(CNN) A rehearsal for a dramatic eight-person pyramid went horribly wrong, injuring five high-wire circus performers who tumbled about 25 feet, officials in Sarasota, Florida, said.

Renowned daredevil Nik Wallenda , a member of the famed aerialist family, was among three performers on the wire who were not injured Wednesday. He and two others grabbed the wire and didn't fall.

Four performers were hospitalized as trauma patients. Three suffered broken bones, Wallenda said Thursday at a press conference. He said his sister suffered the most serious injuries.

"Without question yesterday was the roughest day of my life," Wallenda said.

One of the performers was expected to be released later Thursday, he said.

Dr. Alan Brockhurst, medical director of Sarasota Memorial Hospital's trauma center, said Wednesday that two performers were listed in critical condition and one in guarded condition.

"They're extremely lucky, given the height of the fall that they survived," said Brockhurst, who said one had a traumatic brain injury

The hospital hasn't responded Thursday to an update on the performers' conditions.

'The show must go on'

Eight were rehearsing Wednesday in preparation for the show, said Pedro Reis, founder and CEO of Circus Arts Conservatory, which presents Circus Sarasota . The show opens Friday.

Circus officials said the rigging did not collapse nor did equipment fail.

"If somebody loses a balance ... then something can go wrong," Reis said. "And I would say basically that's what happened, that they lost their balance, because it's all about balance on the high wire."

Wallenda said he thinks one person may have fainted.

He will perform Thursday night with some of the other performers involved in the accident.

Reis said he was thankful no one was killed.

"The circus is resilient. The circus people are resilient. The show must go on," Reis said.

Troupe aimed for new heights

Wallenda -- who wowed audiences when he crossed tightropes over landmarks such as the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls and the downtown Chicago skyline -- was the anchor at the back of the pyramid, according to Reis.

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Reis said the trick is difficult and involves a lot of momentum. The Wallenda troupe had rehearsed the stunt several times, circus officials said.

The pyramid has been performed before, but not at the height the performers practiced, about 20 to 25 feet, Reis said.

Jennifer Mitchell, Circus Arts Conservatory's managing director, said it is "a Wallenda tradition" not to use a net for high-wire acts.

Photos: Photos: Wallenda family through the years Wallenda family through the years – Nik Wallenda nears the completion of his quarter-mile walk near the Grand Canyon in June 2013 in Arizona. He crossed the Little Colorado River Gorge without the aid of a safety tether. He is a member of the famous Flying Wallendas, founded by his great-grandfather Karl in the 1920s, and also walked across Niagara Falls last year. Hide Caption 1 of 13 Photos: Photos: Wallenda family through the years Wallenda family through the years – A promotional poster shows the original performers who came to America in 1928. Clockwise from top left are Karl Wallenda, Helen Wallenda, Joe Geiger and Herman Wallenda. Hide Caption 2 of 13 Photos: Photos: Wallenda family through the years Wallenda family through the years – Karl Wallenda performs on a sway pole in Europe before the troupe's move to America in 1928. Hide Caption 3 of 13 Photos: Photos: Wallenda family through the years Wallenda family through the years – The Wallendas perform the four-person pyramid, one of their signature acts. In 1948, the team created a seven-person pyramid. Hide Caption 4 of 13 Photos: Photos: Wallenda family through the years Wallenda family through the years – The Wallendas practice an eight-person pyramid in 1947. This version was never performed in a show. Hide Caption 5 of 13 Photos: Photos: Wallenda family through the years Wallenda family through the years – Karl Wallenda walks a tightrope between two corners of the Tower Hotel in London in 1976. Two years later, Wallenda died during a similar walk between two towers of the Condado Plaza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He was 73. Hide Caption 6 of 13 Photos: Photos: Wallenda family through the years Wallenda family through the years – A young Nik Wallenda watches his mother, Delilah, get ready for a show. Hide Caption 7 of 13 Photos: Photos: Wallenda family through the years Wallenda family through the years – Nik Wallenda started performing with his family as a clown at age 2 and walking the wire at age 4. Hide Caption 8 of 13 Photos: Photos: Wallenda family through the years Wallenda family through the years – Nik Wallenda and his sister, Lijana, practice walking the wire. Hide Caption 9 of 13 Photos: Photos: Wallenda family through the years Wallenda family through the years – Nik Wallenda takes to the wire for the first time professionally at age 13. Hide Caption 10 of 13 Photos: Photos: Wallenda family through the years Wallenda family through the years – Nik Wallenda attempts the "Wheel of Death" for the first time. Hide Caption 11 of 13 Photos: Photos: Wallenda family through the years Wallenda family through the years – Nik Wallenda rehearses for his attempt to cross Niagara Falls on a wire in the parking lot of the Seneca Niagara Casino in Niagara Falls, New York. Hide Caption 12 of 13 Photos: Photos: Wallenda family through the years Wallenda family through the years – Nik Wallenda walks the tightrope over Niagara Falls on June 15, 2012. The tense 1,800-foot journey took 25 minutes, reports say. Hide Caption 13 of 13

"We take safety very seriously at Circus Sarasota. We make sure safety precautions are adhered to," Mitchell told reporters.

She added: "Despite that diligence within our industry, accidents do happen."

The pyramid was to be the grand finale for Circus Sarasota's 2017 winter production, which is called "Synergy." Mitchell said officials are deciding what the finale will now be. The circus still plans to present a high-wire act.

Wallendas part of circus tradition

The Wallenda family is a rich part of circus tradition. In 1948, members created a seven-person pyramid, which became their trademark.

Some performances, though, have been tragic.

In 1962, two troupe members died and one was paralyzed after a performer lost his footing as the Flying Wallendas attempted the seven-person pyramid in Detroit.

Photos: Nik Wallenda on the high wire Daredevil performer Nik Wallenda walks untethered along the rim of the Orlando Eye, the Florida city's new 400-foot observation wheel, in April 2015. Click through the gallery for other Wallenda stunts through the years. Hide Caption 1 of 16 Photos: Nik Wallenda on the high wire Aerialist Nik Wallenda traversed this wire in November 2014 above downtown Chicago. Hide Caption 2 of 16 Photos: Nik Wallenda on the high wire Wallenda walks on a tightrope 1,500 feet above a river near the Grand Canyon in Arizona in June 2013. The quarter-mile trek over the Little Colorado River Gorge took 22 minutes and 54 seconds. Hide Caption 3 of 16 Photos: Nik Wallenda on the high wire Wallenda with his sister Lijana, left, and his wife, Erendira, at Circus Sarasota in February 2013 in Florida. Nik and Lijana are members of the famous Flying Wallendas, founded by great-grandfather Karl in the 1920s. See the Wallenda family through the years. Hide Caption 4 of 16 Photos: Nik Wallenda on the high wire Wallenda tighropes over the Niagara Falls in June 2012, becoming the first person to cross directly over the falls from the United States into Canada. Hide Caption 5 of 16 Photos: Nik Wallenda on the high wire The seventh-generation aerialist crosses Niagara Falls in June 2012. The tense 1,800-foot journey took 25 minutes, a CNN affiliate reported. Hide Caption 6 of 16 Photos: Nik Wallenda on the high wire Crowds watch the daredevil during a 1,500-foot tightrope walk 100 feet above the beach in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in August 2012. Hide Caption 7 of 16 Photos: Nik Wallenda on the high wire Wallenda wows beachgoers in Atlantic City in August 2012. Hide Caption 8 of 16 Photos: Nik Wallenda on the high wire Wallenda performs during prerace ceremonies for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, in October 2012. Hide Caption 9 of 16 Photos: Nik Wallenda on the high wire Wallenda walks one of the Sky Ride cables at the Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio, in July 2009. Hide Caption 10 of 16 Photos: Nik Wallenda on the high wire Wallenda performs a "Wheel of Death" stunt at the Tropicana Casino and Resort in Atlantic City in April 2011. Hide Caption 11 of 16 Photos: Nik Wallenda on the high wire Wallenda crosses the Fiesta Plaza in The Quarter at the Tropicana Casino and Resort in Atlantic City in April 2011. Hide Caption 12 of 16 Photos: Nik Wallenda on the high wire Wallenda wipes sweat from his forehead as he maneuvers across a 300-foot-long wire suspended 100 feet in the air between two towers of Puerto Rico's Conrad San Juan Condado Plaza Hotel in June 2011. Hide Caption 13 of 16 Photos: Nik Wallenda on the high wire Wallenda walks a 1,000-foot-long high-wire suspended 200 feet over the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh in July 2009. Hide Caption 14 of 16 Photos: Nik Wallenda on the high wire Wallenda kisses his wife, Erendira, after the stunt above the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh in July 2009. Hide Caption 15 of 16 Photos: Nik Wallenda on the high wire Wallenda pedals to the end of a wire 12 stories above a Newark, New Jersey, street in October 2008. He earned the Guiness World Record for the longest distance and greatest height traveled by bicycle on a high wire when he traveled 235 feet at a height of 135 feet. Hide Caption 16 of 16

In 1978, Karl Wallenda, one of the original performers, died on a high-wire walk between two towers of the Condado Plaza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico.