Sarah "Sasoun" Guyard-Guillot (died June 29, 2013) was an acrobat and aerialist who fell to her death during a performance of the Cirque du Soleil show Kà on June 29, 2013.

Background

Kà is a Cirque du Soleil show that plays at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. According to the Los Angeles Times the show "may well be the most lavish production in the history of Western theater [and] is surely the most technologically advanced." It features a 360 degree rotating stage and 86 cast members. The stage does not have a permanent floor, but instead has several moving platforms that appear to float.

Accidents at Cirque du Soleil shows are rare. However, Guyard-Guillot's fall was the second accident to halt a performance in less than a week. On June 26, 2013, a cast member suffered a minor concussion after slipping from a slack rope during a preview performance of Michael Jackson: One. Previously, two cast members were seriously injured during a 2007 performance of Zumanity. In 2009, an acrobat died during a trampoline training accident.

Life of Sarah Guyard-Guillot

Sarah Guyard-Guillot was born in Paris, France and began working in the circus as a kid. She graduated from the Annie Fratellini Art & Circus Academy. She worked as an acrobat and aerialist for 22 years. In 2006, Guyard-Guillot joined the cast of Kà as it opened at the MGM Grand. She operated a circus school for kids in Las Vegas called Cirquefit.

Death

During the final battle scene of Kà, the stage is oriented vertically and performers use harnesses attached to cables to move about. During this scene at the 7pm showing of Kà on June 29, 2013, Guyard-Guillot was hoisted up the side of the stage to a height of at least 50 feet (15 m) (some eyewitnesses said it may have been over 100 feet (30 m)). According to an eyewitness, she "then just plummeted down." Her harness apparently slipped free from its safety wire, causing her to fall into a pit, out of the audience's view. A spokesperson confirmed that the harness itself remained on Guyard-Guillot during her fall. "Initially, a lot of people in the audience thought it was part of the choreographed fight," said an eyewitness. "But you could hear screaming, then groaning, and we could hear a female artist crying from the stage." After her fall, the show was quickly stopped and a recording asked the audience to leave and said refunds would be offered. Performers watched helplessly as they dangled in the air, before being lowered to safety.

Guyard-Guillot was rushed to the hospital, but died in the ambulance. She was pronounced dead at 11:43pm. Guyard-Guillot's death was the first on-stage death in Cirque du Soleil's 30-year history. She was survived by her two children aged 8 and 5. She was 31 at the time of her death.

Reaction

An official statement by Cirque du Soleil read "The entire Cirque du Soleil family is deeply saddened by the accidental death of Sarah (Sassoon) Guyard ... Our thoughts are with her family and the entire Cirque du Soleil family." Company founder Guy Laliberte said he was "heartbroken", and remarked, "We are all completely devastated with this news ... [Guyard-Guillot] has been an integral part of our Cirque du Soleil tight family. We are reminded, with great humility and respect, how extraordinary our artists are each and every night." A memorial website - forsasoun.com - was quickly flooded with condolances.

Performances of Kà were put on hold indefinitely, but at least until July 9. A formal investigation into Guyard-Guillot's death was launched by Nevada OSHA. John Fudenberg of the Clark County Coroner’s office, who is working with OSHA on the investigation, said "There is certainly safety apparatus that is used during any Cirque du Soleil show, and I know that company is very safety-conscious. We have to make sure we inspect the safety harnesses ... Our priority is to find out how this happened."  

A billboard for Kà at the MGM Grand Las Vegas Company Cirque du Soleil Genre Contemporary circus Show type Resident show Date of premiere October 12, 2004 Location MGM Grand,Las Vegas Creative team Creator and director Robert Lepage Director of creation Guy Caron Theatre and set designer Mark Fisher Costume designer Marie-Chantale Vaillancourt Composer René Dupéré Choreographer Jacques Heim Lighting designer Luc Lafortune Sound designer Jonathan Deans Interactive projections Holger Förterer Puppet designer Michael Curry Props designer Patricia Ruel Acrobatic equipment and rigging designer Jaque Paquin Aerial acrobatics designer and head coach, creation André Simard Makeup designer Nathalie Gagné Company founder and CEO Guy Laliberté Other information Preceded by Zumanity(2003) Succeeded by Corteo (2005) Official website

Kà is a show by Cirque du Soleil at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Created and directed by Robert Lepage, the show and the theater cost $165 million to develop.

Kà is the first Cirque du Soleil production that deviates from the company's usual format—the production presents a more straightforward story, unlike the more abstract visuals presented by other Cirque productions.

In its review, the Los Angeles Times stated it "may well be the most lavish production in the history of Western theater. It is surely the most technologically advanced." The New York Times highly praised all the technical aspects and costumes, but felt that it did not succeed in a particularly compelling story, rather it was "essentially about the kind of wild physical feats that all Cirque shows are about, their jaw-dropping effect multiplied by the huge dimensions of the theatrical space." Nonetheless, the show has been seen by more than one million spectators since its opening in October 2004.