What is a Contortionist?

A contortionist is an acrobatic performer who specializes in the athletic skill of contortionism. Contortionism is the art of bending or twisting the body in unusual and unnatural looking ways. A contortionist commonly performs in circus acts and incorporates props such as a bow and arrow, trapezes and hoops into their act. A contortionist can sometimes be classified as one of two types, a frontbend contortionist or a backbend contortionist. These classifications depend on the direction that the contortionist’s spine most easily bends. A frontbend contortionist is able to bend forward, as the name suggests, bringing his feet up around the neck or folding himself so that his head comes between his legs, facing his buttocks. A backbend contortionist can bend the spine in a backward position, allowing her to touch her feet to her head or her head to her buttocks. Generally, an individual contortionist cannot bend equally well in both directions. A contortionist is not only able to flex ...  more

Learn basic ballet maneuvers for a contortionist in this free online series of health fitness videos from our expert gymnast.  more

Video Transcript What is a Contortionist? Hi! My name is Hayley Holmes and welcome to Expert Village. I'm here to share my expertise with you. You might be asking what in the world are you an expert at. Well, I'm a contortionist. Okay, you might be asking yourself what in the world is a contortionist. A contortionist is somebody who is able to do various different maneuvers with their body. You know, create freaky positions or various different things that you might not see on an average day. Either using their back or their legs. Some people even pop out their arms and can do crazy things with their arms. My specialty is more my back and my leg area. Another cool thing that contortionist can do is fit into the smallest, tiniest places. So say you've got that box over there. I can fit right in there. Why would I want to plane ticket when I can just put myself in a box and ship myself right off. It's a lot cheaper than first class. Maybe not as comfortable, but a lot cheaper. Another ...  more