MEET Maria Pucciarelli – a super-flexible contortionist who has spent hours in training to realise he dream. Maria, 19, from New York, has spent thousands of hours training – including being stood on ...

When you think of contortionists, images of circus performers (perhaps a la Cirque du Soleil) likely come to mind. The bending, twisting, and stretching seem impossible — and never fail to mesmerize.