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| Performer's on-stage death adds to Cirque du Soleil's troubles | Performer's on-stage death adds to Cirque du Soleil's troubles |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Saturday 29 June was supposed to be the day that Cirque du Soleil turned the page on recent financial and artistic setbacks, and sent a message that it was still the most powerful player in live entertainment in Las Vegas. Instead, it ended with the worst tragedy in the French-Canadian circus company's history – the first fatal on-stage accident in the 29 years of its existence. | Saturday 29 June was supposed to be the day that Cirque du Soleil turned the page on recent financial and artistic setbacks, and sent a message that it was still the most powerful player in live entertainment in Las Vegas. Instead, it ended with the worst tragedy in the French-Canadian circus company's history – the first fatal on-stage accident in the 29 years of its existence. |
| During a performance of the Cirque du Soleil extravaganza Kà, audience members gasped in amazement as one of the aerialists plummeted an estimated 27 metres into a pit below the stage. But the fall was no act: Sarah Guyard-Guillot, 31, a mother of two known as "Sasoun" to friends and colleagues, died of her injuries before she reached hospital. | During a performance of the Cirque du Soleil extravaganza Kà, audience members gasped in amazement as one of the aerialists plummeted an estimated 27 metres into a pit below the stage. But the fall was no act: Sarah Guyard-Guillot, 31, a mother of two known as "Sasoun" to friends and colleagues, died of her injuries before she reached hospital. |
| The timing of the incident, as well as being a tragedy for Guyard-Guillot's friends, colleagues and family, was doubly cruel for Cirque – which has been trying to get its momentum back after it had to lay off 400 employees this winter owing to a string of under-performing shows. | The timing of the incident, as well as being a tragedy for Guyard-Guillot's friends, colleagues and family, was doubly cruel for Cirque – which has been trying to get its momentum back after it had to lay off 400 employees this winter owing to a string of under-performing shows. |
| Earlier the same day, the troupe had held the premiere of Michael Jackson ONE, its much-anticipated new show at the Mandalay Bay resort and casino – just two blocks down from the MGM Grand, which has housed Kà since 2006. Celebrities from Justin Bieber to Spike Lee were on hand for the opening of a spectacle that mixes circus tricks with the music of the late King of Pop – a pairing that has already proved lucrative for Cirque on the road with the arena show, Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour. | |
| Concerns that the company has over-saturated the Las Vegas market have escalated over the past year, since its acrobatic tribute to another musical king, Viva Elvis, closed early. The glitzy opening of ONE was no doubt designed to demonstrate that the company was, in fact, not in retreat in Vegas, where it first opened Mystère in 1993 and now operates eight shows. | Concerns that the company has over-saturated the Las Vegas market have escalated over the past year, since its acrobatic tribute to another musical king, Viva Elvis, closed early. The glitzy opening of ONE was no doubt designed to demonstrate that the company was, in fact, not in retreat in Vegas, where it first opened Mystère in 1993 and now operates eight shows. |
| By 11.43pm that evening, however, Guyard-Guillot had been pronounced dead, and soon after the news spread across social media instead of red-carpet pictures of ONE. | By 11.43pm that evening, however, Guyard-Guillot had been pronounced dead, and soon after the news spread across social media instead of red-carpet pictures of ONE. |
| Directed by Robert Lepage, Quebec's second most-famous theatrical export after Cirque, Kà is known for two things: its record-breaking budget, an estimated $165 million (more than twice that of Broadway's budget-smashing, accident-prone musical, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark); and its gravity-defying battle scenes, one called "The Wheel of Death", and another in which the massive stage flips up 90 degrees and performers fly out towards the audience. | Directed by Robert Lepage, Quebec's second most-famous theatrical export after Cirque, Kà is known for two things: its record-breaking budget, an estimated $165 million (more than twice that of Broadway's budget-smashing, accident-prone musical, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark); and its gravity-defying battle scenes, one called "The Wheel of Death", and another in which the massive stage flips up 90 degrees and performers fly out towards the audience. |
| When all goes well, the latter looks like a live-action version of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. But something – it's still unclear what – went wrong during the sequence on June 29 and Guyard-Guillot, who had been a member of Kà's cast since its creation, fell. | When all goes well, the latter looks like a live-action version of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. But something – it's still unclear what – went wrong during the sequence on June 29 and Guyard-Guillot, who had been a member of Kà's cast since its creation, fell. |
| The show has been closed since, and Cirque du Soleil has been cooperating fully with an investigation by the Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration that may take up to six months to conclude. Meanwhile, the company's founder Guy Laliberté – the stilt walker who in 2009 became a billionaire space tourist – has said he is "heartbroken" by the traumatic accident. On the online memorial site forsasoun.com, another circus colleague wrote: "I can't believe I'll never again see your smiling face behind that mask of warrior paint … You were, and always in my heart will be, among the most badass of badasses." | The show has been closed since, and Cirque du Soleil has been cooperating fully with an investigation by the Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration that may take up to six months to conclude. Meanwhile, the company's founder Guy Laliberté – the stilt walker who in 2009 became a billionaire space tourist – has said he is "heartbroken" by the traumatic accident. On the online memorial site forsasoun.com, another circus colleague wrote: "I can't believe I'll never again see your smiling face behind that mask of warrior paint … You were, and always in my heart will be, among the most badass of badasses." |
| Around the world, Cirque du Soleil is known for its thrilling animal-free acts. Its colourful aesthetic forged in the bilingual city of Montreal has proved easy to export. Within the industry, however, the company is equally well known for the steps it takes to protect the performers that help it pull in an estimated $1bn (£674m) annually from ticket and merchandising sales. | Around the world, Cirque du Soleil is known for its thrilling animal-free acts. Its colourful aesthetic forged in the bilingual city of Montreal has proved easy to export. Within the industry, however, the company is equally well known for the steps it takes to protect the performers that help it pull in an estimated $1bn (£674m) annually from ticket and merchandising sales. |
| Safety protocols and detailed risk analyses are a part of every routine's creation and there are a host of trainers, physiotherapists and even performance psychologists on staff to keep artists healthy. In a 2009 study published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers from six Canadian and American universities examined five years of data for Cirque, and found the company's injury rates less than those for college gymnastics. | Safety protocols and detailed risk analyses are a part of every routine's creation and there are a host of trainers, physiotherapists and even performance psychologists on staff to keep artists healthy. In a 2009 study published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers from six Canadian and American universities examined five years of data for Cirque, and found the company's injury rates less than those for college gymnastics. |
| But just as Cirque du Soleil's box-office success is no longer certain – the company has suffered a string of disappointments in Las Vegas, New York, Los Angeles and in Asia over the past five years, as it tried to expand too quickly amid a recession – its safety record will now be subject to greater scrutiny. | But just as Cirque du Soleil's box-office success is no longer certain – the company has suffered a string of disappointments in Las Vegas, New York, Los Angeles and in Asia over the past five years, as it tried to expand too quickly amid a recession – its safety record will now be subject to greater scrutiny. |
| This is not actually the first death on Cirque's watch. In 2009, the Ukrainian acrobat Oleksandr Zhurov, 24, died during a rehearsal at the company's Montreal headquarters. Quebec's occupational health and safety commission investigated and eventually imposed a CA$1,915 (£1,221) fine on the company, according to the Montreal Gazette. More recently, just days before the death at Kà, an acrobat was reportedly taken away from a preview performance of Michael Jackson ONE in a wheelchair after a fall. | This is not actually the first death on Cirque's watch. In 2009, the Ukrainian acrobat Oleksandr Zhurov, 24, died during a rehearsal at the company's Montreal headquarters. Quebec's occupational health and safety commission investigated and eventually imposed a CA$1,915 (£1,221) fine on the company, according to the Montreal Gazette. More recently, just days before the death at Kà, an acrobat was reportedly taken away from a preview performance of Michael Jackson ONE in a wheelchair after a fall. |
| In a statement released after Guyard-Guillot's death, Laliberté said: "Our focus now is to support each other as a family." But the past year has already been trying for the Cirque family in other ways – and families of Cirque performers. In April, news broke that the company would be discontinuing family support for its touring shows. "This means no more family housing, and most critically, no more schooling," wrote the wife of one performer on her blog Running Away with the Circus. "Everything is slated to close down at the end of our North American tour – June 2014." | In a statement released after Guyard-Guillot's death, Laliberté said: "Our focus now is to support each other as a family." But the past year has already been trying for the Cirque family in other ways – and families of Cirque performers. In April, news broke that the company would be discontinuing family support for its touring shows. "This means no more family housing, and most critically, no more schooling," wrote the wife of one performer on her blog Running Away with the Circus. "Everything is slated to close down at the end of our North American tour – June 2014." |
| Attempts to trim costs have filtered down to the permanent shows running in Las Vegas as well, even as Cirque has gone ahead with the opening of new projects such as Michael Jackson ONE. This spring, singer Dina Emerson started an online fundraiser for seven employees who had "unexpectedly lost their jobs" in Mystère. | Attempts to trim costs have filtered down to the permanent shows running in Las Vegas as well, even as Cirque has gone ahead with the opening of new projects such as Michael Jackson ONE. This spring, singer Dina Emerson started an online fundraiser for seven employees who had "unexpectedly lost their jobs" in Mystère. |
| Kà has been subject to budget cuts too, with two performers from that troupe let go over the winter. There's nothing to suggest that any of the company's cost-saving measures have trickled down to safety measures, however. "The layoffs have absolutely no incidence on this accident [sic]," spokesperson Renée-Claude Ménard told me in an email. | Kà has been subject to budget cuts too, with two performers from that troupe let go over the winter. There's nothing to suggest that any of the company's cost-saving measures have trickled down to safety measures, however. "The layoffs have absolutely no incidence on this accident [sic]," spokesperson Renée-Claude Ménard told me in an email. |
| Still, halfway through 2013, with its 30th anniversary swiftly approaching, Cirque du Soleil now finds itself nursing two blows to a reputation that for the first quarter century of its existence was iron-clad. | Still, halfway through 2013, with its 30th anniversary swiftly approaching, Cirque du Soleil now finds itself nursing two blows to a reputation that for the first quarter century of its existence was iron-clad. |