What Entails a Quality Dance Floor?

A sprung floor is a dance floor which absorbs the physical shocks of the dancer's landings and gives it a softer feel. A dancer should never compromise or hold back because of a poorly constructed dance floor. What exactly makes one sprung floor better than another?

Sprung dance floors are typically comprised of two components - a surface floor and a subfloor. You'll often hear them described as a "floating floor". The surface floor gives the right amount of resistance or appropriate friction for the style of dance performed. The subfloor provides the necessary resilience to help protect the dancers' joints and muscles from injury. Both components are necessary to ensure a healthy and safe dance environment.

How these two components are put together and used differentiates one sprung dance floor from another. Here is a short list of the different types of sprung floors and the dance styles they are best suited for:

• Tap Dance Floor - This is a wooden dance floor built to provide that distinctive hardwood sound. They often come with a durable slip resistant urethane finish. These dance floors are recommended for Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Hip Hop, Lyrical, Irish Step Dance, Ballroom, Swing, and Flamenco dance styles.
• Birch Dance Floor - These dance floors are made from birch wood and provides dancers with a quality floating sprung floor, not to mention the superb beauty associated with birchwood. "Marley" dance floors, are often birch dance floors covered with a vinyl overlay. These floors are great for nearly all forms of dance.

Each of these two styles of dance floors comes with different urethane options for the floor surface. Again, each holds its own distinct advantages for the sort of dance you will be performing.

• SS Medium - This urethane option is ideal for medium speed dances and is excellent for all forms of dance without any vinyl covering. It does require the use of rosin for pointe performances. For a percussive dance, the SS Medium is more durable than HP Slow.
• HP Slow - This is the perfect dance flooring for slower speeds. It is excellent for all forms of dance including pointe. Many ballroom dancers have complained that the HP Slow is too sluggish for their style of dance.

With a quality made sprung dance floor, dancers of all varieties will enjoy the benefits of dancing in a comfortable, injury-free atmosphere.