Artist falls to death during Cirque's KA

During the finale of KA, an artist suspended by wire fell to her death during last night's performance. Apparently she got loose from her safety wire and plummeted more than 50 feet. She was a mother of 2.

Sorry I can't paste a link. This is soo sad.

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Very sad, indeed.

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Sounds like Spider Man, all over again.

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This is horrible and incredibly sad. I never thought that KA would ever have an accident (well, at least not a falling to death one) in their years of running this show. I am truly saddened about this.

@Theatrediva Well, this person died, the guy from Spiderman is still living...

Updated On: 6/30/13 at 06:32 PM

I'm talking about free falling into the pit.

Not the actual outcome.


I can't imagine hearing her screams.

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So sad. I'm actually surprised to learn this is the first fatality in Cirque's 30 year history. They do such incredible, death-defying stunts in each and every performance.

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It's a credit to these artists and Cirque that no one has ever died or experience serious injury until now, especially since this insanely technical shows run twice a night, five nights a week. Just a shame this had to happen to a mother of two young children, and on the night of Cirque's newest opening down the street.

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The security system shown in the picture above is not in place during the final battle. There are many redundant systems of nets and cushions that position themselves throughout KA depending on the configuration of the stages and the movement of the performers. During the battle the acrobats are in harnesses that provide all the necessary safety precautions. The cushions shown in the photo are used during a very different sequence where the performers are not wired and at times even intentionally fall off the stage into the pillow system shown. This was a freak accident.

Updated On: 6/30/13 at 08:31 PM

I have been fascinated by KA since its inception. I've had the incredible opportunity to see it twice and be given a very extensive backstage tour by one of the cast members. I remember asking about the net / safety system and being shown and explained how extensive it is. In fact, what goes on behind the scenes and out of view of the audience is almost as exciting as what is on stage(s).

I bet the producers or directors will be re-evaluating the safety systems after this tragic event.

"While this is the first time a performer has died there have been serious injuries before."

This is the first time a performer has died during a performance. At least one performer has died in the past during training. Many, many serious injuries have happened during training, and many more during performances. A crew member lost 25% of his skull and was paralyzed below the waist when a prop fell on him.

Cirque had one accident that injured two performers, and when the show wasn't stopped, half the audience walked out on them. Their record is not as good as many seem to think it is.

Poor woman. I can't imagine what her family and the company is going through, and to a lesser extent, the audience that witnessed the fall and heard her screams. How awful she wasn't killed instantly.

Updated On: 6/30/13 at 09:47 PM

Incredibly sad news. My heart goes out to her connections.

I'm very sorry for her family's loss.