An acrobat and long-standing member of the Cirque du Soleil family plummeted to her death during a performance with the Ka show in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand on Saturday after slipping out of her safety harness.
Thirty-one-year-old Sarah Guillot-Guyard was pronounced dead at hospital after falling 15 meters during an acrobatic feat. She was a mother of two and had been performing since she was 9 years old.
“I am heartbroken,” Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte said in a statement (as reported by The Windsor Star). “We are reminded with great humility and respect how extraordinary our artists are each and every night. Our focus now is to support each other as a family.”
“Initially, a lot of people in the audience thought it was part of the (show),” visitor Dan Mosqueda told the Las Vegas Sun (according to CBC News). “But you could hear screaming, then groaning, and we could hear a female artist crying from the stage.” The show was immediately stopped and attendees were promised a refund.
This is the first time that a performer has died during a Cirque show – another acrobat died in Montreal during a training session back in 2009. The Ka show has been suspended for the time being.
Photo: Cirque du Soleil
