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Cirque du Soleil aerialist dies after fall during show


A longtime aerialist for the famed Cirque Du Soleil plummeted to his death in front of a horrified crowd in Florida on Saturday night — while trying out a new act for the first time.

Yann Arnaud, 38, was performing “the aerial straps number’’ for Cirque’s VOLTA show in Tampa when he apparently lost hold of his rope while swinging about 12 to 15 feet above the stage and fell, witnesses and the company said.

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 posted excitedly on Instagram that he was debuting the new act with aerial lamp artist Pawel Walczewski.

“After so much work and training and staging, our straps duo act is finally in the show tonight,” Arnaud wrote. “It’s time to go for it.”

Another audience member, Ben Ritter of Tampa, told the Times that after the high-flying performer smacked onto the stage, he was “out cold and not moving.’’

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 in a statement.

“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 have been canceled. VOLTA is based on extreme sports.

Arnaud described himself on social media as being 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, according to his social media accounts.

Arnaud worked various shows in several hotels before joining VOLTA’s cast full-time in 2016.

This is not the first time a member of the circus troupe — known for its death-defying stunts, which are performed largely without safety nets — has died on stage.
In 2013, Sarah Guyard-Guillot, who was also from France, fell almost 100 feet to her death when her safety net failed during a performance of “Ka” at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The company was fined more than $25,000 for safety violations — including for providing inadequate equipment training for the mother-of-two — by the state of Nevada.

In 2016, the 43-year-old son of one of the company’s founders also was killed while setting up a telescopic lift in a show in San Francisco.

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Carisa Kissane

Update: 2024-05-22