Equestrian extravaganza launching run at South Point Arena
It’s never too early to join the family business — as Olissio Zoppe discovered.
Of course, he doesn’t remember the exact moment; he was 3 or 4 days old at the time.
But Zoppe’s seen the photographic evidence of himself as a newborn, sitting on the broad back of a sturdy Percheron, a French draft horse.
Some 36 years later, Zoppe’s still riding — and jumping off — horses in “Ma’Ceo,” an equestrian extravaganza launching a seven-performance run Thursday at the South Point Arena.
The gypsy-themed show — which spotlights 12 human and 12 equine performers — harks back to “the roots of our family in Italy,” Zoppe says.
If the Zoppe name sounds familiar, it should; the Zoppe Family Circus, led by Olissio’s cousin Giovanni, played The Smith Center’s Symphony Park inside its own big-top tent.
“Ma’Ceo” has a big top, too, but the show won’t need it inside the South Point Arena, which Olissio Zoppe describes as “one of the No. 1 equine facilities in the world.”
And it’s all about the equines in “Ma’Ceo,” to say nothing of the other horses that have performed alongside seven generations of Zoppes and Zamperlas, the other half of Olissio’s circus heritage.
“(When) you grow up watching something, it kind of becomes second nature,” Zoppe says. “And when you decide, ‘I want to stand on a horse,’ it’s a lot easier to do” when you’ve been watching your relatives do exactly that.
Olissio joined the family act at age 3, “practicing with my dad, to stand on his shoulders,” he recalls. “I made my debut doing the Two-Man High — with my dad.”
But being born into the circus business also creates “a little bit of pressure,” Zoppe admits. “You always want to live up to the expectations of the family.”
There’s only one way to accomplish that, he says: “You get up there and get after it — and give it all you’ve got.”
In “Ma’Ceo,” Olissio participates in bareback and Roman riding sequences, but he’s ceded some of the derring-do to his kid brother Ermes, who’s 23.
“I realized, at 36, it’s better to start focusing on the production end of things,” Olissio acknowledges, “and let the younger generation” take over the spotlight.
“Ma’Ceo,” which debuted in 2010, has been evolving for a long time, says Zoppe, who created and directs the gypsy-themed show, which harks back to 19th-century equestrian shows that inspired “what we think of as circus.”
Although “Ma’Ceo” showcases a lot of acrobatics — including some equine-free aerial routines, one of which uses an apparatus resembling a chandelier — the main focus of “Ma’Ceo” remains the horse-human connection.
Equine breeds featured in “Ma’Ceo” range from America’s own quarter horse to the Lusitano, which Zoppe describes as the medieval “horse of kings” (and knights), with “an amazing athletic ability.” (These days, the Lusitano serves as the “modern-day bullfighting horse,” Zoppe adds.)
Also in “Ma’Ceo’s” equine lineup: a Brabant (a rare Belgian draft-horse breed), a Friesian (which originated in the Netherlands), a Halflinger (from the Tyrolean region of Austria and northern Italy) and, inevitably, a Percheron — along with a miniature horse Zoppe describes as “a little devil.”
Having several breeds enables audiences to “see these different colors, different sizes, different movements,” he says.
Those horses, and the show’s human performers, turn up in a wide variety of riding sequences.
There’s classical dressage — which is part of Olympic equestrian competition, along with show jumping and eventing — and Roman riding. (The latter features one rider standing atop two horses — with one foot on each horse.)
Performers also juggle while on horseback. And the show’s “Liberty” sequence presents “a dance between horse handler and horse,” Zoppe says, in which “the horse is free” and responds to voice commands.
Most spectacular, however, may be Cossack-style trick riding, in which riders vault out of — and back into — the saddle. That is, when they’re not twirling around a galloping horse’s neck. Or under its belly.
“It’s very fast-paced and exciting,” Zoppe says, with the various acts and styles of riding woven through the whole show.
But there’s one constant: The bond between man and horse.
For those who have never experienced that bond, “Ma’Ceo” offers a special VIP package that includes a ringside seat and a meet-and-greet with Zoppe and other cast members — including the show’s four-legged stars.
“We’ve played cities where people come backstage” who have “never seen a horse and never touched a horse” before, he notes. “It’s really amazing. I enjoy seeing the reaction from people.”
And although horses have been a major part of his life for all of his life, Zoppe remains struck by the equine-human relationship.
“Horses are so kind, so giving,” he says. “Once you communicate with them and they understand you, it’s amazing what they will do to please you.”
That includes making the five-day trek from the “Ma’Ceo” headquarters near Sarasota, Fla., to Las Vegas in two large horse trailers.
Some of “Ma’Ceo’s” human performers will travel to Las Vegas by air. Others hit the highway with the horses, sharing the cross-country journey.
Working with horses gives humans “a sense of responsibility and patience,” Zoppe says.
And that connection remains palpable, in or out of the arena, he adds.
“It’s very natural, the art between man and horse,” Zoppe says. “You can’t fake that.”
For more stories from Carol Cling visit bestoflasvegas.com. Contact her at ccling@reviewjournal.com and follow @CarolSCling on Twitter.
Preview
“Ma’Ceo”
7 p.m. April 9-10; 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. April 11; 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. April 12
South Point Arena, 9777 Las Vegas Blvd. South
$10-$40 (702-797-8055, southpointarena.com)
