Your Body, Your Tool, Your Career: The Strength4Dance Ultimate Training Manual (Online)
Create Your Strongest Body For a Lifetime of Dance
Welcome to the ultimate guide that every dancer and dance student needs to read – and re-read!
Dancers are athletes and, like athletes, depend on their bodies being strong and injury-free so that they can earn a living. Unfortunately, the majority of education for dancers tends to focus on high-level technique and performance, with little regard to the fundamentals required to build a strong and resilient body.
Not any more. With the Strength4Dance training manual, you get access to over 10 courses in 1, all written by Physiotherapist for Dancers, Personal Trainer, Pilates Instructor and Health Coach, Sally Harrison.
In an ideal world, dancers would have the same access to health and fitness resources as football and rugby players; a multidisciplinary team to help them understand how to train their bodies. If you’re a dancer who longs to have that knowledge at your disposal then this is the product for you- become your own Personal Trainer and teach yourself how to create your strongest body for dance.
Sally has been presenting this content since 2009 to full-time dance schools across Sydney and Melbourne. It is normally delivered over 10 weeks and forms part of the dancers’ wellness programme. Now, it’s all written down in a handy 150 page ebook, and accessible to dancers worldwide.
Your Body, Your Tool, Your Career takes deep dive into the most up to date research and provides you with everything you need to know about:
Human Anatomy & Movement
Nutrition / Breathing / Restoration
Flexibility & Mobility Training
Core & Posture
Strength & Cardio Training
Movement Planning & Preparation
Turnout Training
Foot Training
Treating Injuries
As an ex-professional dancer, who was forced into early retirement after suffering from a debilitating knee injury, no one knows better than Sally how important it is for dancers to understand their bodies. Your Body, Your Tool, Your Career is targeted at dancers of all levels and genres so that they can keep doing what they love for as long as they desire.
Description
Your Body, Your Tool, Your Career is a 150-page ebook (PDF format) with active links to over 190 educational videos that support and further explain the concepts in the chapters.
It’s updated with the latest research and is the ideal resource for any dancer preparing for full-time dance education or a professional career in the industry.
You’ll also be given access to our closed Facebook community group to help support your learning and connect with like-minded students, teachers, and professionals.
The dance and performance industry is more demanding than ever – so educate yourself and don’t let your body be the thing that holds you back!
Sally’s blurb:
This manual was inspired and developed from my own experiences earning a living as a dancer, and the related injuries that I faced along the way. After subsequently retiring from professional dancing, I became a qualified physio and personal trainer. I learned how to rehabilitate and strengthen my own body so I could still dance and perform for pleasure. After 20 years of working in the health and fitness industry, and treating dancers in my physio clinic, I want to pass on my knowledge to you.
If you were a race car driver you would need to ensure the vehicle’s engine, body, and fuel performed at their best to ensure you finish and even win, time and time again. As a dancer, your body is the tool of your trade. The success and longevity of your career depend on how well your body functions, repairs, looks, and moves – you are the driver of your vehicle.
I hope this manual will give enough information and inspiration for you to be your own personal trainer, to help you produce the best machine you can, enabling a long and injury-free career in dance!
What others are saying about this course…
“Sally teaches a holistic cirriculum for dancers in an easy to understand and thorough manner ”
“Crucial information for all dancers to learn about how to care for their body , how it functions for dance.”
“The content was incredibly interesting and I feel empowered to protect my body and excited to put the knowledge into practice ”
“Sally’s lectures were included within our timetable soon after the year’s commencement. Our introduction to the demanding world of full-time dance, paired with her expertise in nutrition and the body, was vital. Sally’s message – which promoted a heightened and holistic awareness of the body and its needs – would certainly have aided in injury prevention, alongside encouraging greater improvement in the studio.
Before attending Sally’s lectures, my personal anatomical knowledge was limited, rendering this an area in which I most benefitted. Her knowledge on the interwoven nature of breath and muscle function was, personally, especially instrumental, particularly within my chosen genre of Contemporary.
For me, the most significant takeaway from her sessions is that, when it comes to the body, everything is interconnected. Our actions and choices – whether it concerns function or fuel – must align to reach our full performance potential. This all-encompassing nature means I would absolutely recommend Sally’s lectures to all at the commencement of their full-time training. Nothing promotes safe dance practice and longevity more than an educated dancer, and this is the opportunity Sally provides!”
“I was a contemporary dancer, now about to graduate as a physiotherapist! I did Sally’s programme when I was studying full time for my diploma of dance (contemporary) at Transit Dance, Melbourne. The program was very informative with lots of practical bits to take away and put into practice. I loved learning about primal movement patterns, and I incorporated them into my daily warm-ups before classes. Sally really showed me the importance of strength and conditioning in parallel / neutral positions as these are not worked on enough for dancers. I would highly recommend these sessions to any dancer who wants to learn more about their body and understand how they can take ownership of their body to succeed in dance. This information has stayed with me outside of dance, as I now work on distance running, cycling and rock climbing. The concepts taught can apply to lots of other training or sports throughout life.”
“Safe movement practice has been an eye opening unit and has not only made me more aware of my body but how to prolong my career through dance more efficiently ”
“It was really beneficial to learn the foundations of where injury comes from to prevent it in the future”
“I love your book! It’s a great guide for fulltimers and teachers. It’s quite comprehensive but easy to read and understand if someone is reading this information for the first time. I’d love every dancer that graduates fulltime to take something like this booklet into their career as they need to keep refreshing their memories of how their body works and how to deal with injuries. They also need to hear the same thing about 10 times before they get it! I especially like the section on managing injuries.”
“Sally is a unique force, her knowledge of both the dance world and anatomy, nutrition, injury prevention and rehabilitation is second to none.
She presented her workshop material (Your Body, Your Tool, Your Career) to our full time dance students at Brent St. Her offering is the perfect assistance to students entering into full-time training and beyond, she offers support to not only bridge the gap into professional dance life, but also the tools to sustain a career.
She is clear and concise in her offering, each aspect is easily implemented into a daily routine, areas of weakness are identified and supported with the goal to reduce the incidence of dance related injuries. The workshop notes and videos were easy to follow, informative and relevant to the dancer.
Sally is a wealth of knowledge, a passionate advocate for the artist, and a delight to work alongside.”
“Not only are you an absolute expert in your area, but you are so approachable and fun meaning the students had a great time. Those students planning on doing professional dance in the next few years found it especially useful in preparing themselves for dancing with longevity. ”
“My name is Kristi Cini and I am the owner of The Studio - Classical & Performing Arts in Tamworth. I was a country kid who started dancing at the age of 3 and who was lucky enough to further my training in Sydney and then NYC. As an adult I’ve been fortunate enough to spend some time living and working in the USA before becoming a studio owner.
I did Sally’s course while completing a Certificate IV in performing arts at Urban Dance Centre.
What I loved most about this course was the relevance that it had to dance itself. I learnt to understand my body, my muscles and my breath. I also learnt the importance of nutrition and cross training.
Sally is knowledgeable, professional, respectful and honest. I very quickly learnt that she was a physiotherapist that knew her stuff, that understood dance and that I could trust without hesitation. Everything that Sally suggested, I did.
I enjoyed the variety of the course and still to this day I reflect back on what I learnt and use it to guide my own students through their dance education.
In dance we expect a lot from our bodies and for that reason I would recommend this course to both dancers and teachers. The more knowledge we have, the better we can understand our body and we need this in order to excel in dance.
I’ve spent time with physiotherapists not just in regional NSW but in Sydney and NYC too. From everyone I have seen, Sally is still my go-to for everything dance related.
In recent years I’ve spent time on the phone to her seeking advice for my own students. I’ve referred students to her when they’ve been able to make the 5 hour trip to Sydney and I have referred others to her whenever I’ve had the chance.
Sally’s course and work has had a big impact on me, my training, myself as a dancer and now myself as a studio owner.
I’ve come across a lot of people in the 28 years that I’ve had dance in my life and Sally is one I will never forget. This course will stick with you forever.”
“I’ve studied and trained as a dancer for 12years and have had numerous trainers explain body mechanics and injury prevention to me; however, Pro-Align/S4D and Sally’s class structure laid out and explained things in such a concise and easily absorbed way. Sally was an absolute powerhouse in class. Able to fly through an abundance of theory in relation to anatomy and body mechanics, but her use of physical demonstration, lecture style, and feedback to the class allowed for such an easy class environment; and I was able to leave the space with a new pocket full of knowledge every time.
Sally is the best. I gained exceptional knowledge from her classes and continue to implement her structure and exercises for injury prevention and general body maintenance as a performer”