Cirque du Soleil performer falls to her death during Las Vegas show

In a tragedy,which the acrobatic company is calling the first performer death in 30 years, a performer with two decades of experience fell to her death during a showing of “Ka” at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas Saturday.

Cirque du Soleil
Image/Video Screen Shot

31-year-old, mother of two, Sarah Guyard was pronounced dead late Saturday night at University Medical Center after she fell nearly 50 feet from the show’s stage.

According to a CNN report, the accident happened during the show’s finale, said Cirque Du Soleil spokeswoman Renee-Claude Menard. During the scene, performers are suspended up to 50 feet in the air on lines controlled by wireless remote controls.

Guyard “was being hoisted up the side of the stage and then just plummeted down,” witness Dan Mosqueda told the Las Vegas Sun newspaper.

“Initially, a lot of people in the audience thought it was part of the (show),” he  told the Sun. “But you could hear screaming, then groaning, and we could hear a female artist crying from the stage.”

Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte issued a statement on the troupe’s Facebook page Sunday:

The entire Cirque du Soleil family is deeply saddened by the accidental death of Sarah (Sassoon) Guyard, artist on the production KÀ, that happened on Saturday, June 29th, in Las Vegas. The artist’s immediate family has been informed of the accident.

Our thoughts are with her family and the entire Cirque du Soleil family.

“I am heartbroken. I wish to extend my sincerest sympathies to the family. We are all completely devastated with this news. Sassoon was an artist with the original cast of KÀ since 2006 and has been an integral part of our Cirque du Soleil tight family. 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. “ said Cirque du Soleil Founder, Guy Laliberté.

We have been working with the appropriate authorities and have offered our full cooperation.

Performances of KÀ will be cancelled until further notice.

MGM Resorts International issued the following statement:

“Our company is deeply saddened by the loss of one of the talented ‘Ka’ artists Saturday night. The thoughts and prayers of our employees are with the performer’s family, the cast of ‘Ka’ and the entire Cirque family during this difficult time.”

According to the Las Vegas Sun, Sarah Guyard was born in Paris and had spent more than 22 years as an acrobatic performer. She was a graduate of Annie Fratellini Art & Circus Academy, named for the famed French circus clown and actress.

The exact cause of death has not been determined.

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