(sometimes '''contortionism''') is an unusual form of Acrobatic display which involves the dramatic bending and flexing of the Human Body .
Contortion is often part of a Circus act.
In general, ''contortionists'' have unusual natural flexibility, which is then enhanced through gymnastic training.
Most contortionists are categorized as either ''frontbenders'' or ''backbenders'', depending on the direction in which their Spine is more flexible. Relatively few performers are equally adept at bending both frontwards and backwards.
Some of the skills performed by contortionists include:
- such as folding forward at the waist with the legs straight, or placing one or both legs behind the neck or shoulders with the knees bent (called a ''human knot''). They may also pass their body through a ring or barrel while in a forward fold.
- such as touching one's head to one's feet, or all the way to the buttocks (called a ''head-seat''), while standing, lying on the floor, or in a handstand. A ''Marinelli bend'' is a backbend while supported only by a grip at the top of a short post that is held in the mouth.
- and ''oversplits'' (a split of more than 180 degrees) may be included in frontbending or backbending acts. An oversplit may be performed while the feet are supported by two chairs or by two assistants.
- is the practice of squeezing one's body into a small, knee-high box or other container which appears to be much too small for a person to fit in.
- of the Shoulder s or Hip joints are sometimes performed as a short novelty act by itself. One example is lifting the arm to the side until it passes behind the head and lies across the top of the shoulders.
Like other Visual Art s, a contortion performance can convey any of several emotions, depending on the Choreography and Costume s that are chosen, as well as the personality and Acting skills of the performer. Performers might choose a style that is Beautiful , Athletic , weird, shocking, sensual, Erotic or Humor ous, and each has fans that prefer that particular style, sometimes to the exclusion of other styles.
Some special types of performances:
- An '' Adagio act'' is a slow, acrobatic dance in which the male partner lifts and carries the female partner as she performs splits and other flexible poses.
- In a ''rag doll'' or '' Golliwog '' act, one or two assistants bend, shake and carry the contortionist in such a way as to convince the audience that the disguised performer is actually a limp, life-sized doll. The act usually ends by stuffing the doll into a small box, after which the performer gets out and takes off the costume.
- A '' Spanish Web '' is a contortion act that is performed high above the stage while holding on to a loop in a thick soft rope that is hung from the roof.
- Other performers might manipulate props during their performance, such as spin hula hoops or Juggle rings, balance towers of wine glasses, or play a musical instument.
A contortionist may perform alone, may have one or two assistants, or from one to four contortionists may perform together as a group.
In the past, contortionists were associated almost exclusively with circuses and fairs, but recently they have also found work performing in Nightclub s, Amusement Park s, in magazine advertisements, at trade shows, on Television Variety Show s, in Music Video s, and as warmup acts or in the background at music concerts. In addition, contortion photos and digital movie clips are traded by fans on the Internet, and several web sites provide original photos of contortion acts for a monthly fee, or sell videotapes of performances through the mail.
South African version contestant demonstrates an extreme Frontbend ]]
Many myths and fallacies have been perpetuated about contortionists; most of them are due to the general public's ignorance of human Anatomy and Physiology , while some are showman's hype that has been invented by the performers themselves or their promoters in order to make the act appear even more mysterious.
- — This was a popular myth in the 19th century when medicine shows hired contortionists to "prove" the effectiveness of their arthritis medicines. Their extreme bending was not actually the result of their Patent Medicine s. Flexibility is the result of either genetics or intense physical training or, more likely, both.
- — Every fully-formed person has exactly the same number of Joint s. "Double-jointed" is just a slang expression used to describe the appearance of a person who can bend much further than one might think a joint would allow a limb to bend. In spite of the origin of the word, it is a perfectly acceptable expression to describe a person who is ''hypermobile''.
- — Since some loose-jointed people are able to pop a joint out of its socket without pain, it may be hard to tell whether a joint is actually dislocated without an x-ray. However, as long as the joint socket is the right shape, most extreme bends can be achieved without dislocating the joint. Actual dislocations are rarely used during athletic contortion acts since they make the joint more unstable and prone to injury, and a dislocated limb cannot lift itself or support any weight.
- — The amount of flexibility of every joint in every person varies from below average to extremely flexible, including every degree of flexibility in between. Also, the degree of natural flexibility of one joint in a certain direction does not determine its degree of flexibility in the opposite direction, or the flexibility of other joints in the body. Contortionists can create the Illusion of having boneless bodies by specializing in the skills that show off their most flexible joints, with the help of their Acting talent and Mime skills.
- — Muscle flexibility can be acquired with persistent training, as long as the shape of the bones in the joint do not limit the range of motion. There are a relatively small number of professional performers who claim they were not unusually flexible before undergoing years of intense training. Those who have naturally flexible joints, however, start out with an advantage, both in knowing that they have an aptitude for contortion, and the amount of flexibility they can eventually achieve.
- — Persons with these Genetic Disorder s do have loose muscles and hypermobile joints and are able to do amazing tricks while standing, but they don't necessarily have the strength that is required to, for example, perform backbends while balanced on their fingertips. It is easier for a strong person to gain extreme flexibility than an extremely flexible person to gain strength.
- — Pictures of contortionists throughout history and around the world, taken as a whole, show nearly equal numbers of males and females. Western contortionists in the late 19th century were mostly men, just as extreme flexibility in modern India is practiced mostly by men. Also, medical studies show that nearly equal numbers of hypermobile males and females are found when the trait runs in the family. Therefore, the fact that most contortionists in Western cultures today are female is simply a result of the current cultural preference.
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