Cirque de Soleil Death

[+ StLouisOct]

A Cirque de Soleil performer died in a performance today. http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/cirque-du-soleil-performer-yann-arnaud-dies-fatal/story?id=53834874 He was a long time pro and no one knows at this point what happened. It’s especially sad because he was married and had kids. News agencies are now emphasizing that over the past many years Cirque de Soleil has had some accidents and one or two deaths. It’s sad news, but I must say that once again I’m feeling old and out of touch with the current approach to such things. Nowadays when something happens in a high risk venture, news reporters start talking about past injuries and report that deaths have occurred in the past. Of course they have! It’s a high risk endeavor!! Now, if an investigation discloses that Cirque de Soleil failed to followed proper safety procedures (I bet unlikely in their case), then I’ll be upset. But the fact that someone dies doesn’t immediately raise in my mind the specter that someone is at fault and this death was nothing other than the sad result of human imperfection. The loss of life is sad, but it seems to me that an approach that routinely dismisses inherent risks, although good for news headline,s is unhealthy for society.

[YOUNG_LA_DOM]

Truly sadness

[rvwnsd]

Sad news, indeed.

 

...Nowadays when something happens in a high risk venture, news reporters start talking about past injuries and report that deaths have occurred in the past. ...

I've been watching, listening, and reading the news for approximately 48 years. This is not a new phenomenon.

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

Cirque has probably the most stringent safety measures in place for all of their shows. Much of what you don't see is what keeps the artists alive in the event of something going wrong. That's not to say that human error can't cause a death (or injury).

 

I had a friend working in Cirque's Zumanity (one of their resident Las Vegas shows) who miscalculated her 'death drop' on silks and broke her back in front of an audience. It also ended her career in the circus arts. Although it was ultimately her misjudgment, Cirque took great care of her afterwards.

 

This accident is incredibly sad. That it was caught on film is even more heartbreaking.

[EastbayMike]

That it was caught on film is even more heartbreaking.

 

I want to want to give you the chance to rethink your statement and perhaps clarify what you mean.

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

I want to want to give you the chance to rethink your statement and perhaps clarify what you mean.

 

Rethink what? I said nothing callous.

 

Catching any horrible event on film means it can be replayed ad nauseam and digitally re-lived, by both the audience who was there that night and his many loved ones. It's heartbreaking, yes.

 

Have I made myself more clear for your benefit?

[bigvalboy]

[MikeBiDude]

I want to want to give you the chance to rethink your statement and perhaps clarify what you mean.

Huh?