Flexible friends Eden gets expert help to give lockdown a fresh twist
WHILE lockdown has been hugely challenging for children, one young girl from the Bristol area has twisted it into a positive – by learning to become a contortionist.
Eden Grimm is just nine years old, but is already on her way to being one of the country’s top young contortionists – able to perform some stunning moves and positions.
She’s one of the protégés of the country’s leading exponents, Pixie Le Knot, who has appeared on everything from Game of Thrones and The X Factor to live on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury.
Eden’s mum Nerys Davies said she sometimes winced at the positions her daughter could get into and was always around to supervise her training, but she was fully behind her newfound lockdown love of the ancient circus art.
“She’s done gym before when she was younger, and acro, but when lockdown happened, like everyone we were looking around for something to do,” said Nerys.
“We found Pixie online and saw that she did Zoom sessions, which at the time weren’t really happening with dance sessions. We were at a bit of a loose end, so Eden went for it.”
Whenever you’ve seen a striking young woman on television in the past few years lie on her front with her feet on the top of her head, it’s almost certainly Pixie le Knot. She’s been on most prime time entertainment shows like The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent, children’s TV, the Disney Channel and everything from heavy metal band videos to appearing on stage with Years and Years at Glastonbury.
“I didn’t know who she was to start with. I didn’t know she was actually this huge star,” admitted Nerys. “But I learned quickly when she took Eden on, and Eden really loves it. It’s amazing.
“I sometimes wince when I see the positions Eden gets into, and I feel like I need to be there, but she does what she is told in terms of warming up and following instructions carefully, so it is really safe. But it is crazy to see the sorts of things Eden can do now.”
That was last spring and summer, and when lockdown eased enough in the late summer, Eden and Nerys went up to meet Pixie in person and have some more training that wasn’t done over a webcam.
When school restarted in September, Eden returned to the classrooms at The Manor CofE School in Coalpit Heath with something of a niche skill with which to wow her classmates.
“She comes home and says some of the boys are really scared when she goes into some of her positions, so I think it’s helping her,” said Nerys. “She’s often quite shy, but this gives her a bit of strength. She has a bit of stage presence and confidence.”
With Pixie as her inspiration, Eden is now dreaming of a career performing.
“She always says she wants to join the circus, but I’m not sure she knows it’s not as glamorous a life as she thinks it is. She’d like to do something like Cirque du Soleil, long term, but we’ll see.”
For Pixie, Eden’s progress has been amazing. “She has gone from having no experience or skills in contortion whatsoever to working at an advanced professional level,” she said.
“She’s no doubt the most flexible girl in Bristol! You have to see it to believe it – she is without a doubt on her way to a very successful career in movies, TV or Cirque.”