TORONTO — Tributes are pouring in from around the world for Sarah Guyard-Guillot, the acrobat nicknamed Sasoun who died Saturday after falling more than 25 metres during a performance of Cirque de Soleil’s Ka at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
“She was a beautiful artist who touched many people’s lives with her passion and artistry,” wrote Cirque performer Tanya Burke on a website set up to honour Guyard-Guillot. “Her spirit will be remembered for a long time in our performances and our hearts.”
The 31-year-old mother of two children, aged 8 and 5, was being hoisted up a vertical stage — known as the Battle Wall — ahead of show’s climatic finale when her safety wire apparently detached and she fell into a pit below the stage. The coroner’s office ruled Tuesday that Guyard-Guillot suffered blunt force trauma and her death was accidental.
Guillot-Guyard, who had been in the cast of Ka since 2006, is also being remembered for teaching children at the Cirquefit fitness academy.
“She had an incredible way to show … the craft,” reads a message by a mother whose sons were part of Guillot-Guyard’s class. “The boys are shocked and mystified that their loving teacher is no longer with us. The love of circus craft was put in their heart by Ms. Sarah and will be celebrated each time the boys pick up objects to juggle, spin dishes or walk a wall (the closest we have to the tightrope at home).”
On its website, Cirquefit referred Guillot-Guyard’s students to another facility run by Zoltan Hajdu, who lived in Canada while an assistant coach to Calgary-born gymnast and Olympic gold medalist Kyle Shewfelt, so her “legacy of teaching children the circus arts is not forgotten.”
Curtis Spriesterbach recalled: “Sarah not only taught my daughter Gillian. She found out that her severely autistic brother wanted to learn tumbling. To my surprise after doing research on his condition Sarah asked to try private lessons with Aiden. This kind and considerate woman tried so hard and took such joy in teaching.”
Donations for Guillot-Guyard’s children are being collected on the memorial site, where most of the comments — posted in several different languages — are from people who didn’t know the Paris-born performer.
“I am a fellow aerialist and when an accident happens, it is felt far and wide,” wrote Waverly Jones of North Carolina. “Her death is felt widespread by the community.”
Aerial artist Martin Frenette, who studied at Montreal’s National Circus School, said circus performers are one big family. “We are all related by an invisible link from one artistic heart to another and, when one of us stops shining on stage … it does feel like a relative is gone,” he wrote. “You took your final bow way too early and today, an entire community is reflecting on our career, our lifestyle, our passion.”
And, from someone named Walt, this thought: “No longer constrained by harnesses, cables, or even gravity… for you now have your wings. It would be impossible to quantify the number of fond memories delivered by your many years of service and performance.
“We thank you, Sarah.”
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