“It was something very unusual, something that you don’t normally see,” Parangello Players president and one of the show’s judges Elyce Monet said about Christophersen’s routine, which ended with her shooting a bow and arrow with her feet. “She’s very accomplished in her art. There’s absolutely no doubt [of] her strength, her agility, and her command of the performance. She oozes confidence, she knows exactly what she’s doing. It takes a lot of special ability to shoot an arrow with your feet. It’s just a stunning performance, and she knocked it out of the park at both events.”
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The 11-year-old started doing contortion two years ago after being motivated by the contortion routine of 2016 “America’s Got Talent” finalist Sofie Dossi and her ability to shoot a bow and arrow with her feet.
“I got inspired by [Dossi] because I love the things she’s doing and I really admired how she did it,” Christophersen said. “So I kept researching before I started, I was stretching a little bit … I did get a lot of equipment for it. That ring over there. And then at school, I did a whole research project about the human anatomy and the muscles … Another thing that persuaded me is my friend Geneva [Strem-Denis], she did do gymnastics, and she taught me like the foundation, the base to do like a backbend … and that’s where I really started to build off from that with learning.”
Christophersen added that her proudest moment so far being a contortionist was the first time that she successfully shot a bow and arrow with her feet, although she said that the equipment for that routine also gave her the most stress during her performances.
“But [I] just kept breathing to get through [the] performances,” Christophersen said. “Because I did that trick and practiced it a lot before. But the main thing, I was nervous about is … a couple times before, the arrow malfunctioned and the arrow didn’t go. So I was just hoping for that not to happen, and for it to go smoothly. So that was really what I was worried about.”
Christophersen’s favorite subject in school is history and she also enjoys creating art.
“I love doing portraits, and I’m still working on them,” Christophersen said. “It’s just a relaxing thing for me to draw, like, but when I was just, just a little while ago, I started doing portraits. I’m still learning techniques and the faces come out morphed and funny looking, detailed.”
She added that she has been focusing on sketching faces because of how complicated they are to convey and learning such detail work is an excellent starting point for other art projects.
“I like all my hobbies, but I don’t really want any of them to be like a full-time job or something,” Christophersen said when asked what she wants to be when she grows up.
Her father Arne Christophersen added that she is developing a talent for painting as well.
“The best thing is that … you have the patience to learn,” Arne Christophersen said to his daughter. “Because learning is sometimes a very slow arduous process. And to sit down and learn and paint or watch somebody do certain movements and stretches and doing it, that is great. The internet and whatever’s online is so overwhelming. But it also has the side where almost the best teachers and the best examples are also available. It’s like a double-sided coin … There’s so many people that also put uplifting tutorials, encouraging kids to learn online.”
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“This was our first year of ‘Sedona’s Got Talent,’ and I’m excited to bring this back because the two schools working together is a new thing, and I think it’s going to encourage West Sedona students to really step up their game,” Monet said. She is also working to bring Sedona student performers to the Moment of Art held prior to City Council meetings.
