Incredible ... it’s the real-life Elastigirl!
PERFORMING a handstand shows gymnastic promise – but being able to fold yourself in two really is an incredible feat.
Liberty Barros, 12, can do just that – and twist herself into other mindbending shapes – thanks to her hyperflexible talents.
They have earned her the nickname Elastigirl, after the character in Disney and Pixar’s films The Incredibles.
Only two years ago Liberty was struggling to keep up in gymnastics, dismayed that she couldn’t perform a cartwheel.
Then one day she was watching pop star Rihanna’s music video for her hit Umbrella and tried to mimic the moves. Suddenly she found she could bend over backwards with ease.
She has since travelled the world with youth circuses, visiting Thailand, Malaysia, Portugal and Hollywood, to show off her gymnastic ability. ‘It was such a strange feeling at first,’ Liberty said, recalling when she discovered her talent. ‘I’ve seen contortionists being pulled and twisted into position and it looks scary.’ Her parents Raam, 32, and Elisette, 33, from Slough, Berkshire, were stunned by their daughter’s natural flexibility. Her father, who is now her manager too, said: ‘It’s mad what she can do – doctors don’t know why she can do this. It’s something for a child to be so unique. Liberty really is special.’ In The Incredibles and its sequel, Elastigirl is the superhero name for mother-of-three Helen Parr, who comes out of retirement to use her flexible powers for the good of humankind. The character is voiced by Holly Hunter.