A circus stunt took a dramatic turn when aerial hoop artist with Cirque du Soleil lost her grip and fell to the ground. The incident turned scarier because there was no safety net to break her fall.
The shocking incident took place during a live performance of the Cirque du Soleil show “Kooza” which was taking place at the Portland Exposition Center in Portland on Saturday night (August 24).
KOIN 6 News got access to the video in which the show performer Mariia Konfektova was seen suspended in the air and craftily spinning on her hop when she suddenly lost her grip, slipped and fell to the ground in front of the audience.
Shocking footage shows the moment a Cirque du Soleil aerial hoop artist falls during their performance at KOOZA in Portland, Oregon.
The artist was taken to a hospital, a public relations firm for the show said. She was conscious and stable. https://t.co/EKYXyxadcA pic.twitter.com/cAC7wpfiTv
— ABC News (@ABC) August 26, 2024
Before the video ended, the Russian aerialist was seen lying face down as other performers appeared shocked at her scary fall.
23-year-old Konfektova, similar to other Cirque du Soleil cast members, has been performing her stunts without any safety net.
Audience shocked at fall of performer, wonder if its ‘part of the show’
The video was captured by Benjamin Goldstein who said that he was not sure if the fall was “part of the show”, like many others in the crowd.
“At first, I thought it was part of the show, like, it looked like it was purposefully,” said Goldstein while speaking to KOIN 6 News.
“But then we’re, like, people were acting weird. I was like, oh, this isn’t part of the show. Something’s up,” he added.
The 10-year-old described how he watched her fall on her face on the stage and it “appeared she hit her nose, and there was blood from her nose, but she lifted her head up, but she stayed still.”
Watch: Viral Video: Man ties wife to bike, drags her around village
Speaking to ABC News, Goldstein said that the team of Cirque du Soleil quickly gave aid to the performer as she “maintained her composure”.
“She gave a thumbs up as she was being carried off stage, which was a great sign,” he said while speaking to the outlet.
“We appreciate your concern and well wishes for our aerial hoop artist. We would like to assure you that the artist is recovering and being cared for by our medical and coaching team,” said “Kooza”, in a statement on Facebook.
A spokesperson also informed that Konfektova was “transported to the hospital for examination” after she fell and that she was “conscious, stable, and being cared for by medical specialists and [their] team.”
(With inputs from agencies)