Presents
Flexibility Foundations
A 4-week live, online course for dance teachers that introduces a new way to approach & teach flexibility training so that your dancers can safely and effectively achieve and maintain the flexibility required to excel in today’s dance industry.
DO ANY OF THESE SOUND FAMILIAR?
You’re frustrated and can’t figure out why your students have plateaued (or regressed!) in their flexibility, despite working hard, stretching regularly and doing ALL the stretches you can think of.
You see the increased flexibility demands required to ‘make it’ in the dance industry today, but don’t know how to achieve those results for your dancers without resorting to extreme overstretching practices or unsafe TikTok trends.
You’re tired and bored of teaching the same traditional stretches you were taught as a dancer, and are looking for fresh new ideas to implement into your dance classes.
If any of these have you thinking ‘yes!’ - this is the course for you!
What You’ll Learn
Based on the ‘Triple A’ model of Acquire, Assess and Apply – Flexibility Foundations will give you the tools to assess and teach flexibility in a way that harnesses the power of the nervous system to get the flexibility results your dancers WANT and NEED for success in today’s dance world.
Acquire knowledge of the science behind flexibility. We’ll dive into the basic physiological and anatomical components of the musculoskeletal and nervous system and you’ll learn how the interplay between these systems controls mobility and ultimately affects your dancer’s flexibility.
Assess your students. Understanding what’s limiting your dancers progress is the first step in being able to make change. You’ll learn the most effective assessment strategies to determine the biggest limiting factors in your dancer’s flexibility.
Apply. Using the assessment findings, you’ll learn specific interventions aimed at harnessing the power of the nervous system to improve your dancers flexibility.
How It Works
We’ll meet for weekly live group coaching calls to cover the theory and practical components of the course material. Live calls will take place on Wednesday’s at 10am PT (1pm ET) and last approximately 90min.
What’s Actually Included
4 weeks of live, online classes
Hosted on Zoom, these live, interactive classes will be a blend of theory and practical experiential learning. There will be lots of time for discussion and questions each week.
Access to recordings of the weekly classes
Lifetime access to recordings of the weekly Zoom calls so you can go back and review the material anytime you need to.
PDF handouts
Easy to access PDF handouts you can take into the studio so you have the information available to you in the place you need it most - the studio.
Sample Flexibility Programs
Example flexibility programs including video clips of exercises that you can use for class planning for flexibility training.
Facebook Group
Access to a private facebook group for course participants so you can ask questions, share case studies and get ideas for ways to implement Flexibility Foundations into your teaching.
Curriculum
✔️ Week 1 will focus on a deep dive into the structure and function of the musculoskeletal system and the nervous system and how the interplay between these 2 systems relates to mobility and flexibility.
✔️ Week 2 will focus on assessment tools used to identify when the nervous system may be a limiting factor affecting your dancer’s flexibility.
✔️ Week 3 & 4 will focus on implementing interventions to harness the power of the nervous system to improve your dancer’s mobility. These will include things like neurodynamics, neurosensory modulation and active mobility - don’t worry, but the end of week 4 you’ll know exactly what these things are and why they’re a game changer for dancer flexibility 😉
The Promise:
Flexibility Foundations will challenge the way you think about flexibility and change the way you teach it - giving you faster, safer and longer lasting results for your dancers.
Why I created Flexibility Foundations
Over the past 15+ years, I’ve worked with thousands of dancers and hundreds of dance teachers, and the #1 thing I hear is that they want to improve their flexibility. Whether it be more turnout, higher leg extensions or improved back flexibility - there is a constant desire for more.
And it’s no secret that the flexibility ‘expectations’ in the dance world have increased dramatically over the past 10, 15 or even 20 years. Dancers need to ‘keep up’ if they want to make it in the industry - but at what cost?
With these increased expectations have come some dangerous and shocking stretching practices. Glorification of extreme overstretching and trending flexibility ‘challenges’ are putting dancers at risk, but unless we offer them a safer alternative to get the results they want, they will continue.
This is why I created Flexibility Foundations. Backed by anatomy, science and the latest research, this program will give teachers the tools they need to help their dancer’s achieve the flexibility they want and need, without sacrificing their health or safety.
Meet Your Instructor
If we haven’t met before, Hi!
I’m Erika Mayall, a dance specific physiotherapist based in North Vancouver, BC Canada.
I’m the founder of Allegro Performance + Wellness and the host of The Dance Physio Podcast. As a former dancer and dance teacher, I was always fascinated with anatomy, human movement and how the body works. This led me to a career in physiotherapy – and ultimately pairing my 2 passions – dance + physiotherapy.
Now, with over 15 years of clinical experience treating dancers and other artistic athletes, I’m in the unique position of being able to use both my dance and teaching experience, along with my clinical expertise to address issues that are so prevalent in the dance world.
Being able to ‘speak’ the language of dance, I’m passionate about sharing this knowledge with the dance community, with the ultimate goal of changing the landscape of the dance industry for the better.
What People Are Saying
Who exactly is this program for?
Dance teachers who recognize the need for flexibility in the dance world but don’t want to sacrifice their dancer’s health and wellbeing just to get results
Dance teachers who are frustrated with the lack of flexibility progress their dancers are making with traditional stretching practices
Dance teachers who are concerned about the trend of unsafe and extreme stretching practices in the dance world and want an alternative method of teaching flexibility
Dance teachers who are tired and bored of their usual stretches and exercises and looking for new and fresh ideas to implement into their classes
You’ve got questions, I’ve got answers
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No problem! All the sessions will be recorded so you’ll have the opportunity to watch the replay whenever it works for you.
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A device to join the live (or watch the recorded) weekly sessions.
A way to take notes or record any thoughts or questions.Practical sessions will include examples of exercises. Equipment that is helpful (but not mandatory) may include:
-foam roller
-yoga block
-resistance bands
-small ball such as a lacrosse ball or tennis ball -
To be perfectly honest, I’m not 100% sure. My intention is to offer it again in the fall of 2024, but seeing as it’s a new program I will re-evaluate after this round and see what makes the most sense. If you’re even remotely interested I suggest signing up now, as this round is the only guaranteed date.
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Yes, but please note that this course is NOT designed for dance students under age 18yrs. If you’re an adult dancer or clinician (or anyone else interested), you’re welcome to join but understand that it is geared towards teachers and therefore will be a taught in a way that reflects that. If you’re willing to read between the lines and listen around the edges, then I would love to have you.
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An early access discount code was given to anyone who registered for the NeuroFlex Masterclass, but no other discounts are available at this time.
Scholarships are available on a case-by-case basis. Please reach out at hello@allegroperformance.com for more information.
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Yes! The course material is applicable to ALL dancers, regardless or age, gender, style of dance etc
A revolutionary program for the dance world that will challenge the way you think about flexibility and change the way you teach it, forever.
You Ready!?!
Get on the waitlist!
Got more questions? Email hello@allegroperformance.com and we'll get back to you ASAP.