Face of Nation : Emergency services were called to the Circus Rio show at Glenelg just before 5:00pm today.
The SA Ambulance Service said the performer fell about 11 metres to the ground and suffered multiple injuries. The 28-year-old woman was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital.
Spectator Alice Young said the incident happened about five or six acts into the show, while the woman was performing on a ring.
“She had the ring behind her neck and the next thing, she just went bang to the ground, straight on wood,” she said.
“People came running and then we were asked to leave.” According to its website, Circus Rio is an international troupe featuring Russian and Belarusian trapeze artists.
It is currently touring Australia for the first time, and has had a big top set up in Wigley Square at Glenelg, in beachside Adelaide, for the past fortnight. Ms Young said there was no safety net beneath the performer when she fell.
“Someone came in with a microphone and just said ‘thanks for your understanding, can everyone please exit immediately’,” she said. “It was from a very, very high distance … it was pretty upsetting.”
Circus Rio is a travelling circus which advertises on its roster samba dancers, aerialists, FMX bikes, ballet dancers and acrobats. The company said its show was based on the atmosphere of Rio De Janeiro’s Carnival.
The incident happened on the 13th day of the show’s 24-day season in Adelaide. The show is due to travel to Bathurst in New South Wales next month.
This afternoon the circus posted a photo of its trapeze artists, with the comment: “Our Trapeze show is back!” “Catch our team of Russian and Belarusian trapeze artists on now at Wigley Reserve, Glenelg,” it said.
“A fun and inspiring experience for all the family — come and see tricks rarely (if ever) performed in the industry.”
