Pittsburgh Provides Delightful Backdrop for Contortionists

Using the the fountain at the Point as their stage - these skilled performers posed for some incredible pictures.

photos by betsy shuttleworth

Betsy Shuttleworth is owner, director and a contortion trainer at the Dance Extensions Performing Arts Center in Canonsburg. From time to time during the summer, she brings her students to Point State Park to practice their art. Their impromptu performances often attract a crowd. 

"It's a good positive experience for the kids," she says. "We feel appreciated for our rare flexible talents.  Another reason I do these things is to expose a rare art form to the Pittsburgh area.  Most people do not know contortion exists around here."
 

The group's most recent visit came on a crystal clear evening that provided a spectacular backdrop for pictures, which Shuttleworth was only too happy to share. 

"We love getting them out in public to expose their unusual strength and balance!" she told us. "At the end of the day, they just want to perform."