INPERSON
Putting Her Best FEET FORWARD
Greensburg ’ s Bella Gantt hits bullseye on national stage with foot archery .
By Paul Glasser
Eleven-year-old Bella Gantt hopes to use her expertise as a contortionist to become a performer for Cirque du Soleil , the famous contemporary circus troupe .
Bella began training as a contortionist three years ago and achieved fame after she added archery to her routine . She resembles Merida , the princess from the 2012 Disney film “ Brave ,” but created her own unique routine by learning how to shoot a bow and arrow by only using her feet .
“ I love contortion ,” Bella says . “ We added a twist to it by doing foot archery .”
First , she grabs the bow and arrow with her feet . Then , she performs a handstand and releases the arrow at the target . Flexibility , strength and coordination are required to perform such a feat . Bella uses a bow with a 25-pound pull , so the first thing she had to do was build strength in her feet , which she did by practicing how to grip a pen with her toes .
“ I had to do it over and over again ,” she recalls . “ It was really hard at first but it got a little easier .”
In addition , Bella has to rely on instinct when she shoots , because the bow is above her head and she can ’ t aim like a normal archer would .
Bella hopes to confirm her claim to the world record in foot archery . She submitted a video to the Guinness Book of World Records last year that shows her shattering the previous world record for hitting the bullseye on a target 25 feet away . She had to repeat the feat in front of an official in June . Bella practiced her accuracy for several months and kept moving the target farther away each week until it was more than 30 feet away .
“ It ’ s a really big accomplishment to be a world record holder ,” she notes .
Earlier this year , Bella also performed on the NBC show “ Little Big Shots .”
“ It was like I was in a dream ,” she says . “ Stuff like that only happens in dreams .”
She also appeared on the Colombian and Italian versions of the same show . For the Italian edition , Bella performed her routine while blindfolded . The stunt helped raise money for charities that support the blind .
“ It ’ s pretty hard to even do a handstand without being able to see ,” Bella explains . “ Your eyes have a lot to do with it . It throws off your balance .”
Bella also performs with Le Petite Cirque , a children ’ s circus in Los Angeles . The show features young performers with many different talents , such as trapeze artists . Bella has made friends with other young circus performers around the country . She loves to watch videos of Cirque du Soleil performances on YouTube and wants to move to Los Angeles and join her favorite circus troupe .
She advises other young performers to follow their dreams and never give up . Hard work is also important , she adds , “ If you don ’ t work hard you ’ re not going to get anywhere .”
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