Training basket of contortionist Samantha Halas

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This article was published 05/12/2015 (3963 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It may not look normal — the front of your foot resting on the back of your head while doing a handstand — but contortionist Samantha Halas insists it’s one heck of a workout.

We’ll take her word for it. Being a contortionist requires uncanny strength and control over the body, so there’s physical evidence in every pose and every movement.

For a lot of contortionists, the path starts about the same time kindergarten does. Halas, however, didn’t start until after she graduated from high school. She says the earlier you start, the better chance you have at succeeding. She’s the exception to the rule.

Initially, Halas, 31, had issues being accepted into a circus school, especially for contortion, which has the stigma of being dangerous.

That all changed at a school in China. Training with the Beijing Acrobatic Troupe her days were intense.

“They were eight-hour days of training,” she says. “It was a pretty abrupt intro.”

From there, she trained and worked with the Underground Circus in Vancouver, where she performed at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. She then travelled to Mongolia to learn from Enkhtsetseg Lodoi, the first Mongolian to win a gold prize in contortion.

“She has been the single biggest influence for me,” Halas says.

Closer to home, Halas teaches classes to all age groups as well as producing her own circus shows, which is another passion of hers.

It isn’t easy, she admits. Places such as Montreal have much larger circus scenes. She wants to build the community in Winnipeg instead of running to another town.

“In Montreal, it’s so rich with circus like Winnipeg is rich with music,” Halas says. “When I came back here after being away training, I struggled really hard to find my place, but it’s getting better now.

“Winnipeg is home. I love a lot of things about the city. People here are really supportive.”

Halas will perform with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra Dec. 6 as an acrobat in A Prairie Christmas Celebration, something she’s done a couple times in the past. The Gas Station Theatre will host her latest production, Heartbreak Hotel, a dark comedy, next year. She says she’s spending the holiday season listening to horror music — the life of a contortionist who loves circus.

For more information on Halas and the classes she offers, visit: samanthahalas.com.

Favourite workout:

I really like working on my one-armed handstands. Working on them… they are like the holy grail of handstands. There’s such a small balance point. But it’s very exciting making progress on them.

Favourite workout song:

Right now? I’m working on a horror show, so I’ve been listening to a lot of horror soundtrack music. Other than that, music I listen to changes with the mood of the time of year.

Fitness tip:

Persistence is the key to success. I see people showing up with no experience wanting to work on the hardest things and then not coming back and being frustrated. It’s really important to be humble and to realize that if you want something difficult, you have to be doing difficult things to get there.

What’s in your fridge:

Coconut milk, leftover spaghetti sauce. I think I need to go grocery shopping because there isn’t a lot in here right now.

Guilty pleasure:

Chocolate. Dark chocolate — Lindt burnt caramel and sea salt chocolate. I love that so much. I’ll walk a long way to get it.

Got an idea for the Training Basket? Email Scott at scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca