The Mind Bending World of Contortionists

They have been bending their bodies, and our minds, for centuries. But what goes into being a successful contortionist? Contrary to popular belief, the first step isn’t investing in sparkly spandex. For many people it’s possessing a naturally bendy body. Renowned contortionist Jorge Ivan Latorre Robles has a medical condition that makes him super stretchy. “I discovered at 18 that I was like feeling a little bit stretchy. Then I discovered that my arms and my bones were dislocating in my body also...like this! Then I discovered it was a syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. But not all contortionists have this condition, and typically mastering the art takes a lot of hard work. Yousef Al Bahtini is a 12 year old contortionist living in Gaza. He started training at a young age, encouraged by his family, he learnt using Youtube videos. Whilst Yousef is self-taught, there are entire schools dedicated to the art of contortion, with high concentrations of academies in places like Mongolia, where contortion dates back to the time of Ghengis Khan. If becoming a contortionist sounds like a stretch too far for you, maybe the best way to enjoy this art form is watching from the side lines Subscribe to Getty Images TV on YouTube: http://gtty.im/2r0Jgyx Like @gettyimages on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gettyimages Follow @gettyimages on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gettyimages Follow @gettyimages on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/gettyimages Check out more videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh4CvlC9Su53xwWDJ5P6WqA