HOW TO GO
What: Gala of the Royal Horses
Where: Nutter Center, 3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy., Fairborn
When: 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 7
Cost: $23-$78
More info: 937-775-4789 or www.nuttercenter.com
Artist info: www.galaoftheroyalhorses.com
Riding master Rene Gasser has presented equestrian shows in Australia and Europe for decades, but he’d never taken his touring company to the United States. That changed earlier this year.
After five years of planning and six months of rehearsals, the Gala of the Royal Horses launched its first U.S. tour in February. Gasser, a seventh generation equestrian, recently answered a few questions about his unique touring show, which hits the Nutter Center on Sunday, Sept. 7.
Q: I understand you spent two years traveling the world searching for horses. What was that process like?
A: “To be honest, it was a lot of fun because I got to travel to Spain, Vienna and Holland and look at beautiful horses so I can’t complain. It was a hard job but somebody had to do it.”
Q: What specifically are you looking for in performance horses?
A: “It’s not just being able to do all the movements and being so well trained, it’s also being able go in front of 5,000 people, 10,000 people, with lights and music and just everything that happens backstage as well. There’s a certain buzz moving through all the performers and horses just before the show and a lot of horses can’t handle it. You have to find the horses with the right temperament.”
Q: How have audiences in the U.S. responded to the show?
A: “Absolutely fantastic. It’s actually been overwhelming. What we’ve got here is something a little bit unique. First of all we’ve got the most beautiful horses. Like people say to me, ‘These aren’t just horses, these are rock stars.’ They have long manes, some as long as four feet, and we open that up. When the horses come out and the audience sees them, it has that wow factor. It’s nice for people who have always wanted to go to Vienna or Spain because now they can actually see it in their hometown with all the glory.”
Q: What sets this show apart from other equestrian shows?
A: “We’ve got not just the horses from Europe, but all the costuming and music and everything that goes with it. We’ve actually got a Flamenco dancer that dances with one of the horses on the board so you can hear not just the footsteps of the Flamenco but also the hoof steps of the horse dancing Flamenco. It happens a lot where people actually come up to us with tears in their eyes. Being a performer, that kind of stuff really gets us too.”
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