Trapeze artist loses his balance and falls 25ft onto hard wooden floor
The terrifying moment a trapeze artist fell nearly 30ft during a tightrope dance routine in front of a large audience in Russia was captured on camera.
Sergey Marakov, the performer in question, fell 26ft from the rope to the solid wooden floor below when the tightrope loosened suddenly. Although he staggered to his feet when he was helped up, he was uninjured. The artist took a bow and left holding his left arm.
He was immediately taken to a hospital nearby where his arm was bandaged up. Marakov returned to the circus after that in the city of Bratsk, Russia and even managed to finish the "Spanish dance" act to a packed audience who applauded loudly.
Marakov, who is a part of the Dovgalyuk Dynasty Circus, said that the rope had come loose because the big top's supports which had been driven into the frozen Siberian soil which had begun to thaw.
The performer had performed the act without the use of a safety net and somehow "tucked himself up" and even used his arms to break his fall.
The circus ringmaster and another member of the staff can be seen rushing to the aid of the disoriented artiste.
Marakov said later: "I was performing my Spanish dance on the tightrope. Suddenly the supporting poles began to move. The soil had thawed and the poles began moving so the rope went loose."
"I tucked myself up, I know how to do it. We always train for falls. The doctors said I am fine. It is just a bruise, and they put on a bandage."
The spectator who caught the whole thing on video, Sergey Mazhitov, said: "The performance went on afterwards but the flooring was broken because of his fall."