Saud Melendez wrote on March 16, 2008 08:14 PM: Do you have some info. regarding (corporate or not)rigging accidents?

Rachel Stegman wrote on December 01, 2007 09:18 PM: Thank you, Lilies...for educating yourself on the matter and responding to (-o-). Your response is appreciated.

....and you are correct--safety lines are not possible with Silks (aka Tissu, Aerial Fabric) nor with Rope (aka Corde Lisse or Spanish Web). Using lines would both make the act impossible and more dangerous.

This artform is not exclusive to Cirque--Cirque is just the most well known of the hundreds of amazing circuses and troupes who perform these skills (not to mention enthusiasts who do these skills for fun and as an alternative form of exercise).

There are very few serious injuries compared to the numbers of individuals who partake in these skills.

I'm glad the show went on as it should have.

I hope the artists recover fully and are still able to do what they love.

The only positive thing that can come out of this is for other aerialists to discuss safety methods and how to keep routines and tricks as low risk as possible, and to be vigilent with checking their rigging (even though this particular accident was not equipment failure).

Sarah wrote on November 29, 2007 08:15 PM: I was there for it to, and it was extremely scary. I was definitely in that 50% of people that left after it happened.. but it was a great show untill then. Everyone did amazingly (besides one weird act with 2 gay men in a cage... that was odd).

Lilies wrote on November 29, 2007 04:56 AM: Quote (-0-):
"Incredible. To perform without protective wires? What the hell there are doing in that Cirque?!?"

Erm... Yes... they are a circus, obviously... O.o There is some risk involved, which makes the acts so much more spectacular and awesome and the artist so amazing.

The performers are aware of that risk and it is one of the things that make them love their profession in a way, I think... and like was said before, I don't even know if it is possible to do an act like aerial silk with protective wires. I would think it isn't.

That said, I hope the artists makes a full recovery...

(-O-) wrote on November 27, 2007 05:09 AM: Incredible. To perform without protective wires? What the hell there are doing in that Cirque?!?
Of course in football and in other sports there is a number of accidents, but how many are falling on a hard ground from 10m height.
Is there some more information about the current medical status of maya Tabakova?

Cal Fea wrote on November 19, 2007 12:33 PM: I was at last Tuesday's Zumanity show and had travelled from Scotland with my partner especially to see it. The show was hillarious and spectacular until the fall, which left us cold and physically sick. We left the show and couldn't continue with our evening due to being so genuinely upset and concerned for these performers. That said, the ONLY important thing here is that these two amazingly talented people recover and have the opportunity to return to what they do so well. I felt the professionalism of the stage and crew was amazing under the circumstances and would send our absolute best wishes to all concerned. We wouldn't dream of asking for a refund.

Rachel Stegman wrote on November 16, 2007 11:25 PM: What happened is tragic and unfortunate, and I understand the concern from audience members; however, it scares me to think what may become of circus aerial arts if OSHA were to start regulating it.

I am a professional aerialist—I have been performing and teaching for many years now. The risk becomes greater once an aerialist achieves higher levels of the art. Professional aerialists know the danger they face when taking on this type of career, and the seemingly super-human stunts are part of what attracts the audience to this type of performance.

Those unfamiliar with the art do not realize the nature of the apparatus that was used in this act. For Aerial Tissu and Rope, safety lines would not only make the art form impossible to do, but it would pose a greater risk with them than without. One of the risks would be entangling oneself in the lines; another is that there would be additional areas for equipment failure. As for nets, not only would it inhibit the art form, but the tissu or rope would need to be rigged much higher, not to mention that falling into a net safely is a skill in itself and adds an additional danger (but most people not in the circus don’t realize this). The third safety item she mentioned were mats…when falling from 20-30 feet, an 8-inch mat is not going to do much to soften a fall, and the thicker you make the mat the higher you would need to rig the apparatus.

There are many other careers that have serious accidents, injuries, and deaths—these careers have safety regulations, but accidents do occur.

What it comes down to is that professional aerialists know the risks and love what they do! I’m completely against OSHA stepping in and regulating Aerial Arts. This would be a disaster, and there would be a surprisingly loud outcry from the circus and dance community.

Eva Rieder wrote on November 16, 2007 11:25 PM: As I was saying...

Aerial arts do involve a level of risk, but in the large number of participants there aren’t many accidents. There are certainly far fewer than your average football season, where athletes regularly suffer broken bones, internal bruising, and concussions. Interestingly, these accidents happen in front of an even larger audience with very little fuss, and no debates over the logistics of each tackle, move, or play.

Eva Rieder wrote on November 16, 2007 11:22 PM: I have been an aerial student for the last three years and am a bit concerned about the outcry on this incident. Though I have not seen Zumanity, I have seen a few Cirque shows. I have no doubt that the fall was not comfortable to watch. In my experience, while training and practicing, we use mats. If I were to fall from a greater height, the mat would do little to cushion me. My teacher—like many of them, I'm sure—has many times stressed the importance of regularly checking one’s own rigging, being aware of one’s strength level and listening to one’s body while performing, and various safety maneuvers to prevent such a rare accident. As for safety lines, in the use of aerial silks and ropes, they would actually create a bigger danger as they could entangle the artist during certain moves and drops.

There is also a drastic difference between long-run show performers (such as Cirque) and most of the aerialists in the world—and there are many of them—these performers appear in multiple shows a night throughout the week, wearing their bodies down greatly. They are likely overworked and quite tired for each performance, and in the case for Tuesday night, might have needed a break instead of running through another show. From what I understand, many of the performers in corporate events or smaller groups tend to perform a single show, or, one show a night for a small stretch of time.

Aerial arts do involve a level of risk, but in the large number of participants there aren’t many accidents. There are certainly far fewer than your average football season, where athletes regularly suffer broken bones, internal bruising, and concussions. Interestingly, these accidents happen in front of an even larger audience with very little fuss, and no

p wrote on November 15, 2007 08:21 AM: hope those (2) performers are okay