how to become a contortionist
Forum: Advice / Stretching
By live4dance1
On Sun Jan 20, 2008 03:50 PM
I was wondering if anyone can become a contortionist, or do you have to start when you are young? just wondering because i am 17.
11 Replies to can anyone become a contortionist?
By snoopyjot
On Sun Jan 20, 2008 04:33 PM
it depends if you are genetically flexible (ie, naturally quite flexible without any training) or not. and if you want to go professional or not. if you do want to go pro, and if you are not naturally flexible then it would possibly take too long to develop the necessary flexibility, and most contortionists (and other acrobats) tend to retire quite early. but if you only want to do it for fun then the time required will be of no real issue so I'd say yes.
however, if you are naturally flexible then there is absolutely no reason why you cannot do it. I started training to be a contortionist when i was about 24, and eventually worked as a professional for 2 years (before by body told me it had had enough of the super tough tourng circus lifestyle). although i'm naturally extremely flexible as I have a connective tissue disorder that makes me create very flexible (and, unfortunatly weaker) tissues.
fi xx
By Tchaikovskychick
On Sun Jan 20, 2008 05:44 PM
I don't think so. Just as some people are extremely naturally flexible, others are closer to the other end of the scale. I think by doing stretches a majority of people can become more flexible, but not to the degree of a professional contortionist. I know I'd never be able to go pro
re: can anyone become a contortionist?
By Ms_Mel
On Mon Jan 21, 2008 08:42 AM
I think everyone has the potential to be very flexible. It comes naturally to some people, and others have to work very hard to achieve it. My 9 year old daughter was VERY stiff, and couldn't get far down in her splits. She stretched, and stretched, and I helped her stretch some more, and three weeks later, she can get her right side down to the ground, left is about 2" above the ground.
So while some not-so-flexy people work and work to get splits down, natrually flexible people are working on oversplits. Everyone can stretch and get more flexible with work and a proper stretching routine, but not everyone will achieve the perfect oversplit back-catch. I hope that makes sense! 
re: can anyone become a contortionist?
By clearblue
On Tue Jan 22, 2008 06:52 PM
yeah I was wondering that too. I have a fairly flexible back, and my acro teacher says I have the potential to have a much more flexible back if I trained more. how does one train to be a contortionist?
re: can anyone become a contortionist?
By aerlyn02
On Wed Jan 23, 2008 06:46 PM
Contortionists start training at a VERY young age. Obviously, you need to be naturally hypermobile and work very hard everyday at flexibility. Unfortunately, you sacrifice control/ strength and power for becoming extremely flexible. Its not very good to have your body that unbalanced.
The Ardinis Studios in Australia has produced some of the world's foremost performers and the age of their pupils wishing to become professional contortionists, posturers, equilibrists or acrobats are ages 2 to 26. They admit that younger the pupil is, the more receptive the body is to the extreme stretching. It takes more work for the older pupils.
There is a really interesting article on it here: www.contortionhomepage.com . . .. Here is part of the article that says what is required to become a contortionist…..
"The vertebral column must be stretched to maximum possible hyperextension, this must be accomplished gradually and evenly throughout the spine, by making slight increments at each disc space over the normal, the whole adding up to a great increase, taken section by section there is no great increase in any one region, i.e. it is a cumulative process. Extreme care and caution must be taken to avoid dislocation.
The abdominal muscles and many others must also be stretched far beyond normal but the thoracic cavity must remain in shape. Naturally this process increases the height, a first class artiste may be several inches taller than he or she would be had they chosen any other profession, this increase in height is in no way detrimental to the individual in fact it is of great benefit, as previously stated the secret of a long and healthy life is a flexible spine, for as long as one continues to practice their art, each vertebrae will remain spaced, and by so doing prevent the formation of acids and crystals that poison the system. However, if the exercises are not continued after retirement the spine soon returns to normal, and the artiste will return to normal height."
~~~~
Check out my blog "A Dancer's Health" at adancershealth.com!
re: can anyone become a contortionist?
By Ms_Mel
On Wed Jan 23, 2008 10:42 PM
aerlyn02 wrote:Contortionists start training at a VERY young age. Obviously, you need to be naturally hypermobile and work very hard everyday at flexibility. Unfortunately, you sacrifice control/ strength and power for becoming extremely flexible. Its not very good to have your body that unbalanced.
I'd have to disagree with this part of your post. I know some fabulous contortionists who didn't start training until they were 10 to 12 years old. Having been a contortionist myself, I will personally tell you that you do NOT sacrifice control/strength and power for becoming flexible. To the contrary, contortionists are VERY controlled, have amazing muscle strength as well as flexibility, and because they are so strong, they do have a LOT of power. If contortionists weren't strong and controlled, how could you explain the acrobatic handstand, elbow stands, and other strength/control based tricks? Contortionists do not flop out of tricks, they are very fluid and controlled in how they begin and end everything they do.
Contortionists bodies aren't unbalanced, and as is emphasized in the article you quoted, the thoracic cavity must remain in great shape. I have honestly never seen a fellow contortionist who was "top heavy" like a body builder would be. So I'm trying to understand what you mean by saying contortionists bodies are unbalanced. Every position and twist and turn that contortionists do requires that every major muscle must be flexible, strong, and under control. To illustrate my point, think of it this way: Have you ever seen a performing contortionist kick up to a back catch, lose their balance, and topple forward to the ground? How about when a rhythmic gymnist lets go of her leg from a back catch- does it just drop to the ground with a thud, or is the leg extension maintained and lowered to the ground in a slow, controlled manner? Have you ever seen an acrobat NOT be able to gracefully and very quickly stand from a back bend? As far as power goes, think of someone who does a back handspring to a headstand, legs in straddle, without using their hands. Think of the Cirque du Soleil performers who were featured in the Super Bowl halftime show a few years ago- not only did they twist their bodies into fantastic positions, they were dangling from the ceiling of the astrodome by wide strips of fabric that they unwound themselves from as they came down to the field.
Flexibility, strength, complete muscle control and power are KEY to being a contortionist. (and don't forget to BREATHE... LOL)
By hamfist
On Thu Jan 24, 2008 02:02 AM
Oh Dear,
I was at work and have just arrived home to this series and am alarmed to find aerlyn02 has posted "Contortionists start training at a VERY young age. Obviously, you need to be naturally hypermobile and work very hard everyday at flexibility. Unfortunately, you sacrifice control/ strength and power for becoming extremely flexible. Its not very good to have your body that unbalanced" because this is simply inaccurate information that has been published.
Fortunately Ms_Mel has refuted this and I totally agree with her post and every word she has written.
You do not have to be a hypermobile to become a contortionist and many have presented very good acts simply because they have been determined and have prepared themselves well. But, yes, to be a top contortionist you have to have been born with joint hypermobility. But not all performing contortionists are hypermobiles.
You do not have to start at a very young age either. Again, if you have determination and work at it, you can become very bendy and perform a well put together act. Being young and bendy is good; but not essential!
Then there is the piece "sacrifice control/strength and power for becoming extremely flexible" and this is total nonsense. You can look through the many posts I have written on flexibility and I write that when you do flexibility training you must also concentrate on muscle tone to control those loosened joints. The likes of the present brilliant contortionists Alina Zavialova, Nadya Vasina, Irina Kazakova and many others are as flexible as can be imagined but have wonderful control and are strong enough to hold beautiful contortion positions because their training is for flexibility with control and strength and their bodies are not at all unbalanced.
Ian
By snoopyjot
On Thu Jan 24, 2008 04:36 AM
Edited by snoopyjot (83665) on 2008-01-24 04:40:32
Edited by snoopyjot (83665) on 2008-01-24 04:42:29
Edited by snoopyjot (83665) on 2008-01-24 04:43:45
Edited by snoopyjot (83665) on 2008-01-24 04:46:52 typos..... cant spell when i'm angry.... and im furious...... dont like being insulted
i'll repeat- I started training as a contortionist at 24! most definatly not young!!!!!. and went pro. i've now worked with 4 different circuses. most of my training involved conditioning, and cardo fitness. only once these were done did i stretch. contortionists who handbalance spend literally HOURS a day training their handbalance tricks. we are most definatly not weak. I was stronger than many of my circus collegues, and still am. I took part in all the tent build -ups and pull downs (which is basically 2 days of backbreaking labour twice a week). I can easily swing a 14lb sledgehammer to pound in our 4ft tent stakes into the ground. this takes all your muscles do successfully do. so in what way is that unbalanced and weak???? and bear in mind that im only 4'9" tall yet I could still get the 4ft stakes into the ground......
the balance positions take a lot of muscle strength and stamina get into and hold. and it takes a lot of strength in all your muscles to fluidily move from one position to another. we use ALL our muscles, unlike other sports (etc) that only require a few muscles. most acts are 5-10 minutes long, but dont forget that we warm up our flexibility and all our tricks before we perform, so per show we have a 2 hour workout. and thats only for one act. we usually perform a different act in addition to the contortion. this also requires a warm up and skill run-through. and most circuses have 3 shows a day. and then when the shows are all done, the training begins as new skills need to be developed. and many contortionists are also aerialists. that takes A LOT of strength. circuses frequently only employ performers that have several different skills as they are more value for money.
we're acrobats. and as strong and as balanced as all other acrobats.
those comments were very insulting.
fi
re: can anyone become a contortionist?
By Ms_Mel
On Fri Jan 25, 2008 02:12 PM
hamfist wrote:Fortunately Ms_Mel has refuted this and I totally agree with her post and every word she has written.
Thank you for the backing, Ian!
I tell all of my students that acrobatics is all about flexibility, strength, balance and control. If you are missing any one of those, you are likely to hurt yourself and/or do permanent damage to your body. I'm not saying that people have to be perfect in all four areas as beginners, but those are what I call the "four corners" of acrobatics/contortion.
Melanie
By hamfist
On Fri Jan 25, 2008 03:24 PM
live4dance1 posted a genuine question and expected an educated answer.
Tchaikovskychick gave a fair comment and clearblue is clearly interested in doing contortion.
aerlyn02 then posts a totally negative response that would put the above off doing contortion exercising.
Fortunately, there are Ms_Mel, snoopyjot and myself who post with experience and knowledge so I hope that any readers of this string have got the message correctly.
Regrettably, it is the poor information that often gets remembered but anyone wanting more information should PM one of those with knowledge and we can give you much information on the subject.
Ian
re: can anyone become a contortionist?
By mayergztuz7
On Wed May 12, 2021 08:45 AM
Obviously, you need to be naturally hypermobile and work very hard everyday at flexibility. Unfortunately, you sacrifice control/ strength and power for becoming extremely flexible. Goodluck!
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cerritosconcrete.com
re: can anyone become a contortionist?
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how to become a contortionist
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