BendyTimez | Clarice Liu

Clarice Liu

Having explored different movement practices with a symptomatically hypermobile body, from rehabilitative pilates to dance and circus arts like contortion, Clarice is no stranger to various movement demands. Through her coaching work, she guides people in achieving what they desire in the safest possible manner. She strongly believes in moving according to what feels right, rather than what looks right, and thus advocates for a sensation guided movement approach.


As of now, she focuses on teaching artistic athletes (circus artists, pole dancers, dancers etc.) how to approach flexibility training safely, and also offering movement therapy for those struggling with chronic pain.


Her greatest hope is to see the day where proper care for symptomatic hypermobility is easily accessible for all, and symptomatically hypermobile bodies are protected and taken care of in the performing arts scene. In hopes of better serving this population in future, she is currently pursuing a degree in physiotherapy (undergraduate).


Today, she primarily works with hypermobile artistic athletes, and has a keen interest in working with people with hypermobility disorders (primarily HSD/hEDS)/chronic pain and discomfort.

Coaching

My focus as a coach is to help you to achieve whatever that you want to in the safest possible manner. It can be something as extreme as contortion, or something as simple as the desire to move and live with less pain everyday.

 

I adopt a sensation guided approach, and my role as a coach is to guide you in redefining your relationship with movement and pain. I believe that what matters in movement is the safety in execution, and not just the completion of the skill itself. My mission is for people to know that movement does not have to hurt you. Regardless of whether you are someone in chronic pain, a dancer, a contortionist, or even an office worker, movement can be a friend.

 

My students come from widely varied backgrounds, some of them are artistic athletes such as dancers/aerialists, and some are people who struggle with chronic pain and discomfort.

Regardless of where you are starting from, it all boils down to the same thing: to learn to work WITH your body, rather than against it.

 

Everyone deserves a movement practice which allows you to safely explore your capabilities without forcing yourself into injury and pain. Movement should always be something that feels good on your body.

Experience

As a coach, I’ve always been known as the one who handles students whose issues don’t “fit in a box”. Troubleshooting unique cases that have remained an unsolved mystery to others is what I enjoy working with the most.


A large majority of clients that I work with are symptomatically hypermobile artistic athletes (eg. HSD/hEDS), and many of them pursue disciplines such as pole dancing, aerial arts (hoop, silks, hammock etc), and also dance.


I’ve also had opportunities to work with clients who struggle with chronic issues and pain, who were looking to improve daily function and quality of life. These clients come from a wide background spectrum, from veterinary surgeons, to geriatrics (elderly).


[NOTE: For movement therapy clients, I often work alongside the client’s healthcare team. If the client has yet to seek medical care and clearance for activity, especially in the presence of potential red flags, I would always refer them out to the appropriate healthcare professionals instead. Your safety and well-being will always be my priority. If what you need does not lie within my scope, or if I feel that someone else can help you better, I will not hesitate to refer you to someone more appropriate.]


Overall, I strongly believe in a collaborative, person centric approach towards movement. My role as a coach is to guide you to connect with, and understand your body better, while journeying with you towards your goals.

Certification / Background

Certifications:

  • Basic and Advanced level Sports Massage
  • Ehlers Danlos Society, EDS ECHO: Integral Movement Method (IMM) [Movement rehabilitation method specifically designed for individuals with EDS and other hypermobility disorders]
 

Education (Performing Arts/Circus):

  • Hypermobility in performing arts (Dr Jennifer Crane, physiotherapist specializing in circus arts & hypermobility)

  • Circus and the Pelvic Floor (Brooke Winder)

  • CASEM Dance Medicine Webinar Series 2022

  • Flexibility Level 2 & Level 3 Intensive (Lisa Howell, physiotherapist working closely with ballet dancers, & hypermobility)

  • Invert, Bend and Balance Symposium 2022

  • Aerial Shoulders: Curating your PERFECT warm-up (Dr Jennifer Crane, physiotherapist specializing in circus arts and hypermobility)

 

Education (Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and its comorbidities):

  • EDS ECHO clinicians UK/Europe: EDS And HSD Diagnosis, Pain, And MSK Management (2023)
  • EDS ECHO Allied Health Professionals UK/Europe:Foundation Course-Introduction To EDS And HSD (2023)
  • EDS ECHO Summit Series: Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders (2023)
  • EDS Global Learning Conference, 2022 (The Ehlers-Danlos society)
  • EDS International Scientific Symposium on EDS & HSD, 2022
  • The EDS ECHO SUMMIT SERIES, allergy and immunology complications, virtual conference 2022 (The Ehlers-Danlos society
  • EDS & HSD Untangled, 2022  (The Ehlers-Danlos society)
  • EDS ECHO Summit Series: Paediatric & Adolescent concerns in EDS & HSD, 2022 (The Ehlers-Danlos society)
  • POTS providers course, by Emily Rich (Occupational Therapist)

  • Hypermobility intensive with physiotherapist Dr.Jennifer Crane (cirque physio)

  • Workshops, courses and lectures on hypermobility (& its related disorders) & the management of it in a movement context (by physiotherapist Dr. Jennifer Crane, and MD Dr Linda Bluestein)

     

Others:

  • “The Predictive Mover” by Oliver Crossley (pain science)

Testimonials

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