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Woman makes 500th flight as human cannonball at circus show before thousands in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA – 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 travelling with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey show. 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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