less star.

I LOVED this show! We took Dale’s elderly mama and had nosebleed seats so I don’t think she was able to see it very well because she has catarac issues, however, she did enjoy it because she just loved the movie Secretariat so much. You can see the show pretty good from the back but I’m sure it’s much more intense if you’re in the closer seats but the tickets are quite expensive and more so the closer you are the the stage.
The show is very artistic with live music, special lighting effects, acrobats and of course the beautiful horses. The spiritual connection between man and horse is acted out with grace and beauty.
You don’t have to be a horse lover to appreciate this show. The place was packed and I was very surpised to see a family of 4 right in front of us get up and leave almost immediately after the second half.
Who knows why they left, probably because Dad had spent so much money and then they all had snacks & drinks from the consession stand.
They could do a better job with the parking though. We got the 10 dollar online ticket that had to be redeemed in a trailer office before entering the show. Then you save the ticket they give you and show it to the attendant on the way out of the lot. But that is not explained online or anywhere while you park. When we arrived, they waived us into the lot but we wondered who we were supposed to give the online printout to. Then we parked and while walking up to the show, there were several signs that read, «SAVE YOUR PARKING TICKET». A lot of people were saying the same thing, wondering if they had to buy a ticket and then run it back out to their car and put it on the dash. So when we left, there were 2 cars in front of us who either never bought a parking ticket or lost it and we had to wait a few minutes while they pulled over.
Too bad about the parking. So be prepared!

All that I can remember about the show, sadly, was horses running around in circles. For a long time.
I love horses. I love their muscular beauty, I love their long manes flowing in the wind, I love the way they clickity-​clack around, and their gentle, friendly eyes.
But for nearly $ 140, I really don’t think the show was that impressive, and left so much more to be desired. The acrobat acts were very underwhelming, and you’d think the horses would do more performances than prancing around in formation, but that was not the case.
I try to justify the ticket price by thinking, well, somebody has to train these beautiful horses, keep them healthy, feed them and bathe them, keep them looking magnificent. I was also impressed by how smart these horses are, and how well they interacted with trainers… but that’s where it all ends.
Like many reviews mentioned, parking sucked. If the website would’ve just told you that you’d save $ 5 by purchasing the parking pass online, then we would’ve totally done that. But no, if you purchase it online, it’s $ 10. If you purchase it on site, it’s $ 15. In addition to that, the parking system leaves you waiting in line three times — once to park, once to purchase the parking pass, and once to leave. It was quite time consuming and very silly.
Overall, the horses were very, very beautiful, and they were very smart, but the ticket was overpriced and I was underwhelmed. I am still glad that I got to see the greatest show that Jay Leno has ever seen, so now I can say that Jay Leno needs to get out more.

Neither the humans nor the horses are really that impressive. Compared to say, the «Acro-​Cats» (a cat circus I saw the same weekend) or Cirque Du Soleil, Cavalia falls short on animal training impressiveness, humor, music, and storyline.
The first half is particularly dull — there are a couple of scenes with horses just wandering around or just humans doing basic circus tricks and no horses. At one point, I turned to my companion and asked, «Why are you clapping?» «I don’t know…» she said.
The second half picks up a bit, with some fun rodeo tricks, a scene with something of a storyline, some halfway decent clowning.
In the end, I simply think horses are not the best animal for a show of this type. I know how hard it is to train a horse to walk sideways. But solving complex math problems is equally difficult but I have no desire to pay to watch people solve math problems.
Finally, I paid for Yellow Seating (I’m cheap, I know.) The view was pretty obstructed by the people in front of us, especially when acts are done at the front of the stage. Thankfully, I’m glad I didn’t pay more, since I wasn’t really missing much.
Not exactly a boring show, but not worth what you pay for it. At least the popcorn was fresh.

I always admire the bonding between human and animal. So grateful that no over weight tamer came out to set a ring on fire and make animal jump through it. We loved every second of the show. I was thinking how much can you train a horse? Should I be expecting something like a seal catching food and clap? We bought tickets that included a Q and A session and stable visit after the show. I love the fact that they didn’t force the animal to do crazy tricks, but just to lead them to do their natural things. There were a moment when all the horses were line up and the some soft stage light was shinning on them, they were so graceful! So, the whole show is exactly what they described on their web site; equestrian, acrobatic, aerial stunts and live music.
I am quoting part of the review from San Jose Mercury News «As it happens, like toddlers, horses are even cuter when they misbehave. One horse refused to stop licking another. Another wanted to lead the pack. While the trainer guided most of the horses to run in one direction, one of the steeds insisted on going his own way, repeatedly, and his rambunctiousness stole the show.»
That segment stole my heart.

My biggest issue with this show is the parking. You pay for parking after you enter and use that receipt to exit. This caused several headaches for people and backed up the traffic in the parking lot for over half an hour. Ultimately, the attendants decided to forgo enforcing this «pay to exit» policy and just let everyone leave.
Anyway, this parking issue soured what could have been a magical show. As someone who bought a parking pass ahead of time (for only $ 10), that should have been the preferred method. I definitely suggest NOT paying for parking and just walking from a corporate lot.
Also, horses are big creatures. Don’t be fooled into buying high priced tickets. Being five rows closer will not change the quality of the show. For about $ 150 a person, this was a decent show but it has several filler moments (due to the horses) and some slow scenes. This is more a celebration of the horse and less of a showcase. The horses do very few tricks and the acrobats are substandard. The cinematography is beautiful but the thrills are few.

I’m shocked at the negative reviews. We saw the show on Friday July 20 and it was fantastic! I guess these other people were expecting flying monkeys or something.
The show was the perfect blend between horse and human. If you are not a horse person you will really enjoy the show. If you are a horse person. Hang on, you’re in for a wild ride.
There is not a single aspect of this show I didn’t love. From the music by the fantastic band to the beautiful little pony that had everybody cracking up.
To sum it up, the whole experience was magical and we would go again in a heartbeat.

Overpriced for what you get. I expected more horse tricks. What you actually get is people doing tricks on the horses. I didn’t like that one of the horse trainers had a whip in their hands. One thing to have a stick but a whip is something else. He wasn’t cracking it but I think it sends a bad message.
The whole show is slow!!! I felt like falling asleep a couple of times. Btw, $ 20 for parking… Really??? $ 132 per ticket is bad enough.

I saw Cavalia on opening night with another horse-​lover. It was very good, a worthwhile show. That said, and though the horses themselves were incredible, I wasn’t blown away overall. I would give it 3.5 stars if I had the option but decided to be generous. The production values, choreography, and acrobatics, though strong, weren’t as good as Cirque du Soleil, and the dressage and haute ecole displays, while certainly amazing, are not as perfected as the Spanish Riding School with the Lippizaners. On the plus side, the training of the horses is obviously thorough, and it’s great watching them interact with the actors/​trainers and acrobats so comfortably and confidently. The liberty acts are especially impressive, but overall I liked best the few scenes where the horses were just on stage by themselves, without interacting with people — it was almost magical.
There are really no bad seats in the house. We were only 3 – 4 rows from the very top in section 9, and it was actually kind of nice being up high because then we could see everything without constantly having to move our heads around. I thought the $ 102 that we spent for the seats was still high and I would not pay more for seats lower down — I’m not sure that there would be much of an advantage.
Part of my overall so-​so impression of the show probably had to do with the 4 teenage girls behind us that wouldn’t shut up with their very loud squealing, giggling, and chatting the entire performance, even after shooting them looks of daggers many, many times and asking them to PLEASE stop talking, PLEASE. Their attending adult was texting on her cell throughout much of the performance, so obviously no example was being set there, but these girls were old enough to have some self control and audience awareness even without parental guidance. Where was the usher through all this?
The tent is very warm and I would suggest bringing a seat cushion as the seats are pretty uncomfortable. Also wear sensible shoes as the steps up are bleacher-​style with areas heels could get caught in.

Unless you are in love with horses, do not go see this show. And especially don’t pay a premium for the so-​called «good» seats.
Went Weds on opening night. Totally wack. Horses be tripping. The performers were falling. Trix was bland as hell. Def not worth the $$$.
The kicker was they ran out of damn pretzels! AAAarrrggh. Truthfully, I would have fallen asleep if the fold down chairs were not excrutiatingly undersized.
Jay Leno proclaimed Cavalia as the «Greatest Show I’ve ever seen!» Apparently, he’s never watched «Mister Ed.» The statement attributed to Leno is pure celebrity endorsement horse dookie.
If you want to see horse faces, stay home and watch reruns of Sarah Jessica Barker in S@x & the City.

We attended the opening night performance in San Jose. Unlike many of our friends in the «horse world» this was our first time seeing a Cavalia show. We were totally mesmerized. The most admirable aspect of this show is the obvious respect and care that goes into training these beautiful horses.
The entire staging was stunning and fluid — alternating from acrobats to horses and their riders (though sometimes — just the horses). The Liberty section was so impressive because the trainer communicated with an entire group of horses who circled around her, changed direction and alternated their positions — all without any horse tack whatsoever.
The combination of the aerialists and the horse & riders was so ethereal — like pixie fairies flying about. The vaulting section was probably one of the most challenging for a number of the performers. Yes, there were a few falls on this opening night — but it made the audience appreciate the stunts all the more.
The roman riders were spectacular and I think special credit should go to Fairland Ferguson. She was the only female in that group, and rode 6 horses in pairs (while standing on the last pair). After the show, Fairland conducted a question and answer session for the portion of the audience that was lucky enough to have tickets that allowed them to stay on and visit the horse stables. Ms. Ferguson was articulate and funny and gave us all some insight into the obvious love she has for her horses and her work. As a mom of a daughter who competes in hunter/​jumpers (as Fairland once did), I enjoyed hearing her speak about how she evolved during and after college, into the amazing rider she is today.
I highly recommend Cavalia!