'That wasn't real, was it?' Horrific moment trapeze artist, 28, plunges nearly 10 metres to the ground as circus show audience gasps in terror
- Circus Rio performer Gabrielle Souza recovering after a 10 metre fall to ground
- Footage captured the chilling moment her aerial hoop act went horribly wrong
- Ms Souza is in high spirits recovering with broken wrist and dislocated elbows
- Two Circus Rio shows went ahead as scheduled in Adelaide on Wednesday
Horrifying footage has emerged of the moment a Brazilian aerial hoop performer plunged almost 10 metres to the ground during a circus show in Adelaide.
Circus Rio performer Gabrielle Souza, 28, is lucky to be alive after her lira act went terribly wrong in front of the shocked crowd 45 minutes into the show at Wigley Reserve in Glenelg on Tuesday afternoon.
Vision captured by an audience member obtained by Nine News shows the experienced performer using just her neck to hold onto a ring before the stunt takes a frightening turn for the worst.
Members of the audience can be heard screaming in horror as Ms Souza falls and lands on the wooden floor with a sickening thud.
Gabrielle Souza survived this shocking fall after her aerial hoop act went terribly wrong
'That was real, wasn't it?' one spectator asks.
'Oh s***, that's real,' another replied.
Ms Souza was rushed 'very urgently' to Royal Adelaide Hospital in a critical condition and required urgent surgery.
Despite a broken wrist and dislocated elbow, Ms Souza has been cleared of serious damage and could be back performing within weeks.
Circus Rio director Yuriy Abrosimov fought back tears as he recalled the terrifying moment he rushed to Ms Souza's aid.
'I heard the noise and straight away jumped to the circus and jumped to the stage to help,' he told Nine News.
'She landed onto her arms and saved her life, she really saved her life.'
Gabrielle Souza is recovering in hospital with a broken wrist and two dislocated elbows
He added the first thing Ms Souza asked for asking waking from surgery wastomato soup.
Ms Souza remains in hospital and has thanked the hundreds of well wishers who have sent messages via social media.
'As her spirits remain high, Gabby ensures her fans that she will be back on the Lira as soon as she makes a recovery,' a statement on the Circus Rio website states.
The statement also addresses questions why safety nets weren't used during the act, which Ms Souza has performed hundreds of times without a mishap.
A shocked crowd, including young children watched Ms Souza's shocking fall unfold
'As Lira is a famous Brazilian net and harness-free act; Gabby ensures that the authenticity of her performance is of the utmost importance to her,' the statement read.
'Gabby states that 'while she failed to execute this stunt, it is a part of her training and experience in circus arts to prepare herself for situations like this.'
'Circus Rio’s trapeze act were due to return to the cast in this particular show, in which the performers do use the safety nets that are installed in the bigtop – as this is an act that traditionally incurs such measures.'
Two shows planned for Wednesday went ahead as scheduled in front of packed crowds.
Brazilian aerial artist Gabrielle Souza, 28, (pictured in a previous performance) plunged 11 metres to the ground during a Circus Rio show in Adelaide on Tuesday
Gabrielle Souza snapped this selfie before the first Adelaide show in Glenelg on July 4
'We love the support we have received here in Glenelg so far and look forward to performing to further audiences in Glenelg until July 27,' Circus Rio posted on Facebook on Wednesday night.
'Audience appreciation is what our performers thrive on – it is why they train so hard and dedicate their lives to entertaining others.'
Distressed audience members, including many young children, initially thought the performer's fall was part of the act before realising it had gone horribly wrong.
Some remain haunted by what they witnessed.
'We didn't sleep well last night after what we saw and couldn't stop thinking about it,' spectator Lynley said.
This is moments before Gabielle Souza plunged to the ground in front of shocked spectators
The incident brought the show to an abrupt end for the night with spectators receiving replacement tickets to attend another performance.
According to her Facebook profile, Ms Souza is an experienced performer having performed for several circus companies in Brazil, including Unicirco Marcos Frota, Circo dos Sonhos, Circo Florilegia and Circo Stankowich.
She also trained at a specialised circus school and is part of the original Circus Rio cast when it was founded in 2017.
Emergency crews were at the horrific scene in Glenelg within minutes on Tuesday afternoon
Gabrielle Souza (right) is a popular performer among spectators and fellow colleagues
'As a performer, Gabby is known for her professionalism and her drive to exceed expectations with a constantly evolving aerial lira routine she is extremely proud to present,' the Circus Rio statement read.
'The traditional Brazilian circus performer has a long-standing global history in the industry and is a very strong artist in her field – with Lira being one of her many remarkable abilities.'
Ms Souza has posted several recent photos of herself enjoying Adelaide, where the circus has been based since the start of July.
Circus Rio has been based at Wigley Reserve in Glenelg during the July school holidays
Gabrielle (pictured previously) had performed the act hundreds of times before the fall
Safework SA has launched an investigation into the incident.
A South Australia Police told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday night it's not involved in any investigation.
An international travelling act, Circus Rio has been based in the seaside suburb of Glenelg since July 4, where it has another week to run before it heads to Bathurst in central west NSW next month.
The international circus also has samba dancers, FMX bike riders who soar through the air, ballet dancers and acrobats.
Gabrielle Souza remains in hospital in high spirits and look forward to returning to the stage
- Acrobat performer falls 11 metres during Circus Rio performance in Wigley Reserve Glenelg SAhttps://www.9news.com.au/national/acrobat-performer-falls-11-metres-during-circus-rio-performance-in-wigley-reserve-glenelg-sa/3930ebc2-02bd-4323-9864-69becf13c49d
- Circus Rio acrobat recovering after terrifying fall during Adelaide performance South Australia Newshttps://www.9news.com.au/national/circus-rio-acrobat-recovering-after-terrifying-fall-during-adelaide-performance/b9d89e2a-dc66-40f3-b5bf-f8e7bc663887
