A Cirque du Soleil acrobat reportedly fell from a suspended hoop Saturday during a performance of KOOZA in Oregon, as the audience held their breath, unsure whether the stunt was part of the performance or not.
“To see something like that is very surprising and very shocking. It was very scary for my daughter,” said Brian Goldstein, who attended the show with his two children Saturday in Portland, Oregon, according to ABC News.
The father initially believed that the acrobat’s fall was part of the show until a medical team entered the stage to take care of the artist on the ground.
In a video shot by her son Benjamin, the woman can be seen performing tricks in the air with a suspended hoop, at the moment when she allegedly lost her grip before slipping and falling several meters below, to the screams of the crowd.
“When the actors looked surprised, I said to myself ‘oh no, this is not part of the show at all’,” continued Brian Goldstein to the American media, applauding the “cool-headedness” of the acrobat who kept his calm on the ground despite the accident.
The artist even “raised his thumb” in the air as he was being carried off stage to reassure his audience, he added, before the show continued without a hitch, after a break of around twenty minutes.
“We hope she knows that all her fans are eagerly awaiting her speedy recovery,” the father said.
On Monday, the KOOZA show team reportedly thanked the audience for their “best wishes for our aerial hoop artist” and said the acrobat is “recovering and being cared for by our medical and support team,” in a statement on Facebook, according to ABC News.
“Safety is our utmost concern and she will be taken care of until she can return to the show,” the statement added. “We hope you enjoyed the rest of KOOZA.”
