LILA WOODARD: I think I will never stop doing contortion because it is something that you can do basically your
whole life. I just feel amazing whenever I am on stage because I just get to make people happy with what
I can do.
LILA WOODARD: I am Lila Woodard, I am 12 years old and I am a contortionist and circus kid.
NATHALIE GAULTHIER: What about if you wrapped your leg, something really crazy. Do you need your arm to
balance? Yeah! I like that even more. I love that even more. Oh, yes! That’s unique. There we go! Good,
good, good! I like unique.
NATHALIE GAULTHIER: Le Petit Cirque is basically a kind of, like a junior version of Cirque du Soleil with
child prodigies.
NATHALIE GAULTHIER: And we put on live productions that inspire.
NATHALIE GAULTHIER: We are the most well-known group of circus kids that has raised over $5 million
in about 54 months for charities internationally. So, we are the world’s first humanitarian circus.
NATHALIE GAULTHIER: Hey, Lila! How are you? LILA WOODARD: Fine!
NATHALIE GAULTHIER: You are all set? LILA WOODARD: Yeah!
NATHALIE GAULTHIER: How is your back today? LILA WOODARD: Good!
NATHALIE GAULTHIER: It’s good? LILA WOODARD: Yeah!
NATHALIE GAULTHIER: Lila came in as this teeny little freckle faced, spitfire with a very serious demeanour,
very serious face and usually when I see that little serious face I know I have got a winner. Make sure that
it’s always inside the box. Are you breathing? Are you turning purple? Breathing? You want to talk to me in
there? Lift your leg slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly so like a creature being born out of an egg. Now let’s tease them.
Let’s do something different. Bring it to the side. We don’t expect that. Oh! Then I saw her do her first show
with us a few years ago and she just, she just lit up.
NATHALIE GAULTHIER: I am proud of you. LILA WOODARD: Thank you!
NATHALIE GAULTHIER: You know I am proud of you. Okay!
NATHALIE GAULTHIER: You know I am not supposed to have any favourites and I will leave it at that.
NATHALIE GAULTHIER: Okay! You are going to do your hammock routine?
LILA WOODARD: My favourite contortion trick is probably turning myself inside out because I kind of hold
on to my feet and twist like a 180 degrees and that usually freaks everybody out.
LILA WOODARD: The hardest act that I perform regularly is shooting a bow and arrow with my feet because it’s
pretty much to say yes or no.
LILA WOODARD: You have to hold the bow with your two toes, pull back with the other foot and then all while
balancing on your hands. So it’s pretty tricky.
NATHALIE GAULTHIER: She is one of the top foot archers in the world who has one of the most perfect
forms with that bow and arrow in her feet. It’s insane.
NATHALIE GAULTHIER: Look at that! Is that all I needed was to put something that said hit me? Alright! Go ahead,
try it again. No, I am kidding. Very nice!
NATHALIE GAULTHIER: I think the toughest part of their training is having to give up parts of stuff that’s fun being
a kid. So many times they can’t go to birthday parties, many times they can’t go to Bat Mitzvahs or events
because they have to be here training. The one regulation we have is school and family comes first.
BILL WOODARD: She does lot of her homework and she is travelling, she sleeps a lot in the car too but when she
is at home she is just a normal kid.
LILA WOODARD: Since I am also a Ballet dancer, I train anywhere from 20 to almost 30 hours a week. I do a lots
of Ballet training during the weekdays and then I am here on Tuesdays and Saturdays to train for about 10 hours
plus another like, 10 to about 13 hours of Ballet. So together it’s a little over 20.
WOMAN: So good but you know what? Just wait, don’t rush. This happens all the time. It’s okay. It’s okay. Don’t
worry this happened to me all the time.
WOMAN: Relax, relax, relax. Just scared? Was it scary? Yeah, I know. It’s okay. It’s good for her to fall and learn
how to save yourself if you do need to calm down. It’s, yeah, it’s just, it’s a tough one.
WOMAN: That’s perfect. Awesome! Okay.
LILA WOODARD: The best thing about being super flexible is definitely being able to show off your tricks.
I try not to like, show off too much but sometimes I will be like, walking down the
aisles on my hands in the grocery store or something and just being able to incorporate it into my everyday life
is really special.
BILL WOODARD: I mean she has got tremendous work ethic for any, for a 12 –year-old that is sort of rare.
But she is driving the bus here, she loves doing it and she wants to be on stage.
BILL WOODARD: Even though it makes her nervous to do it. She has learned a whole lot about herself by doing it,
I think.
NATHALIE GAULTHIER: I would consider Lila a child prodigy. She has surpassed brilliance. She is like working
with an adult but in this teeny weeny little body and it’s just delightful.
LILA WOODARD: Some advice that I would give to other kids who are wanting to join the circus is, be prepared to
work really hard every day and know that you have to be really determined and really want it. But it’s just so much
fun once you get to perform on stage and just light up the whole world.
NATHALIE GAULTHIER: It’s a flame that you either have or you don’t have.