The Wheel of Death act by the Cirque du Soleil almost became a reality for a male performer who fell during the Friday night performance at the Aris resort on the Las Vegas Strip.

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The act has two people doing high-risk feats on top and inside a pair of spinning wheels that are rotating high about the stage. It includes skipping rope and jumps.

The accident happened during the 7 pm performance of Zarkana when the male artist slipped and fell off the wheel. Cirque du Soleil, in a statement on Saturday, said the acrobat is still at the University Medical Centre. He is now in a stable condition and expects to be released in the next few days.

It was the second accident in four months involving Cirque du Soleil after51-year-old Sarah Guillot-Guyard fell 94 feet to the floor to her death on June 29, 2013 the wire rope she was hanging from was cut caused by her rapid ascent. The first accident took place at the performance of the show Ka at the MGM Grand, also in Las Vegas.

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Safety officials said on Tuesday they will cite Cirque du Soleil and MGM after probers conclude their investigation on Ms Guillot-Guyard's death. She is the first fatality in an onstage accident in the Cirque du Soleil's 29 years of global performances.

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