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GEORGE NEWS - With torches flaming on the castle walls, the humble shepherd boy challenges the evil dark knight. Pitting his sword-fighting skills against that of the evil invader, he saves his beloved princess...
This scene was one of the highlights of the Medieval Stunt Show presented at the George Riding Club Friday and Saturday night, 6 and 7 July. The show was a first for local stunt company Film Equus.
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The classic tale of a king promising the hand of his daughter to the winner of a tournament was cleverly used to showcase the range and ability of the stunt riders.
This included training for sword-fighting scenes; choreographed fights on foot as well as horseback; jousting; performing "dances" on horseback and riding, even jumping hurdles, standing on the backs of two horses.
They made falling off a horse without getting hurt look easy! Cossack dragging, where the rider hangs upside down anchored only by one foot in a stirrup, was one of their show stoppers. The audience was also treated to several circus-type stunts on the back of a galloping horse.
Despite unexpected problems with the lighting and sound system, the team and their beautiful horses had the audience on the edge of their seats, almost forgetting the winter cold. The artists successfully created a live, real-time performance without the luxury of scenes being cleverly filmed and edited.
Edda, wife of Film Equus founder Elbrus Ourtaev, said they were pleased with the performance, but would have been happier if the audiences were bigger. Being based in George, they would like it to be financially viable to treat their home town to more of these shows.
Elbrus Ourtaev started Film Equus in South Africa after a lifetime of training in his native Ossetia (Russia), working at the Moscow State Circus and performing in a horse-stunt theatre in Europe. Based in George, the company offers stunt services for movies, TV and advertising. The team and their excellently trained horses feature in big screen movies (10,000 BC), as well as TV series and commercials such as Land Rover, Coca-Cola and Nedbank.
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