Posted today just before 10 a.m. on the company’s Facebook page was this report of the incident: “During the 7 p.m. performance of ‘Zarkana’ last night, an artist performing in the ‘Wheel of Death’ act slipped and fell off the wheel. The show was halted and the artist was transported to UMC, where he is in stable condition and is expected to be released from the hospital in the next few days.”
17 comments:
So I know this is completely
unrelated to the article, but the set looks absolutely beautiful from the picture. The "machinery" look is really big now a days and I think it looks very elegant and eye catching.
Okay so now about the article. These Cirque performers are kind of mind blowing, risking their lives for entertainment. A lot of people in school of drama were talking about the death of the "Ka" performer and the OSHA citations. I am wondering how OSHA charges for the deaths. I would imagine that there are more specific laws that have to do with the performing conditions and then how the deaths are handled. At the same time Cirque rehearses situations in case a performer gets hurt or dies, so the show does not need to stop. I just think those are interesting points.
Oh dear...I hope the artist in question is alright, and makes a full recovery. From my experience shadowing at cirque shows, I know that just about every emergency scenario possible has been rehearsed and laid out, so there are plan Bs, Cs, and Ds ready to go if anything should happen. That being said, circus performance and acrobatics is a high risk job in the same way that being a dancer or broadway performer can be, though here the stakes are somewhat higher. One injury can end a career, just as it can for a professional athlete or other performer. I'm not sure what actions OSHA will take, but I am glad the act is being readjusted such that it will be safer for the artists who perform it. Wonder why it wasn't like that in the first place...
Cirque seems to be having a run of bad luck recently. First the tragic death and OSHA citations, and now this accident. If there is a silver lining it is that the performer was only injured and not worse. But at least for Cirque it sounds like this was "operator error" per se and not equipment failure. I don't think they'll end up with any OSHA issues this time but I'd be interested in finding out if they do. I also agree with Simone that the set looks awesome.
I never realized how dangerous Cirque was before now. I mean, I have seen videos of shows (never gotten to see one before) and it makes sense that this is considered a high risk job. It is good to know that they do have backup plans and rehearse them. However, I do hope Cirque does everything it can to make sure the acts aren't too dangerous for their performers, even if they do know what they are getting into.
These artists in the cirque shows are fully aware of the risks they take when performing. However, it is really upsetting to hear of these issues one after the other with a company that seems to be very cautious with its performers. It's crazy to think that even though these performers are highly skilled and extremely good at what they do, accidents like these can still happen even with extensive rehearsing and training. It would be so terrifying as an audience member to experience that. I'm glad they stopped the show to properly escort the performer to get medical attention.
Risk and possible injury are an inseperable part of the circus life style. Death defying act are by their nature deadly. It is unbelievably sad that these incidents have happened as of late, and I hope that the performer recent incident is all right. That said, I find it interesting to think about the minds of these performers. they go into careers where they will be putting their life at risk for the thrill of the performance. They have to know every time that they get on the high line or jump rope in the spinning wheel of death that it could be their last time. I have some much respect for their bravery.
Theatre, spectacle, dance and risk have a very unique relationship. While it is most certainly difficult when artists injure themselves and one has a certain amount of pity for the situation, I’m not sure that cirque is to blame. Just as a dancer signs onto a certain amount of physical strain, so too is the thrill performer. If anything, these accepted risks are higher. Yet it is an interesting trade, as the theatre company is also not free of responsibility. The risk relationship is different. Similarly, there is a question of accepted risk. Beyond OSHA rules, if a performer is willing (of their own free will), should they be allowed to do it? I don’t have answers to some of these questions, but I am more making the point that these decisions are much more complex than they may first appear.
I surely hope that the artist injured in this accident makes a full recovery and this does not end his career. I'm sure Cirque has some of the highest safety precautions for such high risk entertainment. That being said this is a good eye opener that accidents do still happen even to one of the most professional groups out there. I would be interested to find out what OSHA citations they received for their last accident, and as Phillip said I to wonder if they will receive any this time around. I hope that Cirque can find ways to improve the safety of their performances because I hate hearing about accidents in live entertainment. Often times people typically point the finger at the people responsible for the technical aspects of these shows even when it could have simply been user error.
I hope the artist will be ok! The difference between this and the "Ka" performer (other than alive vs. dead), is that the death in "Ka" was related to a mechanical failure which caused the artist's cable to snap. This was a "more simple" slip and fall, the kind of risk these performers have assimilated into their psyches. These stories have caused me to think about how Cirque gets their insurance. It must be an absolute nightmare! I'm sure that's true of a lot of live theater, but most shows don't have the combination of death-defying stunts AND giant automated pieces of machinery. I would love to be a fly on the wall when their underwriters come to visit.
What happened to the performer in Ka is horrible, and Cirque has some serious policy changes to make. The fact that she fell due to a cable snap is unacceptable, as that is the kind of thing that should be checked at least weekly. The link in the first sentence has some good\ information about what happened if people are interested in what exactly happened. About the performer mentioned in the article, I think that it's awesome that Cirque doesn't release the names of performers who fall. I'm a big fan of the wheel death, and theres this incredible clown named Bello Nock who helped to bring it back and who does an incredible job with it. He designs his own stunts, and what's even more awesome than that is that he does metal work and he built his well himself and he does all of his own rigging. Perhaps Cirque could adapt a policy that all performers should be trained (but not necessarily certified) riggers so they can recognize problems and see if things are unsafe.
I hope that the performer will be okay. Cirque shows are always potentially risky. Any performer entering into that type of performance knows this. Also Cirque from what I have read and heard from people, has many measures and protocols in place to reduce the risk of injury to any of their performers. However sometimes things don't go as planned. Is there a way for them to prevent any accidents or fatalities? I have no idea, but I am sure that OSHA would like the answer to be yes!
When I got to see the performance at the Radio City Music Hall, one of the two performers slipped twice during the performance on the wheel but was able to recover before actually falling. It does not surprise me that someone has gotten injured on the wheel of death. If i recall correctly the wheel of death is considered one of the two most dangerous acts tied with the Russian Swing which a rookie was killed on I believe 5 years ago. The nature of the Cirque Performance is dangerous and it is unfortunate that such an incident has occurred and we can only hope that he will recover quickly.
So cirque has not been having a good year... I find it interesting that for the last basically 30 years, cirque has been doing these productions with basically no incidents but then this year there are two at two different shows almost back to back on each other. I also find it interesting that the KA incident was a technical error that could have easily been prevented and it totally justifies all the citations that cirque is getting from OSHA, but this one was a performer error and there is not much that could have been done to prevent it. But also this performer will be okay. So it seems that when technical elements fail, much worse things happen.
I mean, it's called the Wheel of Death. This sort of thing is to be expected. I don't mean to sound cold-hearted, but I'm sure the artist in question was not ignorant of the dangers involved in his act. Circus performance has always been about skating the edge of disaster. That's what makes it so unique and exciting. Applying our over-bearing concepts of occupational health and safety to the circus can mean only one thing: the extinction of the form. Maybe we have become to protective and squeamish to appreciate this type of artistry, but the popularity of the Cirque brand would suggest not. I guess if we as a culture are going to flock to this type of entertainment in droves, we should probably keep our mock outrage to ourselves when the inevitable occurs. I'm glad the Mr. Delgado appears to be ok and he can return to his work soon.
Unfortunately I first found out about this after a performer I worked with this summer posted the article. It hard to hear news like this, but there are always risks involved and the artists know that these risks can happen. Cirque does everything possible to protect from injuries and accidents, and has very well thought out and practiced emergency procedures. Briefly seeing the article on the fines from OSHA due to the KA accident I was a bit shocked. Although the fines were large (in a sense) I would love to see more detail on how they considered the companies neglectful in their responsibilities.
I think that it is really great that this performer wasn't fatally injured and will be able to recover from his injuries. It is really interesting to think about a show like Cirque were the danger is apart of the act. On one hand you want to be confident that every performer is going to go home safe every night and then on the other you realize that the lack of security is one of the shows biggest draws. I don't know how you reconcile both those things with out completely overhaul of the show.
Risks lie at the heart of art and are one of the primary draws for a Cirque show. However, at the same time, this risk must be balanced with practicality and safety. In this situation, it seems that the trick in general is used in multiple Cirque shows and that the artists in question has been performing this trick for at least a year now. Even though it can be assumed that Cirque understands the trick and its hazards very well and the artist knew what he was doing, mistakes still happen. I would guess it is very difficult to eliminate these hazards without harming the trick itself so I imagine it is hard to create a foolproof solution.
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