A man stands upright on the backs of two galloping horses circling the arena floor, while overhead, a costumed performer dangles from a rigging as equestrians move below. It's one of several jaw-dropping images coming out of Cirque Ma'Ceo's The Year of the Horse, which set up shop at Norco's George Ingalls Equestrian Event Center on Sept. 11 and runs through Oct. 4.
The production comes from Olissio Zoppe, described as a longtime equestrian acrobat who founded and leads Cirque Ma'Ceo, a ninth-generation performer according to horsemansnews.com. The show is billed as a 90-minute production that fuses classical horsemanship with contemporary circus performance, per klcc.org. On the ground in Norco, the mix plays out as riders performing acrobatics and stunts atop horses, including one act in which a rider hangs off a horse circling the arena, as San Bernardino Sun reported from a performance last Thursday.
A Family Legacy Riding Into the Arena
The Zoppé name carries a long circus lineage. The family story traces back to 1842, when a French street performer named Napoleone Zoppé fell for a Hungarian equestrian ballerina named Ermengilda, horsemansnews.com notes. That heritage shows up on stage in Norco, where Zoppe himself performed in The Year of the Horse last Thursday alongside fellow riders Sylvia Zerbini and Eliza Puleo.
Zerbini, who performs with Cirque Ma'Ceo, joined Zoppe and Puleo in the Norco lineup that night, part of a cast built around trick riding, bareback performance, aerial acrobatics and choreographed equestrian acts, according to horsemansnews.com's earlier reporting on the production. The show combines those elements with aerial performances and stunts set to live music, weaving in Cossack riding, classical dressage and even a ballet performed atop galloping horseback, per cirquemaceo.com.
More Than 10 Breeds Share the Spotlight
Cirque Ma'Ceo's website says over ten different breeds of horses perform across the show, framing the animals as partners with their own personalities rather than mere props — each with, as the company's site puts it, its own personality, spirit and story, per cirquemaceo.com's horses page. The overall format is described as a contemporary blend of acrobatics, aerial work, dance and equestrian arts set to Spanish guitar, cirquemaceo.com adds.
The production frames itself, per the news release cited by the San Bernardino Sun, as a celebration of the bond between horse and human. That framing echoes descriptions used elsewhere on the tour: in Boerne, Texas, the show was described as blending classical horsemanship with modern circus artistry, according to boernestar.com.
Norco Stop Is Part of a Wider Tour
Norco audiences are catching the show mid-tour. Cirque Ma'Ceo has performed in Las Vegas, Honolulu and across Canada, cirquemaceo.com states, and this year alone the production has stopped in Boerne for two weekends in May, at Fuji Park in Carson City from July 24 through Aug. 2 as reported by kolotv.com, and at the Oregon Horse Center in Eugene from Aug. 21 through Aug. 29 according to kval.com. That Eugene run advertised tickets ranging from $25 to $40, kval.com reported. In Carson City, organizers described the same 90-minute format as family-friendly, blending equestrian acrobatics with aerial performances, live music, daring stunts and theatrical storytelling, per kolotv.com's report.
The tour has also traveled under a distinctive big top: earlier this summer, performances took place beneath a custom-built 650-seat tent handcrafted in Italy exclusively for Zoppe, according to bendsource.com. In Norco, the production is set up at the George Ingalls Equestrian Event Center, according to a listing from baselocal.com, with performances scheduled through Oct. 4, including two shows a day on most weekends and weeknight performances as well.
Audience Reaction
Early reaction from prior stops on the tour has been enthusiastic. A Facebook post from CavalloEquestrianArts called it a great show, adding that the aerialists were awesome and incredible and that the connection between horse and handler was evident. Whether that enthusiasm carries through Norco's run remains to be seen as performances continue toward the Oct. 4 close.
