Extreme stretching with Cirque du Soleil contortionists

[rydertupua]

its kinda weird if a guy is watching this video by himself, im lost

[Bballandnba12345]

freaky

[fidias2k]

thumbs up if you watching this in 2011.

[orneelasticgirl]

oh dios una pasada !<3

[DeMiRoxmysox02]

What are the white things around their waists?

[xxJodelleFerlandxx]

@DeMiRoxmysox02 They're back warmers/back supports. They help keep the back from hurting too much. Rhythmic Gymnasts wear them too, for stretching.

[DeMiRoxmysox02]

@xxJodelleFerlandxx Thanks!

[xxJodelleFerlandxx]

@DeMiRoxmysox02 No problem :) I couldn't survive without my backwarmer!

[randomuser1105]

EEEWWWWW!!!

[TheIlianaBates]

@randomuser1105 its not ew!

[randomuser1105]

@TheIlianaBates It is to me. I'm actually sad that I came back here to comment on it because I caught another glimpse of the video. My stomach just turned a little... :(

[fitzie330]

it's my dream to be on cirque du soleil

[RockPrincess782]

Body`s dont bend that way

[kisspiecekiss]

@RockPrincess782 yes they do

[HermosTheGreat]

only girls can reach that flexibility level

[yaycookies14]

@HermosTheGreat I am a boy and I can do it. Contortion is an art for anyone. You just have to train hard :)

[NirobiQ]

@HermosTheGreat look up Alexey Goloborodko

[Astfresser]

i know now know what my destination is: being such her personal trainer ^^ :D

[yankdez]

where can i send my wife up for lessons?

[CuddlyHawk]

Yucky, yet nterestng. My back can somewhat do that. I can bend all the way back and touch the floor with my hands while kneeling. I'm 15, and I'm trying to become a contortionist, but this made me gag. It's amazing, don't get me wrong, that these girls can do this, it's just... *shudders*... poor girls...

[LokiAbby456]

julie is my fav

[CaliBallerBabess]

They can definitley lick their elbows.

[superyab]

Come on people ! Contortionists are every man fantasy !

[dapurpleowl]

Beautiful. That was insanley inspiring! It makes me want to go stretch now!

[glamamy]

It's so beautiful and mesmerizing, definitely an art form and in no way sick. I think if you don't have the right training it can be dangerous, you need incredible inner strength, you muscles need to be strong surrounding your ligaments or you could end up having bad hyper-mobility which can cause back pain and painful dislocations (believe me I know!) but some people are more prone to it than others.

[wildsanity]

Not art... that's sick

[akatsukiluverXOXO]

contortion is, on a basic level(trust me i don't think its easy), just like any other kind of sport or activity.

anyone can hurt themselves or cause damage to their bodies if they do too much too quickly, or if you do the wrong thing.

but these people aren't just waking up one morning and trying to touch their toes to their nose. they have been practicing for years and years.

and anything you do for that long in a healthy way, can only help your body.

[coreymaggette]

@akatsukiluverXOXO

what's so hard about touching your nose with your toe?

[akatsukiluverXOXO]

@coreymaggette lolz, well can YOU pull your feet from behind over your head and bring them to your nose? i don't know many people who can.

[ipodchik]

It's really cool looking, but is it dangerous to their joints and such?

[lunazulaelise]

My dreams of being in Cirque are ruined by an 11 yr old, a 15 yr old, and a 17 yr old :(

[purpleglassesperson]

@lunazulaelise dreams are never ruined these three girls are what made me start contortion.so never give up.

[lunazulaelise]

@purpleglassesperson They must have been training since they were born!! That girl is 11!!! I'm well over that age and not even close to how flexible they are. I feel like there's always going to be someone better than me, so I wont get in :'(

[purpleglassesperson]

@lunazulaelise they are only flexible because they took gymnastics at a yougn age but if you take like 2 hours everyday and do contortion everyday you will get better than the last day. or even take contortion or yoga classes over the summer thats what im doing this summer. p.s being in cirque du soleil is also my dream.

NEVER give up

[lunazulaelise]

@purpleglassesperson thank you :)

[Fairytalevillain]

@purpleglassesperson That is the best-est advice I have ever heard.

[AsianStyled]

What if you get tied to your nuts LOL?

[abochristo]

well.........i think we all know what we are thinking of when we see a contortionist girl

[thelittlestragdoll]

You would really be naive to think that contortion is anything but benefits your health! If they really did injure themselves it is not because of contortion its because they over exerted themselves. If you do it right you will not have problems! You may even live a better pain free life but only if you do it right!!

[carlojosef1]

RIGHT, and they are alredy broken becouse of to many shows. Contortion as back DEStROYER.

Im sorry for the girls! I hear they are not in a good shape now!

[repugnantlegacy]

@carlojosef1 you sound really well-informed on the subject

[carlojosef1]

My friend yulya replace a girl who was injured and tiered of this act ...for sure it is and awesome act but hard very hard ...when she came there all3 of them couldn't work ....yulya did the act solo many times ....what was incredible.

[MrWwefan123456789]

@carlojosef1 it was dasha who quit, didn't she? what happened?

(ps: this isn't my account, it's my brother's. i dont even have an account)

[purpleglassesperson]

@carlojosef1 thats not true. they are not destroyed.they have a gift :)

[carlojosef1]

RIGHT, and they are alredy broken becouse of to many shows. Contortion as back DEStROYER.

Im sorry for the girls! I hear they are not in a good shape now!

[a0s0hl0e0y]

mit 30 alle knochen kaputt

[ilovemyman148]

5 years mean that that natasha girl was 6!!! :O

[BusyPenguin]

They've been performing together for 5 years, that means Natasha started performing with them at 6 years old? Damn. Most children don't even have full motor control of their bodies at that point.

[CirqueDuSoleil1000]

@BusyPenguin she actually started at three and doing rythmic gymnastics with Dasha and Julie and they all met the same coach and started contortion as the Mystic Pixies when she was six. I think.

[Laniececarter]

i m still practicing that its been 1 year and i have never been more flexible

[contortionist2006]

There's always somebody who 'is a friend of mothers' or something. why do they lie?

[OHway2cool]

Oh thats way 2 cool!!!

[cassius969]

Every girl needs that kind of training, if she does not want to be cheated on. Lots.

[HornyJoeBaloney]

Is it true Guy Laliberte collects aircraft carriers?

[sarahjohannasays]

Natasha's parents are really good friends with my parents and I wish I could meet her but she's ALWAYS busy cause of cirque du soleil! it's crazy how much she does and that she's only 11 years old. she's amazing!!

[Scarletthelps]

One word......WOW.

Did not know a person's body could bend that way!

[silviocostin]

One of the bests Artists ever in Contortion Art!

A lot of work involved,a lot of passion!

God bless them!

Wish you all the best for all 3 of you!

[markidsrock]

OMG!!!!!!!

[FatalityG15]

BEAUTIFULL!!! :)

[xxlollypopxx100]

holy crap thats awesome!

[clam12411241]

where can you purchase a bck wrap like their wearing? In a drug store?

[Minyadagniriel]

sporting goods possibly too

[choclover05]

its their dream we should support them.

Its not disease or something.

[picklesandmilk4u]

There are actually a lot of health benefits to practicing contortion. One of them is NO BACK PROBLEMS.

[mitchasics]

I can't help but be curious how there's NO back issues?

[bernhardweber]

yeah sure that mr picklesandmilk. ever talked to one of those circus girls when they reach an age of 30? do so then you will learn something...

[jo3scale]

@bernhardweber Olga Pikhienko (contortionist from Cirque du Soleil's Quidam) is 30, had a baby, and is still performing in fact I saw her 3 nights ago doing her show!

[CirqueDuSoleil1000]

@picklesandmilk4u yeah, it's true. when you stretch your back like this, it relaxes the muscles and discs between the vertabrae so that they can become more flexible. really this is much better than any other exercise out there. plus it looks cool

[Minyadagniriel]

the girls do this because they WANT to, nobody is forcing them...see the pixie videos of them from when they were younger...

[bernhardweber]

yes they want to, Minyadagniriel...

the young kids in nazi germany wanted to be soldiers to kill other nations for adolf... the little kids in afghanistan want to become suicide bombers and kill american soldiers...

kids must not be forced, thex can easily be controlled by telling them bullshit.

the parents will tell them this is great and they are stars but they wont tell them that they do damage to their body and will suffer when they are older for the rest of their lives.

[Minyadagniriel]

nothing personal, but you are the most closed minded person in the world....

one of the girls in this video is now 18 years old, the second is pushing 17 soon, the last one is around 12-13, ALL of them are old enough to decide whether or not they want to participate in this show. Don't even bring up nazi germany, that is totally different from circus work. you have no right to assume what these girls' parents do behind the scenes because YOU don't know.

[bernhardweber]

Minyadagniriel...

nothing personal but you aint seen nothin yet ^^

wow one of the gisl is 18... great. so? that doesnt matter. of course most childs reach that age when they dont die before. BUT THEY START WITH 2 YEARS!!!!! thats why none of this childs can decide. if they would decide wheter to start with 18 they could never reach this level. so your information about one of these girls being 18 is worthless, sorry.

[bernhardweber]

of course nazi germany is totally different from circus work.

if you would heave READmy posting you would have understand that I just compared the little childs pushed into idols by the grown-ups. and thats exactly the same.

do you really think they are made questioning their hahrd training? do you think that they are informed by therir parents what will happen to them when they grow older? if so u bet you believe in santa too :D no. they are just trained, trained, trained!

[Minyadagniriel]

Don't compare kamikaze and circus work, they are NOT the same and it is ridiculous that you think so. Of course the girls know what they are doing if they keep staying with the circus and training. Another assumption by you....

[bernhardweber]

lol you really think they got a choice :D

well I wont discuss this any more with you. thanks for the conversation.

[Minyadagniriel]

yes, they get a choice, the world isn't always as cruel as you think....

wasn't much of a conversation to begin with...

[losebreath]

firstly...to close the nazy germany thing...every boy/man would go to war whether they wanted to or not...

another thing...from today on i'll start training for contortion...by myself yeah, but training...i've stretched a couple of times but most of the summer i had no free time...and although i will never get to be as good as these girls, it is my dream...also i'm 18 so i believe that i can think for myself...now i'm waiting to see what you have to say

[bernhardweber]

why?

i dont care if you stretch. you may do so, its good for you. since you wont do it that hard and often as its done in the circus you will never be able to reach half of their movement skills, but thats not important.

i stretch every day after training, spaghat for example is no problem but some other muscles are not as well stretched as they could be because i startet training them too late. the younger u are the more u get from the training :)

[losebreath]

i didn't say i'll be stretching for splits and bridges...that i already have...also i asked if it is too late...if i can still get at a high level...and i was told i can...not exactly their level...but maybe 85% of it...maybe...if i work hard...

[bernhardweber]

they start much younger and work much harder and much more on it ^^

but as i said, ist good you do this, better than just sitting in front of a pc and typing :)

[losebreath]

it doesn't matter...if someone has natural flexibility...it doesn't matter...plus...as i said i'm not gonne be a famous contorsionist...and please, oh pleeeeease stop with the irony...it makes me cry...:)

[bernhardweber]

i didnt meant it ironic dude...

[Munijy]

^^ Hope you'll reach your goal! Remember, constant practice is essential! ^^b

[picklesandmilk4u]

A report you say? Stunning! I'm sure that was 100% accurate.

[Minyadagniriel]

yes, you have no right to assume, that is what i'm saying. YOU don't know why these girls went into gymnastics and you don't know what kind of routines and training they. it was their choice to go into the circus. you have probably met people who do complain of back pain, but do they complain of anything else? do they have cancer? do they have tumors? apparently they must because you think you know everything after meeting a couple of people....

[tatianamarina95]

@bernhardweber well as far as i'm concerned, being a professional contortionist and circus artist, you quite obviously know nothing about the art and should probably just sit back, watch and shut up. i started when i was 2, i'm now 19 and i still love it. my parents were in the cirque du soleil ages ago, and now i'm training with the company too. we get back pain, it comes with the job unfortunately especially as you start to do it less and less which is why your little report might find that.

[bernhardweber]

@tatianamarina95 let`s have a talk again in 10 years, Tatiana...

[tatianamarina95]

@bernhardweber my mother is 49 and she was a contortionist, and GUESS WHAT?! no back pain. my coach, no back pain. the hundreds of other older or ex-contortionists that i know, NO BACK PAIN! some people are trained wrong or just have naturally weak backs which is due to any pain they might have, but generally for most of us it will just come and go. we have doctors check us once a month to see if everything is fine and we check out.

[Contortionlove4ever]

@tatianamarina95 sooo true.

[losebreath]

you ARE actually comparing contortion - an art - with nazi and kamikaze people? wow...actually...as far as i know the only thing contortion does is elongating your muscles and stuff like that...not destroying parts of one's body beyond repair

[Minyadagniriel]

im glad im not the only one who thinks bernhardweber is an idiot.

[Dance1Lover]

i think its something to support there backs or something like that, but wow, their amazing!

[carolsankari]

yeah, where can I find it? ;D

[carolsankari]

what's that thing she's using on the costume in 0:28 ? where can I find it?

[flwrgrl13]

I believe it's something to support their backs when training so they dont get injured.

[pemchem]

maybe it's like a leg-warmer but for their backs?

[carolsankari]

oh yeah.. :D

[delorasfarewell]

it's a back warmer. hers is very elastic and thick but they come in various fabrics. i have one that is fleece and some of my friends have velvet ones. my friend picked ours up from a trip to San Francisco, so i think someone at the SF circus center told her where to go.

[carolsankari]

ooh thks'. i'll look for it :D

[Fea4k]

0:28 interesting ;D

[ilovemyman148]

@Fea4k oh grow up!

[boons50]

@Fea4k can you imagine...

[Xeimora418]

natasha dash and julie are my idols! what they do is really inspiring.

[Pauloalfenass]

they are good. but the ulzibayar is better.....

sorry... =D

[pianoviolinflute89]

yeh she is!

[Rackmaster49]

she is also trained in the epicenter of contortionism.

[Xeimora418]

have you seen their whole performance?

[Munijy]

Ulziibayar is better because she was naturally flexible to begin with while the other girls were not as flexible before they started training. Being naturally flexible allows the person to progress much faster and easily into the hardest moves (i.e. triplefold, headsit) ^^

[mattjeff12]

Ow =O