Circus performer falls during a live show in a stunt gone wrong

Tuesday, August 27, 2024 - A dramatic video shows an aerial hoop artist with Cirque du Soleil losing her grip while performing a stunt and plummeting to the ground below without a safety net to break her fall.

The frightening incident happened during a performance of the Cirque du Soleil show “Kooza” at the Portland Exposition Center in Portland, Ore., on Saturday night, August 24, according to the production.

The video, obtained by KOIN 6 News, shows performer Mariia Konfektova suspended in the air, spinning on her hoop when she appeared to lose her grip, slipping and falling to the ground below in full view of the audience.

The Russian aerialist is seen lying face down on the stage as other performers stop what they’re doing and stand stunned over the stunt gone wrong before the video ends.

Konfektova, 23, like many other Cirque du Soleil cast members, performs her stunts without a net.

Benjamin Goldstein, 10, was with his sister and father while he captured the video of the aerial performer and said he, like many others in the crowd, was unsure if it was “part of the show” when she fell.

“At first, I thought it was part of the show, like, it looked like it was purposefully,” Goldstein told 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.”

The 10-year-old said he watched Konfektova fall face-first onto 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.”

Benjamin told ABC News that the Cirque du Soleil team quickly rushed to Konfektova’s aid and that the performer “maintained her composure” throughout the scary incident.

“She gave a thumbs-up as she was being carried off stage, which was a great sign,” he told 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,” “Kooza” said in a statement on Facebook on Monday.

A spokesperson for the travelling spectacle also told KOIN 6 News that Konfektova was “transported to the hospital for examination” after suffering the fall and that she was “conscious, stable, and being cared for by medical specialists and team.”

Benjamin said the show was paused for about 20 minutes before a person involved with the organization addressed the audience and said the artists were willing to finish the show.

“I have to give those performers kudos — to continue on and complete the show after something like that, it’s got to be difficult,” he told ABC News. “They did a phenomenal job.”

The Instagram account belonging to Konfektova replied to another concerned fan in the comments of one of her older posts, “Thank you. Luckily, I’m okay.”