A Talent I Would Like To Have Talent Analysis

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A Talent I Would Like To Have – Jun-Ling Ng When most people hear the word “contortion”, they immediately begin conjuring up images of people being stuffed into tiny suitcases, climbing through tennis racquets and playing the guitar with their feet. In western cultures, the term “contortionist” refers to “an entertainer who twists and bends their body into strange and unnatural positions”. Contortion is often associated with hypermobility disorders, pushy parents and freakshows. So you might ask why on earth I’d want to be a contortionist. Well, let me at least try to explain. I can’t remember exactly when I first discovered contortion. I grew up watching horrendously tacky TV shows such as “Britain’s got Talent”, on which people who called themselves contortionists would do ridiculous and things like pour cups of tea and play the piano using only their feet, but wasn’t until I saw Cirque du Soleil that I saw my first “real” contortion act. While most of my family was “oohing” in disgust and hiding their faces behind their programs, I was fixated on the performance. I found it neither “strange” nor “unnatural”, but elegant, majestic and beautiful. I found it so impressive how effortlessly the performers could slip in and out of seemingly impossible positions. There are many different forms of contortion, but unfortunately most people are only aware of the trashy kinds. In Western Countries, contortionists are seen as freaks and can’t be taken seriously. The Mongolian word for contortion is “uran nugaraltyn”, which means “exquisitely graceful and flexible”. Unlike other forms of contortion, which aim to disgust and horrify the audience with their awkward and painful-looking positions, Mongolian contortion is traditional and refin... ... middle of paper ... ... of people. I would most certainly consider contortion a talent that I’d like to have rather than one I already do. To maintain a high level of flexibility, you have to stretch every day (and I mean every day). I can remember coming back from a three week family holiday (during which I lazily thought I could just take a break from stretching) and finding that I couldn’t even do the splits. Many female contortionists who have children need to completely restart their training after they’ve had children. I can’t really think of another sport that requires the same amount of dedication that contortion demands. You can miss out a few day’s practice if you’re a footballer, swimmer or tennis player and still be very good, but the longer a contortionist doesn’t stretch the harder it becomes. I’ve heard of professional contortionists who train for up to ten hours a day.

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