A dramatic video shows an aerial hoop artist with Cirque du Soleil lose her grip while performing a stunt and fall to the ground without any safety net.
According to the production, the horrifying incident occurred during a performance of the Cirque du Soleil show “Cooja” at the Portland Exposition Center in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday night.
Video obtained by KOIN 6 News shows performer Maria Konfektova hanging in the air while she was jumping when she lost her grip and slipped and fell to the ground in front of the audience.
Before the video ends, the Russian aerialist can be seen lying face down on stage while the other performers stop what they're doing and watch in shock at the botched stunt.
Konfektova, 23, like other Cirque du Soleil performers, performs her stunts without a net.
Benjamin Goldstein, 10, was with his sister and father when they filmed the aerial performer. He said he, like many others in the crowd, wasn't sure it was “part of the show” when she fell.
“At first I thought it was part of the show, it seemed like it was done on purpose,” Goldstein told KOIN 6 News.
“But then, we were like, people were acting weird. I was like, oh, this is not part of the show. Something is wrong.”
The 10-year-old said he saw Konfektova fall face down on the stage, and that “she appeared to have hit her nose, and her nose was bleeding, but she held her head up, but she stood still.”
Goldstein told ABC News that the Cirque du Soleil team immediately came to Konfektova's aid, and the performer kept her composure throughout the frightening incident.
“When he was being taken off stage he gave a thumbs up, which was a good sign,” he told the outlet.
“We appreciate your concern and best wishes for our aerial hoop artist. We want to assure you that the artist is recovering well and is being taken care of by our medical and coaching team,” “Cuza” said in a statement on Facebook on Monday.
A spokesperson for the traveling spectacle also told KOIN 6 News that Konfektova was “taken to the hospital for check-ups” after the fall and that she is “conscious, stable, and being cared for by medical specialists and doctors.” [their] Team.”
Goldstein said the show was halted for about 20 minutes, after which a person from the organization addressed the audience and said the performers were ready to end the show.
“I have to applaud those actors — to go on and finish the show after an incident like that, it's very difficult,” he told ABC News. “They did a fantastic job.”
Konfektova's Instagram account responded to another worried fan in the comments of one of her old posts, writing, “Thank you. Fortunately, I'm fine.”
According to an online profile, the 23-year-old artist was born in Omsk, Russia, and is a retired rhythmic gymnast.
Konfektova held the Guinness record for fastest aerial hoop-spinning by completing 75 rotations in 30 seconds on April 2, 2021 in Zhuhai, Guangdong, China.
Cirque du Soleil's “Cooja” show began in Portland on Aug. 21 and will end on Oct. 6.
The organisation said her trainers and medical experts will continue to monitor Konfektova until they feel she is ready to “return to the show”.