In the second Discussion session, Ska's very lively US lawyer, Jonathan Avirom, told us what we had to do if we wanted to immigrate to work in the USA. Then we had a question and answer session with some of the contortionists and other performers performing in our Galas.
Ken and Angela Thompson, highly experienced Alexander technique and yoga teachers from England, told us about their approach to flexibility and musculo-skeletal health. Next: Ken demonstrating on Walter Sangree the benefits of the Alexander technique in alignment of the neck (to their obvious mutual delight). I was introduced to Alexander techniques by Ken and Angela at the 2000 ICC, and it has transformed my own approach to spinal health, and given me a much greater awareness of the importance of strengthening and using the deep spinal muscles (semispinalis, multifidus and rotatores). These muscles are commonly ignored in exercise regimes, although they seem to me to be specifically targeted by the Alexander approach (though Alexander practitioners do not necessarily put it in these words).
Lisetta Landoni and her very flexible assistant Massimiliano Esposito demonstrated her unique apprach to yoga, which involves continuous, cyclical, repetitive movements, gradually increasing in intensity, and working round the different joints and muscle groups of the body. The continuous muscle activity builds strength and enormous stamina, and the gradually increasing range of movement in a session seemed perfect for increasing flexibility. Some of us had a yoga session with her later that day, and experienced the benefits of her approach first-hand.
Finally: Klaus Bischoff (Kalaus) - Ska's right-hand-man in conference organisation, who undertakes many of the hard and important difficult jobs without which the conference would fail - in a discussion session on the future of contortion in relation to the internet.