A Cirque du Soleil aerialist has died while taking part in a performance involving aerial straps on Saturday in Tampa, Florida which is being confirmed by the entertainment company.
The French performer Yann Arnaud, 38, with 15 years of experience was preparing for a high flying aerial act and slip off the rope, an audience said in a statement. He was taken to Tampa General Hospital, where he died from head injuries.
Along with the VOLTA fellow Pawel Walczewski, Arnaud was practising for this new aerial act. On Friday “After so much work and training and staging, our straps duo act is finally in the show tonight,” Arnaud posted on Instagram. “It’s time to go for it.”
The company said it was working with local authorities to investigate what had gone wrong. Volta’s remaining two shows in Tampa have been cancelled.
This is not the first time a member of the Cirque du Soleil has died in an on-stage incident. According to BBC news Sarah Guillot-Guyard, 31, died during a 2013 show in Las Vegas. Olivier Rochette, a 43-year-old technician and son of one of the company’s founders, died in 2016 while setting up for a performance.
“The entire Cirque du Soleil family is in shock and devastated by this tragedy”, said Daniel Lamarre, President and CEO of Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group. “Yann Arnaud had been with us for over 15 years and was loved by all who had a chance to know him,”
> Shatabdi Sarker Poushi
Cirque Du Soleil Aerialist Plunges to His Death during a Show in Florida
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