Attention dancers - are you hypermobile?

Hi, I’m Sally from Strength4Dance. I work as a physio for dancers and was previously a professional dancer myself. I am hypermobile, have ruptured both of my ACLs over time, had surgery, and now have a passion for injury prevention for dancers.

I commonly see dancers with hypermobility in the clinic and assess and treat many lower limb injuries to the feet, ankles, hips and… the knee. The relationship between these areas in motion is plain to see. A hypermobile knee leads to a more pronated foot, altered knee mechanics, forward-placed hips, anteriorly tilted pelvis and a change in gait.

It can be hard to feel where the centre is when you're ‘bendy’, let alone think about where your joints are when you are focusing on choreography and class work. In the clinic, I have used dynamic tape, done rehab using theraband, and even taped theraband to the back of the knee! I just wanted something easier for dancers to use, and tape is not pleasant on the skin over time.

The idea and first prototype for the knee brace was born back in 2018.

It took a pause however as I tried to keep my other business afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022 I had a new prototype made, had many tweaks, and then trialled it in the clinic with great results and fantastic feedback! Several more adjustments were made in 2023 and I have now tested this updated design on more dancers in both classical and commercial genres, with a big thumbs up!

I aim to have Brace-IT launched for the global dance market in time for the 2023 holiday season.

What is the function;

It can be worn over tights or directly on your skin and we have 2 sizes of design to suit your preference or stage of knee training.

Although this is designed for the dance world, I also have adult clients using the prototype with knee stability issues from neurological conditions! Bonus!

Why do I need you?

In a nutshell, I need some help. I have poured all of my savings into Strength4Dance, which was also launched in 2018. Strength4Dance consists of a free education channel with over 200 videos, a book, 2 teacher training programmes, online classes and the Band-ITS training equipment. Band-ITS products also went through a major upgrade during the pandemic starting in 2021 to its re-entry to the market in May 2023. Strength4Dance took a massive financial hit throughout the pandemic and I lovingly refer to Strength4Dance as my ‘charity passion business’. I am still yet to take $1.00 in earnings. There is still hope …

I can’t get an unsecured loan and there are no available government grants for this type of business. I am fiercely independent and it is humbling to ask for any kind of assistance to get this product up and running. However, I really think it's going to help the dance community and injury prevention so I'm asking for your assistance.

Please help Brace-IT come to life! If you know anyone you think would love this idea, please send this page their way. Thank you!

Brace-IT is a product by ‘Band-ITS Strength4Dance’ and is a collaboration between Sally Harrison and Ryan King, with the sole aim of helping dancers be their best and prevent injury.

How the funds will be used…

$5,000.00

Get the product made from our tried and tested prototype

$2,000.00

Assist with transport from the factory and fulfilment to ship Brace-IT worldwide, so dancers all over the world can benefit from this amazing product.

$7,000.00

To market our product to the world of dance and movement and say goodbye to knee and foot pain! (That’s a big goal I know!)

What’s in it for you I hear you ask! Well…

As an extra special thank you for any assistance, the following small offerings are available on request with your donation. Be sure to let us know and I will send you a link with more information…

Donations of $5.00-$49.00

Free 50min body 'check-in and release' online workshop recorded and hosted by Sally at one of Sydney’s full-time dance training schools.

Donations of $50.00-$99.00

Two online workshops, the above, and a 50-minute webinar on what makes a strong body for dance (which is the basis of my book below)

Donations of $100.00-$149.00

A 50% discount off of my book; 'Your Body, Your Tool, Your Career', the ultimate educational resource for creating an injury-free body for a lifetime of dance.

Donations of $150.00 or more!

A 40% discount off of Band-ITS Core Class Pack - 10, 1-hour long classes to scientifically train the core, hips and pelvis (and also the knee!).

Thanks again in advance for your help and support, no matter how small, it is really appreciated.