Contortion & Hand Balancing Workshops with Samantha Halas

February 16, 2026

Exciting news! Samantha Halas is coming to Winnipeg and will be visiting Bend Academy and offering some workshops!

Samantha is a professional contortionist and is an amazing teacher. She’s originally from Winnipeg and is now based in Toronto. She’s going to be in Winnipeg in a few weeks and we’re really excited to bring her to the studio and have her offer some workshops. Sam is great at teaching students how to gain control and confidence in their flexibility, handstands, balances, and contortion skills.

These workshops will be geared towards students who are currently training at at least an intermediate level in acro, dance, or gymnastics. These workshops are open to all – Bend students and friends from all around the community. Keep scrolling for workshop descriptions and Sam’s bio!

To register, log into your Bend Academy online account and look under “Workshops With Samantha Halas.” Spaces are very limited so register early!

There are no regular classes running February 16 (Louis Riel Day) so we’re going to use that day for these workshops. Here’s what’s being offered:

Monday, February 16

4:00-5:30 – Contortion Technique for Flexibility (ages 10-13) $45 + GST

5:30-6:30 – Hand-balancing (mixed levels and ages) $35 + GST

6:30-8:00 – Contortion Technique for Flexibility (ages 13 to adult) $45 + GST

If you have any questions please email bendacroacademy@gmail.com

Here are workshop descriptions and Sam’s bio at the bottom:

Contortion Technique For Flexibility 

Ever feel stuck making progress on your flexibility? In this class you will learn a series of exercises that isolate and target tight muscles.  You will learn techniques and ways to push your range of motion safely with good alignment and attention to making aesthetic lines and shapes. Using a mixture of active and passive flexibility, strengthening while we stretch you will get a good workout at the same time as fine tuning your command over your movements.

In this class you will learn techniques for strengthening your backbend and splits as well as ways to understand how to optimize your flexibility in all parts of your spine and hips.  Most people bend naturally in their lower back and neck and dont have the strength to support this flexibility.  Many people have a harder time with the upper back, shoulders, hips. We will examine ways to encourage your body to work as a system and even out the workload throughout .  We will use proper warm up and cool down techniques to keep your joints and muscles healthy for bending. You will create interesting shapes and movements with your body, pushing the limits of where you have been able to go before. 

(During this class we will touch on some subjects such as subjects as splits, straddle, standing splits, shoulder mobility, upper back mobility and backbends, as well as some balancing on hands and elbows. )

Hand Balancing

This workshop is about BALANCE, learning how to find the center of your balance and increasing the strength, alignment and range of motion on top of that center point. We will focus on shoulder flexibility, toe point and middle splits to help with alignment in handstands and handstand presses. We will learn drills that increase awareness and teach us how to isolate and engage our muscles in ways that will make us lighter and facilitate lifting our body weight with ease.  For more advanced hand-balancers we will train for fluid movements and foundations for shifting on to our one arm balances.  We will analyze common mistakes as well as key insights for self-training that will help us avoid generating counter-productive habits. In this class we will use balancing as a magnificent way to become in tune with our body and evolve our relationship with the floor. With partners we will learn how to spot and help our friends in their progress while using this outside eye to improve our own understanding.

Sam’s Bio

I, Samantha Halas, have been teaching all levels and ages contortion for over 15 years.  I have trained and performed contortion professionally all over the globe.  I began my studies in Beijing International Art School, San Francisco Circus Center, in Mongolia with the  Contortion Angels and privately with some of the most incredible contortionists and hand-balancing coaches in the World. I have been performing contortion professionally since 2009.  I offer a unique perspective as someone who began circus in her twenties and trained seriously enough to make it my career.  I understand struggles that adults face when learning these disciplines and can offer flexible approaches to learning, which help different body types, both professional and amateur. I believe if you can adjust your perspective when training and compare yourself to only yourself there are no limits to how much you can achieve. 

Spaces are limited, pre-registration is required!

HOW TO SIGN UP:

1. Click the LOGIN/REGISTER button to create a new account or access your existing account

2. Look under “Workshops With Samantha Halas” and select your desired class(es).

3. Pay by credit card through the online registration system.

Monday, February 16, 2026
4:00-5:30	Contortion Technique for Flexibility (ages 10-13)	$45 + GST
5:30-6:30	Hand-balancing (mixed levels and ages)	$35 + GST
6:30-8:00	Contortion Technique for Flexibility (ages 13 to adult)	$45 + GST

If you have any questions please email bendacroacademy@gmail.com!

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