An Interview with Cheryl Birch — ANNA CICONE PHOTOGRAPHY

Cheryl Birch is a contortionist and aerialist located in Las Vegas, Nevada. She and I worked together on a photo-shoot, and her incredible skill and awesome personality inspired me to interview her to find out more about her life and journey in this impressive realm of circus arts. Read below to find out more about this art-form from Cheryl’s perspective, and be sure to follow her on Instagram on either her contortion page, or her contortion tutorial page.

Can you give us some background on your journey into your bendy profession? Were you flexible at a young age?

I saw Cirque du Soleil when I was 12. I was a gymnast and a dancer. Not a highly skilled gymnast, but I had good awareness of my body. After seeing Cirque, I knew I wanted to be like the contortionists and hand-balancers. I knew I could train myself to some degree, so I focused my energy on training myself and finding whatever inspiration I could online. At the time, it was very limited. There was basically one “contortion fans” website with only a couple dozen images of contortionists in various poses. This was also back when you could buy AOL internet sample discs for dial up, haha. I finally started circus school at Circus Juventas in St. Paul, Minnesota when I was 14.

Photography by Anna Cicone Photography, bodysuit by Rachelle Appelle

What is something that people would be surprised to know about being a contortionist?

I think there are misconceptions in both directions about pain. Some people assume it is completely painless, and requires no warm-up or recovery. There are others who assume it is very painful. The truth is a mix of both. Mostly it feels good, but there is also plenty of pain to be had, particularly if you are not training properly. Really, there should not be a pain sensation, but a stretching and muscle activation sensation. But there are good days and bad days. Easy poses and challenging poses.

What is your response to people who think you have to be born flexible in order to be a contortionist? Is there any merit to it, or can anyone be a contortionist if they try?

I do find myself very defensive when I get the question, "Do you have a genetic condition or are you just naturally flexible?" While there are genetic conditions that cause laxity in connective tissue, those conditions are uncommon and frequently result in many complications and injuries for people who have those conditions. Most contortionists work very hard, training hours daily to build and maintain their flexibility. That said, we all have variations in the composition of our tissues. Contortion requires not only a certain amount of elasticity, it also requires the ability to cue and recruit certain muscles that accommodate flexibility (strength). I do believe some contortionists have genetic advantages that are very helpful to their success in training. I also believe that not everyone can be a high level contortionist, hard as they may try. Our bodies are just different. For example, while I am the only contortionist in my family, I think if others in my family were willing to put in the time and energy to train over many years- they may see similar success based on our similar genetic makeup and body composition. But to be clear, I believe that with effortful, professionally guided training, most people can increase their flexibility significantly.

What did a typical day look like for you pre-quarantine, and how does that compare to now?

A typical day for me pre-quarentine:

Wake up and check social media, email, and other messages. Get coffee at the nearby Starbucks and continue to respond to emails, phone calls, post to social media, manage bookings, book flights and travel for my upcoming gigs, etc (usually about 2 hours). Grab lunch at home, then aerial/contortion/handstand training (usually 2-4 hours). If I have a photo-shoot, I may have to reduce or completely surrender my daily training - as photo-shoots often involve hours of contortion-style poses. In the evening, I resume booking management, communications on email and social media, etc. Weekends are often total chaos with travel and performance. People assume that living in Vegas is a great big party, haha. While I enjoy attending parties and throwing back a couple of drinks, I also have to take care of my body. So I am mindful about when and how much I indulge.

Quarentine life:

Wake up and read the news (since I am not receiving bookings due to event cancellations). Go to Starbucks, but now I go to the Drive Thru, then sweat my butt off drinking my coffee in my car in the parking lot. Call friends (instead of clients). Grab some lunch at home. Train contortion and handstands at home. The aerial studio has not been open (update- aerial studios in Las Vegas reopened in June!). Create online fitness and flexibility tutorials to help me feel like I have some sort of purpose in all of this. Teach online Zoom classes and private lessons in the evening. Then, watch a movie or show. I try to keep a schedule and stay connected to people. It keeps me sane.

Do you ever find yourself lacking motivation to train, and how do you overcome that?

All the time! Some days I'm tired. Some days my body hurts. I know if I don't train, my body will hurt more after taking many days off. When I'm unmotivated, the first step is to get to my training space, rig my apparatus, and lay on the mat. Rolling around on the floor, gentle stretching, and just initiating some kind of movement normally helps to get me going. If I'm really tired, or nursing an injury, I take it easy. I know it's not safe to push it when working on aerial, so I accept it. Not all days are winners, and that's ok. It's a marathon, not a sprint.

What are some practices you apply daily that help you recover from training?

Foam rolling and self-myofascial release is a great way to reduce tension and discomfort. But really, regular practice, proper hydration, and occasional ibuprofen are my biggest lifelines. As a circus athlete, I think many of us accept that a certain amount of aches and pains come with the territory. The best magic bullet is consistent training with proper warm-up and conditioning.

Outside of the world of circus and performance, what are some of your other interests and hobbies?

Oh man. haha. I'm a pretty big workaholic. Most of what I do outside of circus is still peripherally involved with circus (such as photo-shoots that involve circus skills, or doing circus-y play dates with my friends). I love seeing shows. Drag, burlesque, circus, comedy. I've seen Absinthe in Vegas about 6 times in the last 18 months. Love that show. I really love deep, existential conversations over a couple glasses of wine. I have a handful of friends who can get down with that too. I like hiking a lot, and there are some very beautiful spots around Vegas for that too.

What is/are the biggest mistake/s you see people make when embarking on the journey to becoming more flexible?

Self training. When I see someone introducing themselves on social media as a "Self-trained Contortionist" my heart always sinks. Ooof. While many of us begin our journey to flexibility training ourselves, there is so much to be learned from others. Our bodies have habitual movement patterns, and we typically lean into what we are already good at, and progress that- while neglecting what we're not so good at, and what doesn't feel so good. This is an issue. Splits, for example, seem very straightforward to many people. But they're not as simple as they appear. I don't like to say that there are right ways and wrong ways to do things, because there are many ways- none of which are necessarily incorrect (in most cases). But there are definitely ways to refine and maximize movements and poses. These are subtle. Requiring specific cues, muscle engagement, and body positions. Self training is not wrong, but you don't know what you don't know. And the impact a higher level pro can have on your training is absolutely incredible.

Who are your personal idles/who are you inspired by?

So many! I am very inspired by many artists for many different reasons. I know that I will never BE those people. I can only be the best version of my most authentic self. But I think their work inspires me to work more on, explore, and develop other various elements of my work. Brynn Route has such a sensual, silky smooth, spooky vibe. I love that about her. Lisbeth Mikoleit is such an incredibly bendy person. Her flexibility is absolutely unreal. Ariana Ferber-Carter is also an incredible athlete. She is so strong and has such fantastic handbalancing skills I can only dream of. These are just a few! So many more.

Do you have any tight spots or areas you wish were more flexible?

My thoracic spine! While I have some upper back mobility, the rib-cage presents a distinct challenge. The rib-cage exists to provide a rigid, protective cage to keep your vital organs safe. So, I'm fighting my body a bit on this journey.

Other than incredible flexibility and strength, what's a quality that contortionists have that others might not? Mental state is huge in contortion. Positions can be uncomfortable at first. It can be difficult to breathe. You get headaches. Your body hurts some days. You need to be strong and stable while at the same time calm and supple. I feel a certain kinship with contortionists. It's a special kind of struggle. And a special kind of motivation.

How do you think the landscape will change for performance art, and specifically circus, once it is safe to reopen again?

It's hard to know when and if things will go back to normal. But in the meantime, I think you'll see a lot more online performance. Live streams. Video content. Unfortunately, I think for people just breaking into circus professionally, their live performance opportunities may become scarce. I'm sad for the performance art community. I'm nervous for the survival of smaller and medium sized venues that may be home for live performance. But I believe that there is also a big opportunity, a challenge to overcome, and a space to adapt. When we find ourselves cornered, we find ourselves more creative.

Lastly, what is one key piece of advice you would give to someone just starting out their journey to flexibility?

It's not a race, and it's not a competition. Work at it every day. Know the difference between sensations of discomfort and sensations of injury. Be patient. Be persistent. Fill your toolbox: Take classes! Take classes of all kinds, from different trainers and different disciplines. Take traditional flexibility classes, take yoga classes, take contortion classes, take Pilates classes, take ballet classes, take contortion classes. Do not neglect active flexibility and core strength!

Make sure to follow Cheryl on Instagram to keep up with her work. All photos above are the product of our shoot together.