Why We Love Wood Dance Flooring
Although wood dance flooring can be more expensive than other dance floors made from cheaper materials, it is still the number one most recommended flooring for any style of dance. There is a wide variety of dance flooring available to you in the market that can fit your budget and dancing needs. Depending on the style of dance, some dance floors can limit your movement and muffle sounds. Wooden floors are great for all styles of dance such as tap, ballet, jazz, and hip-hop.
The most common type of flooring used in studios is wood dance flooring. It is much more superior in comparison to other generic dance floors that are made up of a mix of imitation materials. If you invest in good quality wood flooring, you’ll quickly see how its benefits outweigh its cost.
Wood dance flooring provides support to the delicate joints in the human body. It is common for dancers who have danced continuously for long periods of time to develop joint problems and to incur dance-related injuries. Wood dance floors can cut down on your chances of getting such injuries. These kinds of dance floors provide just the right amount of spring that absorbs shock from jumps, turns, and other acrobatic moves that would normally be absorbed by the body. When you install your wooden flooring, you can either place padding or a floating floor underneath it.
Having it installed in the floating floor style means that the wood floor is placed atop a base flooring that is several inches high. The base floor is typically made from some type of concrete. The wood dance floor is suspended over padding and springs that function as a frame. You can think of it as a hard top mattress that you can dance on. It’s durable and will not move, collapse, or break as you dance and move about the flooring. It has the resiliency that allows you to dance as hard as you’d like without risking injury to the joints in your knees and ankles. Floating wood dance floors offer the best acoustics that clogging or tapping require. The space between the wood dance floor and the base allows for the magnification of sounds.
On the other hand, installing padding underneath the wooden dance floor can be less costly than a floating floor. The padding usually comes in a one inch thick sheet of latex rubber that is just as durable and will not break or flatten down with continued use. It goes directly on top of the base flooring and the wood floor is placed over it. This makes it much closer to the subfloor level. Although it offers the same durability and resiliency as the floating floor, it is much cheaper. However the downside to it is that you cannot generate the same acoustics from padded flooring that you would with floating flooring. Wood dance flooring is the most common and standard dance floor that can satisfy all your different dancing needs.
Eco-Friendly Cork Dance Flooring
When it comes to choosing what kind of material you would like your dance floor to be, there could be no better option than an eco-friendly cork dance flooring. It suits any special occasion whether it be a party, family gatherings, or even for exercise. Cork floorings come in all shapes and sizes, so you won’t have a tough time trying to look for one that fits your needs. If you are looking for a way to “go green”, cork floors are the perfect choice in terms of being resilient, versatile, and environmentally friendly.
What is great about cork dance flooring is that they are made from recyclable materials. These dance floors are literally made from cork that is coated to ensure the smoothest dancing surface. Using cork floorings is the greener solution to fulfilling your dancing habits and needs. Cork is a much lighter material in comparison to other dance floor materials, which makes it easy to move, assemble and store as well. The floor is very durable and is spill-resistant. If any solid or liquid drops on the flooring, it will not be scratched or stained. Any kind of mess can be easily cleaned off from the cork flooring without leaving indelible damage marks.
In comparison to the traditional hardwood flooring, cork floors are much more resilient. Cork effectively absorbs shock to the body incurred by jumps, leaps, turns, and gymnastics. This way, you are free to move about the dance floor with a much greater range in motion without risking injury. Even if you were to fall, cork dance flooring helps to lessen the trauma on your joints and bones upon contact with the floor. Unlike hardwood floors, cork floors have a springiness that makes it much more comfortable to dance on. The cork will not lose its springiness or wear down. It can be placed directly on any kind of subflooring instead of frames, pads, or springs.
The only downside to cork dance flooring is that it’s a soft surface that will not provide the appropriate acoustics that any heeled shoe or tap dance shoe flooring would require. Unlike hardwood and laminate floors, cork flooring makes it difficult to produce any desired tapping or clogging sounds. The softness of the floor will muffle the sounds of any heeled shoe. While a soft floor may sound logical for other types of dance like ballet, cork is also not suitable as a ballet dance floor because of the floor speed and slow surface top.
If you are someone who would like to dance indoors or outdoors, cork dance flooring is a great and easy solution to the problem. Its lightness and mobility allows you to use it anywhere you like. The floor is durable and stain-resistant. It will not be affected by the outdoor elements and can be placed on any uneven surface to create a smooth one. It is the ideal dance flooring for any outdoor wedding reception. Like all other dance floorings, cork floors come in tiles that can be placed alongside each other to form any size and shape that will fit into your particular space. The assembly process is quick and easy since it only requires you to fit and snap together the tiles into place. They are portable dance tiles that are lightweight, so anyone can put them together and take them apart easily. Cork dance flooring can also be custom-made into whatever size or shape you desire.
Dancing on Black Dance Flooring
Black dance flooring makes a bold statement and catches everyone’s attention. Dancing is a popular and healthy pastime for anyone and everyone. It’s a great way to use dance etiquette to socialize with family and friends as you enjoy the beat of the music. The type of dance floor that any local club uses is very important to keeping up its reputation in terms of being hip, new and cutting-edge. Dance flooring can set the mood and atmosphere for any occasion. The best way to make your establishment or dance area the place to be is to incorporate a stylish and modern black dance floor.
Dance floors are available in a variety of sizes, designs, and colors. Small, portable dance floors can be used at family gatherings or house parties, where guests can enjoy a little music and dance off a big meal simultaneously. They are a great way to play up the mood or atmosphere in any particular room where you would like your guests to be entertained. However, many dance venues choose to feature black dance floors since its smooth, sleek, and refined appearance allows for it to be versatile in terms of matching any décor, perfect for anything like ballroom to disco dance.
If you are possibly interested in featuring black dance flooring at your next event, there are a few things that you have to keep in mind as you look. Some dance floors can be rolled out. These floorings are generally made from vinyl and come in a variety of shapes and sizes that you can choose from. Other dance floors come in the snap together style where you can tile them into one piece. The tiles come in three by three feet, eighteen pound sheets. The cleanup is simple and easy. Most manufacturers offer you a separate cart that allows you to stack the sheets and wheel it away for easy storage.
The construction process is quick and simple. All you need to do is line up the tiles next to each other so that when you step on them, they automatically lock into place and create a flat surface. This ensures that the dance floor will be smooth and free of uneven cracks that could potentially injure someone.
Black dance floorings are very durable. They are waterproof, heat and cold resistant. With the proper care and attention paid to the instruction manual, you’ll be able to enjoy your dance floor for years on end.
As you look for the perfect dance floor that will fit your needs, make sure you thoroughly research your options. There are many dance floor manufacturers that offer a range of different prices, so it is up to you to find the one that will meet your standards and budget as well. Look into the company that manufactures the dance floors and also take some time to read up on its customer reviews.
The look and appearance of a dance floor is key to making any space visually appealing. Black dance flooring gives your dance space an overall trendy and refined look that will entice your guests into dancing all night long.
What the Best Ballet Dance Floors Offer
In the world of dance, ballet is a very delicate yet powerful type of dance with a storied history. Some dancers train and dedicate their entire lives to ballet just to appear in exhibitions and shows around the world. Whether you dance ballet to get exercise, learn balance, or for professional competition, a good ballet dance floor is a common need for all dancers. The best ballet flooring meets the specific needs and requirements of ballet dance to provide a solid yet safe performance foundation. Choosing the wrong type of dance floor to practice ballet on can result in injuries and strain and can even keep you from performing your best at important venues. That’s why it’s important to educate yourself on the distinct characteristics of dance floors tailored for ballet so that you can protect your body and get the most out of the dance flooring.
Ballet is an old classical art form that originated some time in the fifteenth century. Back then, it was first popularized in Italy and later spread to the countries of Russia and France. Today, ballet dancing is still a popular choice as every little girl loves to dress in a ballerina outfit and be a delicate little flower on the stage. There are many professional ballet dance troupes that also tour the world with their amazing performances, together with live classical music.
The ballet dance floors you see today have been highly developed and honed for the characteristics of ballet dancing. The best ballet floors are designed to reduce the amount of strain on foot, ankle, and knee joints as ballerinas often have to make jumps and land on the balls of their feet. This requires a floor that has some springiness or give when pressure is applied. This type of dance floor is called a floating floor due to the fact that each tile seems to float over the ground as you step on each one. The most famous sprung floor is the marley dance floor which got its name from the vinyl floor manufacturer Marley Floors Ltd. in the 1970s. These floors make use of a softer floating layer made of vinyl underneath the harder wood layer to give it its characteristic springy effect. Another variation of ballet dance flooring uses a basket weaving style design that makes use of seven different layers of construction to ensure it a level dancing surface.
The uniform surface is important in ballet as the floor must be completely flat and not have any raised or low areas as it could cause a dancer to fall. The other characteristic these floors must have are softness. This is because falls from jumps can be frequent and the floor must protect the dancer as well.
The best ballet dance floors can cost tens of thousands of dollars just to meet the demanding requirements of ballet dancing and are usually reserved for professional stages. Other types of ballet flooring are portable dance tiles and can be packed up and moved or reshaped for the occasion.
Ballet barres are common addition you will find with ballet floors since they are important during practice and training to maintain balance. There are also portable ballet barres that are free-standing and do not require any mounting to a dance studio wall. These are great as you can carry these with you from each venue to practice before a performance or competition. They come in either a single or double rail to suit your need.
Picking the best ballet dance floor is important for the ballerina. A floor that is not soft, not sprung, too slippery, or too sticky are all reasons to cause a ballerina to fall. A good floor will absorb the frequent jumps often required of the dance yet at the same time give a surface that will make the performance better.
Best Tap Dance Tiles in Dance Flooring
Tap dance is a special type of dance that requires a special type of tile in the dance flooring world. Tap dance tiles have special characteristics that drastically differentiate them from other dance styles, like ballet dance tiles for example. An old dance style with roots tracing from the 19th century United States, tap dancing has continued to evolve and is still a popular pastime in dance studios all across the world. The name for the dance is taken from the “tap” sound that is made by metal plated shoes coming in contact with a special tap dance flooring. Several other styles have sprouted from tap dancing with similar dance characteristics, including stomp dancing, step dancing, and clogging. All these dance styles require the best tap dance tiles for optimum performance.
Though dancers may be unaware, the type of flooring on which you dance can significantly affect how easy it is to pull off a move at the same time minimizing any physically stress to your body. Tap dance floors are always made out of wood, usually from popular stalwarts like maple, oak, and pine. Pine wood is used more sparingly because although it can be very beautiful, it does not stand up as well over time since the surface can take quite a beating. No matter the type of tap dance floor tiles you use, it should never be coated with any type of wax finish.
Perhaps the most important characteristic of the best tap dance tiles are how springy they are. This “give” or resiliency in a floor is also known as a sprung floor in the flooring industry. This is because it actually makes use of a suspension or floating mechanism that keeps the dance tile separated from the ground. Sprung floors are more comfortable to dance on and can absorb a lot of the impact that would otherwise go into a dancer’s body, thus alleviating stress on the dancer’s joints. This is why you should never dance on a concrete surface as you would quickly inflame your ankles, knees, and other body parts.
Good acoustics are the other attribute of quality tap dance floors. Because the sound of the tap is important, it must have a resonant acoustic quality to it like a musical instrument. If the dance tile is placed too closely in proximity to the ground, the resonance will be flat and muffled. To get good sound, tap dance flooring should be elevated at least two inches off the ground.
If you want to build yourself a small tap dance floor in your home or dance studio you should be able to easily find one of several companies that supply the best dance tiles which you can easily piece together yourself. Portable dance tiles can usually be packed and moved from place to place easily, and interlock together for a strong grip and allow you to lay out a floor in any angular shape you wish. Round off the edges with a rubber border pad which dance floor companies also supply.
Tap dance is a fun and beloved dance style by many people all over. Your new found understanding of the intricacies of the best tap dance tiles should increase your appreciation for the sport. Always make sure to use the proper type of dance flooring when tap dancing to get the best dancing experience, performance, and protection.
Disco Dance Flooring
Arguably the most exciting type of dance flooring, a disco dance floor is always a lot of fun and excitement and sees action at the clubs, parties, and even weddings. The most iconic disco dance flooring which is likely the very first image people think when they hear “disco” is from the epic dance movie Saturday Night Fever. Disco was a hugely popular music genre and had its very own dance style in the seventies and it’s great to see those exciting floors still very much in use today. Though the music has waned in popularity, disco dance flooring remains a club favorite.
Today’s disco dance floors are hi-tech, employing multicolored LED lights to light up each tile a different color. In the past, multi-color spotlights were shone on the tiles though the effect was not as vibrant as LED lighting today. Disco floors today are now controlled by computers which can actually make the illuminated dance floor into any image it wants. If you want the traditional ’70s disco random coloring it can be done easily. But if you want to make the entire floor geometric, all one color, or even display an image or animation, then the complex circuitry can make that happen as well.
Constructing a disco floor seems much more complicated than it actually is. Underneath is a metal frame acting as the base and also contains the lighting and wiring. There are large sections of glass or Plexiglas tiles which make up the surface of the dance floor. These are thick and can support the weight of many people dancing on top. There are also multiple metal supports running through the dance floor like a grid for added structural integrity. This gives the disco dance flooring its trademark cube tiling appearance. The Plexiglas can be clear or opaque and serves a second purpose to absorb the head emanating from the lighting below. This isn’t as much a problem today as it was before because LEDs use very little electricity and are consequently not very hot.
Without Plexiglas, this type of dance floor would not be possible. Plexiglas is extremely thick and durable and won’t crack like glass. While there are some floors that are clear, these are rarer as they require the lighting and wiring to be well hidden within the support frame. Otherwise most disco floors are opaque to hide the mess underneath. This gives a nice illusion of a magical dance floor that lights up without revealing the technical innards like a magician revealing his secret.
LEDs are prevalent in many things today including car lights and home light fixtures. These also have the added benefit that they have much longer lives than the traditional halogen light bulb that Thomas Edison invented over one hundred years ago. The bulbs rarely have to be replaced and that is a good thing as opening up the floor can be a big issue. Some dance clubs even have underground maintenance rooms right under the dance floor where technicians can easily access the electronics and do regular service. LEDs also save on energy and don’t get as hot, keeping the dance flooring cool.
Some of the more extravagant disco floors from back in the ’70s even featured revolving floors. These were usually elevated and had mechanical components underneath that would slowly move the floor in a circular motion. This type of floor is not seen anymore, but you can still find a fun and exciting disco dance flooring in clubs and dance halls quite easily today.
Portable Dance Flooring, Pack It Up and Go!
If you’ve got a budding young dance star or simply want to get extra practice at home, then portable dance flooring is the perfect addition for your home. It’s convenient because you don’t need to spend extra money on a costly renovation just to get some proper dance flooring installed. Because they are designed to be easily transported, a portable dance floor is very lightweight and can be pieced together quickly and easily. They are also available in many colors and styles so you can pick the one that fits your home the best. The original portable dance floor tiles were made of thick plywood, but today you can have your pick of laminate tiles, polymer foam, and more. The traditional wooden dance floor is still a top pick because it provides a natural surface and at the same time instantly spruces up the look of your home.
Professional grade dance flooring, even though it can be packed up and moved from locale to locale, requires a team of trained handlers and can be quite a task to install because the pieces are so big. Fortunately, the portable dance floor options available today are suited for individuals, meaning you can buy small tiles that interlock easily. Buy a dance floor set and you can have your very own dance flooring set up within a matter of your hours, without needing any help from anyone. Unwrap each tile and piece it with the next into the lock pattern and you’re done. You don’t even have to worry about it securing it down as tiles today often come with adhesives on the backing.
There is not shortage of dance floor styles and colors available for your to browse. Laminate tiles are cheap and durable and can even be designed to look exactly like wood at only a fraction of the cost. If you prefer a stone or marbled look, laminate dance tiles have you covered there as well. All of the traditional colors that you might want are also available, from the basic black and white to exotic colors like mahogany, cherry red and brown, or eggshell white. Another option you can customize is the surface finish. Choose from a matte or glossy finish to fit right in with your home decor.
If you like the wooden look, then know that laminate floors offer the same warmth as real wood. The sound is more muffled but still great. If you are a tap dancer, definitely give laminate a consideration. Many tap dancers love the sound from these kinds of dance tiles. They are also much cheaper than real wood. However, if it is within your budget, then there is no match to a real wooden dance floor just like from the glory days past. The best woods are maple or walnut and the thickness of the tiles should give off a rich and deep echo. Wood dance floors will be much heavier and will therefore take a bit more time to install. If you can look past it, then wooden dance flooring is truly unrivaled in performance.
With so many portable dance flooring types available, you will definitely have your hands full determining the right one for your home. Laminate is the common go-to flooring nowadays due to its affordability and wide range of looks from faux wood to stone. Wooden floors are heavier and more expensive, but they offer great sound and feel. Whatever dance flooring you choose, you can be assured it will be easy to install and a joy to dance on.
Ballet and Tap Dance Flooring Compared
It doesn’t matter if you are into ballet or tap dancing, the fact remains that both dance genres require a solid dance flooring foundation which is critical to your development as a dancer. A solid dance flooring will enable you to perform dance moves you’ve learned in class correctly and protect your body at the same time. If you’re looking at joining a dance studio, you can check their floors to see if it is the correct fit for your dance style. If you’re interested in adding a dance floor to your home, this is also very important to get right. A dance floor in your own home will allow you to get in extra practice any time you want without having to leave your house. Depending on your style, whether it is ballet or tap dancing, you’ll need different features from your floor so you can perform well on it and maintain your physical health.
For ballet dancers, the dance flooring should be specially designed just for ballet. This is because in ballet there are many moves that require leaping and jumping. A proper ballet floor shouldn’t produce much noise and in fact should keep most steps muffled. Ballet requires a slow floor since there is a great deal of balancing and a fast floor can be too slippery to keep a good balance. This requirement is evident in ballet shoes which are coated with rosin, the same stuff that violinists use in their strings for friction, to prevent slippage while performing. The floor should also be accommodating for ballet shoes, which are very light fabrics that will wear out quickly on the wrong type of flooring.
Tap dancers have completely different needs for their flooring. Where a ballet dancer wants a muffled floor, a tap dancer needs to have a floor that will make a lot of noise and even certain acoustic properties. In tap dancing there is a lot of foot pounding on the floor. This is dissimilar to ballet where you must leap, jump, and land gently. This calls for a much faster floor to allow such tap dancing moves as sliding and scraping. In fact, a tap dance floor needs to be very smooth. The surface must also be able to take a tap dancer’s footwear which has hard metal taps anchored on bottom of the soles.
Regardless of your preferred dancing style, you’ll need what is called a sprung floor. To define this term, first imagine a hard concrete floor. It has no give or bounce and is a very hard surface. A sprung floor is the opposite, offering a bit of resiliency and slight springiness. It is important to protect your knees and legs while dancing, and a sprung floor will absorb some of the shock from your body so you aren’t taking the full impact of every bounce. A good dance flooring will alleviate joint wear and prevent pain in the knees and ankles.
Not all dance flooring is created equal. There are different flooring types to suit every dance type imaginable. As far as ballet and tap dancing goes, they are as far apart in floor requirements as any two dance styles and offer a great illustration of why it is so important to get a dance flooring that is suited to your needs. It will not only increase your performance and allow you practice closer to the “real thing” but will keep you from wearing down your body. Make sure you always perform on the proper dance flooring, whether at home or in the studio.