Friday, Nov. 29, 2002 | 9:19 a.m.
There is a strong bond between humans and horses, a relationship forged over thousands of years and explored in "Cheval" at Bellagio.
In his "Ode to the Horse," Robert Duncan wrote: "Our pioneers were borne on his back, Our history is his industry. We are his heirs and he is our inheritance ..."
From the Cossacks of Russia to the Cheyenne of the Great Plains, fine horsemanship always has been an admirable quality -- and there is much to be admired in this tribute to horses and their riders created and directed by Gilles Ste-Croix.
Ste-Croix is the former director of creation for Cirque du Soleil (among other productions, he worked on "O" and "Mystere"), and so it is no accident "Cheval" (French for horse) has some of the Cirque flavor.
The action takes place in the Big Top, a hand-painted tent north of Bellagio, at Harmon Avenue and the Strip, where equestrian acrobats, jugglers and clowns inhabit a surrealistic world that is a veritable United Nations of horses.
Among the 17 breeds are Arabians, Andulusians, Barbs, Belgians, Boullonnias, Friesians, Haflingers and Percherons that range in size from draft horses to a 30-inch-high American miniature who pirouettes in the center of the ring.
The 90-minute show, which made its first Las Vegas appearance last November, includes a dozen acts that demonstrate the agility and the grace of horses and the athleticism of their riders.
Beginning slowly, with a parade of horses followed by a band Gypsies, "Cheval" gradually builds to a climax that includes humans making pyramids on the backs of horses, vaulters leaping from the ground onto their steeds and riders crawling under the horses at full gallop.
In between there are riders who juggle, horses that dance and comic relief provided by a clown who tries to ride an uncooperative mount.
Throughout, there is the ever-present awareness that horses can be taught to respond to the slightest touch.
In one act an Arabian stallion gives the impression it is trying to intimidate the trainer in the center of the ring -- charging at him, and then at the last moment rising on its hind legs and finally, with the slightest urging, bows low on its front knees and places its muzzle on the ground.
Another routine, called Cossack vaulting, a rider on a horse at full gallop somersaults back and forth -- going from the ground to the saddle, underneath the horse and hanging by a foot with his body dragging around the ring.
The "garotcha" involved a rider using a long pole to create a sort of equestrian ballet -- with the horse making a variety of graceful, precision turns around the pole when it was placed on the ground.
In a number of routines, horses performed without riders. One, called freestyle dressage, involved a trainer at the center of the ring putting six horses through a series of paces, including a waltz and pirouettes.
Animal rights activists might take exception to "Cheval," arguing that the relationship between horse and man is an unnatural one, in which man dominates and controls the horse.
But the horses of "Cheval" appear to be extremely well cared for -- prior to the show, fans can even walk through the tent where the animals are kept and see them close-up and to visit with their trainers and with the cast.
What this show does is celebrate the horse, demonstrating the animal's composure under pressure, its strength, intelligence and gracefulness -- but it also celebrate's man's respect and love for the muscular steeds that have carried him through war and peace.
"Cheval" will be at the Bellagio through Jan. 5, interesting timing on the part of Ste-Croix. It will provide an aesthetic alternative to the National Finals Rodeo, which will be in town Monday through Dec. 15.
While the rodeo is as much about brute strength as it is about agility, in "Cheval" the strength is in the bond between man and horse.
The only criticism I have of the evening under the big top (besides the portable toilets) is the size of the folding chairs in the grandstands. These saddles are too small.
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