SINGAPORE - A Cirque du Soleil performance on Thursday night (May 31) was disrupted mid-way after a performer was accidentally hit by a colleague.

According to posts on social media, the show Toruk - The First Flight was stopped for about 10 minutes in the middle of the second act.

"Music stopped. Announcement made and performers exited orderly and quietly. No reason given so far," said Facebook user Lau Joon-Nie on Thursday.

She later added in a comment on her post that the stoppage was done "so seamlessly" that she almost thought it was part of the show.

About 10 minutes later, the show resumed, with an understudy taking over from a performer who had been "hit in the face", said Ms Lau in an updated post. "The swop wasn't apparent," she added.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, a spokesman for Toruk said on Friday that a performer had been accidentally hit by another performer during a choreographed battle scene.

"As a precautionary measure and in accordance with our emergency response protocols, we stopped the show to allow the emergency intervention team of Toruk - The First Flight to safely attend to our artist, who was immediately taken in good care by the tour medical team," the spokesman added.

The performer will continue to be monitored by medical and coaching teams to determine when he can return to his activities, said the spokesman.

Inspired by film-maker James Cameron's Avatar, Toruk - The First Flight is Cirque du Soleil's first circus show inspired by a movie.

The production landed in Singapore on May 24 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, and will be showing until June 3.

In March, a Cirque du Soleil acrobat plunged to his death in front of an audience in the United States, while performing a routine for the first time.

Yann Arnaud, 38, lost his grip as he swung on straps above the stage during the show. He was taken to the hospital but later died from his injuries.