Cirque du Soleil acrobat hospitalized after suffering heart-stopping fall during performance

Heart-stopping footage captured the moment a Cirque du Soleil performer plunged to the ground after slipping during her aerial acrobatics routine.

Russian aerialist Mariia Konfektova was hospitalized after falling from a swinging hoop while performing in the show KOOZA in Portland, Oregon on Saturday, with no safety net below her.

Audience members were left in stunned silence after the acrobat lost her grip and plummeted to the stage. A 10-year-old boy captured the terrifying moment on camera, saying he initially 'thought it was part of the show.' 

'But then people were acting weird. I was like, oh, this isn't part of the show. Something's up,' the boy, Benjamin Goldstein, told KOIN. 

A spokesperson for Cirque du Soleil said Sunday that Konfektova was 'conscious, stable and being cared for by medical specialists and her team.' 

Heart-stopping footage captured the moment Cirque du Soleil acrobat Mariia Konfektova fell while performing in Portland, Oregon

Konfektova was hospitalized after the accident, and Cirque du Soleil organizers later said she was 'conscious, stable and being cared for by medical specialists and her team' 

The apparatus from which Konfektova fell was a large hoop suspended by a wire over the stage. Although the exact cause of the accident is under investigation, observers said the changing environments that traveling performers experience may have played a role. 

Portland Tribune editor Dana Haynes, who met the performers for a profile days before the shows begun, said conditions can change from location to location.

'Everything from the altitude of Portland to the humidity in the heat to the setting of all of the mechanisms, the apparatus, all of that can be off slightly,' Haynes told KOIN. 

'And each place they go, they were rehearsing, rehearse and rehearse. The coach in this case, the Australian head coach, told me that the hoop mechanism is off by a centimeter. 

'Because of that, they were adjusting. Maria's twirling, because of that centimeter, while not visible to the coach, affected her spin.' 

Cirque du Soleil added that Konfektova was the only performer who used the hoop in rehearsals and on opening night. 

Konfektova plunged to the stage after losing her grip on an aerial hoop, as horrified audience said that they thought the accident was 'part of the act' 

Observers said Konfektova may have slipped because of changing environments that traveling performers experience from location to location

Audience member Benjamin Goldstein, 10 (right, with his father, Brian, and sister, Samantha), said it took several moments for him to realize that 'this isn't part of the show - something's up' 

In the footage captured by Benjamin Goldstein, Konfektova can be seen gracefully twisting and spinning on the hoop. She appeared to lose her grip when she unhooked her leg from the hoop. 

Benjamin's sister Samantha, 9, who also attended alongside their father Brian, broke down in tears as she recalled the moment. 

'I also thought it was part of the show, but I saw she was actually really hurt,' she told KOIN. 

Haynes said the performer worked without a net because she 'started on the ground and rose and spiraled and came back down and landed on the ground and danced and went back up again.'  

Konfektova reportedly landed on her head and was left with a bloodied nose, but was not severely injured and is recovering in the hospital. 

The extent of Konfectova's injuries are unclear. She responded to a concerned fan on Instagram, telling the person: 'Thank you, luckily I'm okay' 

A KOOZA spokesperson said that the show was briefly halted after the accident 'and the artist was immediately assisted by the tour intervention team and transported to the hospital for examination.' 

'The health and safety of our employees is always our top priority. As always, in the case of an accident, the artist will continue to be monitored by the KOOZA medical and coaching team to determine when she can return to the show,' the spokesperson added. 

The extent of Konfectova's injuries are unclear. She responded to a concerned fan on Instagram on Monday, telling the person: 'Thank you, luckily I'm okay.'