Contortion Myths Exposed
The art of contortion has numerous misconceptions and myths based on the
unbelievable movements, flexibility and positions attained by contortionists.
The myths have lived on - perpetuating the fallacies. Below is a list of
contortionist myths and the truths behind them.
- Myth: Contortionists are "Double-jointed." Since contortionists have
more joints than others, it makes contortion a more attainable art form.
Truth: Every fully-formed person has the exact same number of joints.
"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. Some people who are thought to be "double-jointed" are in fact
hypermobile. Not all contortionists are hypermobile.
Hypermobile joints are joints that move beyond the normal range with little
effort. The joints that are most commonly hypermobile are the elbows,
wrists, fingers, and knees. Click on the link for more information about
being
Hypermobile.
- Myth: Contortionists apply snake oil to their joints to become
flexible. Truth: Both genetics and training play a part in the
flexibility achieved by contortionists. Although it was a popular myth in
the 19th century, no snake oil can make a contortionist extremely flexible.
- Myth: You are born a contortionist and cannot start at a later age.
Truth: 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. This is why contortionists
specialize in skills that use the joints that are the most flexible. Muscle
flexibility can be acquired, as long as the shape of the bones in the joint
do not limit the range of motion. Although some contortion trainers say that
after the age of 26 you should not become a professional contortionist - any
person with determination, strength and training can become a contortionist.
Actual performing of contortion acts regularly, regardless of age - can be
hard on the body. But, anyone can start at any age and progress at their own
level and speed.
- Myth: Women are more physically able to be contortionists than men.
Truth: Although women are more commonly known to be contortionists in
society, it is a societal norm in the United States and not necessarily
accurate. Both males and females are equally able to perform contortion acts
and training, it is just more commonly known to be women in the U.S. In
India, for example, most of the extremely flexible people (many Yogis) are
men, not women. So this varies from culture to culture.
(Please note: This
article is licensed under the
GNU Free Documentation License,
which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work
(including additions) remains under this license. It uses material from the
Wikipedia article "Contortion".)