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for general types of fl oor, but not yet for dance fl oors. Although it is customary to specify compliance with a published and recognised standard, using general fl ooring or sports fl oor standards will not ensure the right fl oor is installed. Only a fl oor developed specifi cally for dance will do. There may be a temptation to specify fl oors for aesthetic or budget reasons, or to specify sports fl oors in the mistaken belief they will be suitable for dance but there have been some high-profi le examples where fl oors have had to be replaced by a dance company after the building is complete, and dancers have their fi rst experience of dancing on the fl oors.
Correlating the subjective evaluation USC Kaufman © Ema Peter
There is a common misconception that a well- designed sports fl oor will suit the needs of dancers
Anyone specifying fl oors for dance should remember that dancers may not be the commissioning clients, but they are the end users. Major dance companies understand this, which is why it is not uncommon to ask their dancers to ‘test’ fl oors before the fi nal choice is made.
There is a common misconception that a well-designed sports fl oor will suit the needs of dancers.
There are some critical factors that distinguish the requirements of dance from those of sports played on a sports fl oor. Many sports require a fi rm fl oor which allows balls to bounce predictably. By contrast, dancers need more absorption from the fl oor to protect them on landing from jumps. A good dance fl oor instils confi dence in dancers to give full expression to their creativity, safe in the knowledge the dance fl oor will offer a consistent response. Unlike sportsmen who wear increasingly high-tech air-cushioned shoes to give grip and protect against impact injuries, the modest ballet shoe has barely changed in design since the mid-18th century. Made from soft leather, canvas or satin, the ballet shoe is very fl exible, has a thin sole, and offers little protection for the wearer. But not all dance fl oors are the same, there are recognised international standards
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of fl oors as judged by dancers with measurement criteria has prompted a number of avenues for research, particularly in the fi eld of biomechanics. One leading researcher is Dr Boni Rietveld, a retired orthopaedic surgeon at the Centre for Medicine, Dance and Music in The Hague, Netherlands and past president of the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science. Rietveld observed: “There is a distinction to make between injuries caused by the fl oor and those caused accidentally. As far as the former are concerned, it is evident that there is a cause and effect relationship between dancers’ injuries and the fl oor on which they perform. “Generally, dancers should refuse to perform on unsuitable fl oors and demand the right to have a touring fl oor that has the same absorbent characteristics as the fl oor installed in their rehearsal studio. In this way, we would certainly be able to prolong the career of dancers, who, at the moment, stop at 35 years of age, because their bodies no longer work properly, or because of injury.
“In my opinion, a dance fl oor should be neither too supple nor too soft. A hard fl oor has the effect of causing serious return shock waves and can bring about injuries or premature wear in the cartilage. A soft fl oor causes the muscles, and therefore the tendons, to work harder. Additionally, a fl oor that is too soft can be dangerous for dancers because of the effect of surprise.” Another researcher is dance scientist and biomechanics expert Dr Luke Hopper with his pioneering research investigating the effects of dance fl oors on dancer performance and injury. Luke explained: “Dance fl oors are an
ADF MAY 2025
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