An elegant white tent has risen near Busch Stadium in preparation for the live show Cavalia. But what is this Cavalia that is popping up on billboards around St. Louis?

The show's creator was in town for the tent-raising this week and admitted that the word is made up, inspired by the Spanish and French words for horse (caballo and cheval) and the English word cavalry.

Normand Latourelle, who has a home in Montreal and a farm near the border with Vermont, says he'd love to open a dictionary some day and see "cavalia" defining his multimedia event about the history of humans and horses.

Latourelle was one of the pioneers of Cirque du Soleil, and like that show, Cavalia combines acrobats, gymnasts, music and video images evoking both happy and somber scenes. But Cavalia "is not a circus," he says.

Latourelle's stars are really the 50 or so beautiful stallions and geldings of various breeds that will perform - much of the time under no restraint or guidance from trainers.

With some 75 trailers, Cavalia is the "biggest touring show in the world," Latourelle says, and for most St. Louisans, this will be their only chance to see the show in this town. In nine years it has visited about 45 locations. Latourelle says only his other horse show, Odysseo, may be bigger.

When Cavalia ends its run in Seattle, the company will take 10 days to travel to St. Louis, alternating road time with off days. In the meantime, additional tents will go up, a stage will be built and a technology structure will be erected.

Cavalia opens March 21. Like Cirque, the show is expensive to produce and tickets aren't cheap, ranging from $34.50 to $179.50 for adults. For more info: cavalia.net or 866-999-8111.