Some things just go together: peanut butter and jelly, Ross and Rachel, hipsters and PBR, cirque and… horses? Hey, here’s to unexpected combos like Cavalia, where “equestrian arts are infused with magic” for a fairy tale-like stage extravaganza that blends live music, high-flying acrobatics, visual effects and a herd of 60 horses for a show unlike any I’ve ever heard of. You may have noticed the enormous white tent now nestled next to I-4 on the Fairgrounds — it just so happens to be the most ginormous touring tent in America, specially created for the panoramic projections that pay homage to the bond between humans and horses (with less nudity than, say, Equus – this is a family show). Cavalia was created by the co-founder of Cirque du Soleil, Normand Latourelle, and is giving the same facelift to equestrian performance that cirque gave to the circus. Read David Warner's review here; he didn't like everything in the show, but the horses, he says, can be "mesmerizing." (Pictured: Bungee and rider Frederic Chehu) Through March 28, 8 p.m. Weds. -Fri., 3 and 8 p.m. Sat., 2 p.m. Sun., Florida State Fairgrounds, 4800 US Hwy 301, Tampa, $34.50-$99, cavalia.net. —Franki Weddington
Events like the SHBC Bike-In Movie Night make Seminole Heights one of Tampa's friendliest, cute-but-hip neighborhoods: join in a potluck dinner, followed by a screening of The Flying Scotsman on a big screen in the back yard. Awww. Visit seminoleheightsbicycleclub.org for more info. 1203 E. Powhatan Ave., Tampa. Sat., March 20, 7 p.m. dinner, 8 p.m. movie, free.
This article appears in Mar 17-23, 2010.