Your Body, Your Tool, Your Career: The Strength4Dance Ultimate Training Manual

“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.”

“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.”

“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”

“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.”