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The Royal Ballet & Opera: Over 30 years of Flooring Excellence with Harlequin
T he Royal Ballet & Opera and
Harlequin have a long-standing relationship lasting over 30 years, working collaboratively across a variety of productions and performance spaces. Throughout this partnership,
has supplied sprung and vinyl performance fl oors,
supporting the safety,
Harlequin precision
and artistic excellence of both ballet and opera performances.
At the heart of the Royal Ballet & Opera is the main auditorium stage, a solid theatre stage predominantly used during opera productions. However, when The Royal Ballet needs to rehearse or perform on the main stage, the stage crew begins the transformation using a bespoke ballet wagon. This wagon is fi tted with Harlequin Liberty sprung fl oor panels, designed to deliver support and responsiveness to ballet dancers. The ballet wagon allows for an easy transition between a rigid theatre stage for opera and a sprung fl oor for ballet. Stuart Robertson, Assistant Technical Director at Royal Ballet & Opera, said: “When the ballet dancers come onto the stage they know that the fl ooring is always the same sprung fl oor. I think this is very important for us in order to provide that confi dence across the technical teams and the dance companies.” The Royal Ballet & Opera also rehearse in their studios, each equipped with Harlequin sprung
fl ooring and Harlequin Cascade
performance vinyl. Emma Wilson, Director of Technical, Production & Costume, said: “A sprung fl oor means that we’ve got the safety of our dancers and the quality of their
performance at the forefront of our minds.” Among the fi ve studios, the Clore Studio stands out as a versatile space, often used for rehearsals as well as performances by visiting companies. With its seating tiers, it offers an intimate setting that supports both creative exploration and public engagement. As well as the theatre auditorium that is home to various opera and ballet productions throughout each season, there is the Linbury Theatre inside the opera house. Last year Harlequin worked with the Royal Ballet & Opera on a production of Dark With Excessive Bright in the Linbury Theatre.
The Dark With Excessive Bright production consisted of three custom designed stages, all with a Harlequin Liberty sprung fl oor, in a teardrop-like shape. The Royal Ballet & Opera chose a Harlequin Cascade vinyl performance fl oor for the three stages and a Harlequin Reversible Pro performance vinyl fl oor underneath and in between each stage. For more information or guidance on specifying the right fl ooring for your performance space, contact us.
01892 514 888 enquiries@harlequinfl
oors.com
WWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK
ADF MAY 2025
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