Contortionist Archery
Have you ever watched contortionist archery? This hobby is both terrifying and intriguing, but how is it done?
Somewhere between a circus act and a sport sits contortionist archery. While there isn’t really any type of competition for this sort of hobby, it is truly amazing. If you can picture those people that are part of the infamous Cirque de Soleil holding a bow and arrow, you may be able to imagine what this art looks like. Basically, one person that is extremely flexible gets up on stage and contorts their body in a number of ways that would make the average gymnast flush. Then, holding a bow and arrow, they proceed to shoot numerous bulls eyes.
Sometimes, these wonders will shoot the arrow while holding a bow by the feet, and sometimes they will do this while holding an arrow in their teeth. The point is to twist the body in strange ways in order to impress an audience. Why do some people choose to do this? In some parts of Europe, this type of act is relatively common when it comes to certain circus displays. As a fire eater swallows fire, the flexible contortionist shoots an arrow with their body.
While it is truly amazing to watch this feat, this type of art takes numerous years to practice. Usually, the people that perform this act have some type of gymnastics background. Also, most of them tend to come from Eastern European countries where gymnastics is a very important part of life. After years of training, these people are then allowed to go on the road with other circus acts in order to entertain crowds. Recently, contortionist archery has hit North America with a lot of gusto.
Ever since those flexible North Americans saw the first act of this kind, there have been all kinds of schools popping up that teach this craft. Also, many circus schools have begun to add this type of class to their list. If you want to give it a shot, go ahead and sign up for a course in your area – learning how to perform this task will be quite a thrill!
The next time you see contortionist archery, imagine how difficult it must have been for the performer to get to the point that they are at today. While this may look easy, there is nothing simple about this crazy task.