By twisting their bodies into impossible positions, the members of the Pilobolus Dance Theater have recreated 26 letters of the alphabet.

To immortalize their efforts, the Pilobolus recruited photographer John Kane, who used secrets of the trade to make the human letters look amazing. The magic happened in John’s studio, in Connecticut, over a period of four days. According to the six highly trained contortionists that took part in the project, the hardest letters were “C” and “R”. Although they wouldn’t reveal the secret behind how they pulled it off, John and the dancers swear no Photoshop was used. The same thing can’t be said abut the Yoga Dogs calendar.

The human alphabet photos, taken by John Kane, were used in a book aimed at children and adults alike. Called “Pilobolus – The Human Alphabet” this collection of human letters aims to show off the theater’s talent and inspire young dancers.

Photos by JOHN KANE/BARCROFT MEDIA via Daily Mail