When most people see contortionism for the first time, their reaction is often one of shock or disbelief: how is that even ...

Louisiana-born Lance Centanni-Sachs started studying Mongolian contortion at the age of 23. Now at 29, he is preparing for his second trip to Mongolia as part of a documentary project to trace the ...

This is an online version of our flagship Intro to Contortion class. An introduction to the graceful art of contortion, this 90-minute class builds the strength, endurance, and flexibility necessary ...

When you think of contortionists, images of circus performers (perhaps a la Cirque du Soleil) likely come to mind. The bending, twisting, and stretching seem impossible — and never fail to mesmerize.

In a semi-private fitness class at Manhattan’s Mercedes Club, a classmate and I eyed each other with apprehension. We were deciding which of us would attempt the backbend first. This was no relaxing ...

BEND THE RULES: The pole dancing and aerial arts communities have become a lot more intertwined over the years, says Empyrean Arts co-founder Heather Poole, pictured. Those two interests, as well as ...

The New York Times today profiles a contortion class at the Sankalpah Yoga Studio in Manhattan, taught by accomplished acrobatic performer Jonathan Nosan. "Students spend a good part of the 75 minutes ...

Rema Raman is a 50-year-old medical researcher with an office job, but she’s flexible enough to do the splits. At age 43, Anna Kataoka was inactive because of an injury. Now, at 48, she does ...

Betsy Shuttleworth works on a variety of contortions with her students at her studio in Canonsburg. Here, Zoe Corbin, 9, Carrie Proudfit, 8, and Kamayra Churney, 7, form a pyramid as others students ...