Aerialist falls to his death in Fla. show
A longtime aerialist for Cirque du Soleil plummeted to his death in front of a horrified crowd in Florida Saturday night while trying out a new act for the first time.
Yann Arnaud, 38, was performing “the aerial straps number’’ for the renowned circus company’s “VOLTA” show in Tampa when he apparently lost hold of his rope while swinging about 12 to 15 feet above the stage, according to witnesses and Cirque officials.
An audience member told the Tampa Bay Times that Arnaud was “struggling to keep his grip right before the fall.”
Hours before the show, Arnaud wrote on Instagram that he was debuting the act with fellow aerial artist Pawel Walczewski.
“After so much work and training and staging, our straps duo act is finally in the show tonight,” Arnaud wrote in a caption for a black-andwhite photo of himself holding a strap. “It’s time to go for it.”
Another audience member, Ben Ritter of Tampa, told the Times that the high-flying performer was “out cold and not moving” after smacking onto the stage.
The show was stopped as medical workers rushed to Arnaud’s aid.
The aerialist, originally from France, was rushed to Tampa General Hospital but died of his injuries, Cirque said.
“Yann had been with us for over 15 years and was loved by all who had the chance to know him,” said Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group President and CEO Daniel Lamarre.
“We are offering our full and transparent collaboration to the authorities as they look into the circumstances of this accident.’’
Meanwhile, the show’s two final scheduled performances in the city were canceled. “VOLTA” features acts based on extreme sports.
Arnaud described himself on social media as trained in high-flying circus acts, including the “solo single ring spin” and “Swiss rings.”
He had at least two daughters, including one born in August 2015 to wife and model Inna D Gorelova, his social-media accounts show.
Arnaud worked various shows in several hotels before joining the cast of “VOLTA” full time in 2016.
This is not the first time a member of the Montreal-based circus troupe, known for its death-defying stunts, died in an onstage accident.
In 2013, acrobat Sarah GuyardGuillot, 31, who was also from France, fell almost 100 feet to her death when her safety net failed during a performance of “Kà” at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The state of Nevada fined the company more than $25,000 for safety violations, including for providing inadequate equipment training for the mother of two.
And in 2016, Olivier Rochette, a 42-year-old technician and son of one of the company’s founders, was killed while setting up a telescopic lift in a show in San Francisco.