Adrian had told me about something he referred to as a horse ballet. I bought tickets immediately when Adrian said it was coming to Versailles. We'd also heard about an annual show at Versailles at which contemporary art is exhibited in and around the Palace. For example, a previous year had Jeff Koons wacky contributions in and about the Palace. The play of contemporary and 17th century flamboyant rococo design is magnificent. 
This year the artist is Xavier Veilhan and this is his interpretation of King Louis' carriage. A fantastic purple metal futurist blur. People kept the guards busy, jumping up on it for photos. I never noticed it before, but people are very touchy feelie with art. They are constantly touching it here in the museums. Anyway, consequently, there are people in some of the photos doing the forbidden.
We had left for the horse ballet early, so we could see the art, but we could not get into the palace because we didn't have the time. So, this was the only piece we saw, but it is clearly a great show.
I so wanted to take photos at the Horse Ballet, but photos were forbidden. When the show started, I could see why.
But let me just start at the beginning. The show was in the king's stables. There was a room for exhibitions that held maybe 600 people. It had new chandeliers, mirrored walls and a dirt floor with very light beige dirt.
Within the building, there was a bold raw wood structure that provided graduated bench seating. Not too fancy.
First there was the sound of a solitary drum, somewhat military in the darkness.
when the lights slowly came up, there were 4 women, dressed in outfits that looked somewhat like japanese samurai warriors with leather breastplates. They had gigantic 4-5 foot long bows and 2 arrows apiece. Everything from the movements of their heads in unison and succession was perfectly smooth. They shot at a target that was barely visible in the half-lit room. One missed the target, you could tell by the sound. Everyone was quiet, holding their breath for the next move.
The music became a chorus of female voices and the back doors opened onto the 'stage'. In came the horses, some ridden by the archers.
What followed was just amazing. There was dressage, where the horses actually dance and prance. the movements are so unnatural that it just explodes your imagination.
Most of the work was done by what were said to be Louis' favorite type of horse. White, blue eyed horses. Their chins were folded under so they looked like an idealized horse on a medallion. There was fencing on and off the horses and the six female riders ended the fencing match bent over backwards in the saddle with their blades pointed to the sky.
But the best, most amazing part of the show was done by the horses alone. They were unbridled, 3 white and one black. At first in partial darkness, and then as the lights gradually came up, you could see they were beautiful animals, but as they ran around the enclosure, it was also clear that they were large beasts. the horses literally danced and played. First, they delicately, knelt and then rolled around in the dirt until they were accented by the dirt. They rolled completely over, like a dog that wants its belly scratched, then over to the other side. They frolicked, not just normal, running and kicking but two by two they would jump up on their hind legs and actually aim for a kiss. It was the most wonderful thing I had ever seen, something I had never imagined, something you would expect in a Disney cartoon, but not reality. It was exhilarating.
The dressage was really powerful, but the more we think about it, it was really the unbridled horses that create a sense of wonder.
At the moment when the horses lept into the air to kiss, I really felt like the luckiest person it the world.
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