Circus Smirkus fall

I conducted this interview with a Circus Smirkus performer in Sunday's Boston Globe Magazine. That's why I got a call today from a woman who went to Sunday's 11 a.m. show and was horrified by a spill one of the performers took.

The spectator shielded her daughter's eyes, and then left. So she had no idea what happened. The good news: Leidy Tatiana Zainiga Vidal is okay.

Here's the full report from the Smirkus people:

"On Sunday, July 20, at the 11 a.m. performance of Circus Smirkus, a performer suffered a 3-inch-long cut to her foot after a fall from a balancing device.

Leidy Tatiana Zainiga Vidal, 18, of Cali, Colombia, is part of a two-person act which requires her partner to balance a hoop (called a “percha”) approximately 5-feet in diameter on his forehead. Leidy then climbs on to the hoop and performs various balancing skills, including a handstand. It was while doing the handstand that she fell to the padded ring floor.

Leidy was transported to Beth Israel Hospital in Boston for diagnostic tests and observation. Leidy was released from the hospital at 3 p.m. and she then returned to the Smirkus troupe, which this year numbers 29 performers ages 14 to 19. She will resume her act, with partner Francisco Javier Hartado, 19 (also of Cali, Colombia) when both she and Smirkus coaches agree that she is ready."