Cirque du Soleil artist falls to the ground during live show in Portland

A dramatic video shows a Cirque du Soleil aerial artist losing her footing during a stunt and falling to the ground without a safety net to break her fall.

The frightening incident occurred during a performance of the Cirque du Soleil show “Kooza” at the Portland Exposition Center in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday night, according to production.

The video, which KOIN 6 News has obtained, shows the artist Mariia Konfektova floating in the air and spinning in a jump until she seems to lose her footing, slips and falls to the ground in front of the audience.

The Russian aerialist is seen lying face down on the stage while the other performers stop what they are doing and stand there, stunned by the failed stunt, before the video ends.

Like many other Cirque du Soleil performers, 23-year-old Konfektova performs her stunts without a net.

Benjamin Goldstein, 10, was with his sister and father when he captured the video of the aerialist and said he, like many others in the audience, was unsure if her fall was “part of the show.”

“At first I thought it was part of the show, it looked like it was intentional,” Goldstein told KOIN 6 News.

“But then people started acting weird. I thought, oh, that's not part of the show. Something's not right.”

The 10-year-old said he saw Konfektova fall face first onto the stage and “it looked like she had hit her nose and blood was coming out of her nose, but she lifted her head but stayed still.”

Goldstein told ABC News that the Cirque du Soleil team immediately rushed to Konfektova's aid and that the performer “maintained her composure” throughout the frightening incident.

“She gave her thumbs up as she was being carried off the stage, which was a great sign,” he told the outlet.

“We appreciate your condolences and well wishes for our aerial wrestler. We want to assure you that the artist is recovering and is being cared for by our medical and training team,” Kooza said in a statement on Facebook on Monday.

A spokesperson for the traveling spectacle also told KOIN 6 News that Konfektova was “taken to the hospital for evaluation” after the fall and that she was “conscious and stable” and being cared for by medical specialists and [their] Team.”

Goldstein said the show was paused for about 20 minutes before a person associated with the organization addressed the audience and said the artists were ready to end the show.

“I have to give a huge shout out to these actors — to carry on after something like that and finish the show must be difficult,” he told ABC News. “They did a phenomenal job.”

Konfektova's Instagram account responded to another concerned fan in the comments on one of her older posts: “Thank you. Luckily I'm fine.”

The 23-year-old artist was born in Omsk, Russia, and is a former rhythmic gymnast, according to an online profile.

Konfektova holds the Guinness Record for the fastest spin of a pneumatic tire, completing 75 spins in 30 seconds on April 2, 2021 in Zhuhai, Guangdong, China.

Cirque du Soleil's “Kooza” show premiered in Portland on August 21 and ends on October 6.

The organization said its trainers and medical experts will continue to monitor Konfektova until they feel she is ready to “return to the show.”