Woman Makes 500th Flight As Human Cannonball At Circus Show

PHILADELPHIA (AP/WCCO) — Twenty-five-year-old Gemma Kirby is marking a milestone of sorts in her dare devilish career.

For the 500th time, she turned herself into a human cannonball to the thrill of about 5,000 spectators Saturday night at a Circus XTREME show in Philadelphia.

A show spokeswoman says the petite Minnesota woman, dressed in a sparkly silver outfit, shot out of the cannon, moved through the air at up to 66 mph and landed safely in an air bag about 104-feet away. Spokeswoman Chelsey Scalese says Kirby's act took only about 3 seconds.

Kirby is traveling with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey show.

Kirby discovered her passion for aerial artistry when she began attending the St. Paul School for Performance Arts at age 11. She joined St. Paul's Circus Juventas when she was 16 years old.

She was one of several acts designed to take the audience's breath away. A BMX troupe and parkour performers on trampoline also awed the crowd.

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