What is the Most Important Equipment for your Dancer?

When thinking about the various equipment that you need for you dancer, certain obvious things come to mind - shoes, tights, uniform, dance bag, water bottle ... but many parents don't stop to think about the one piece of equipment that can have a greater impact on your dancer's health and performance. It is the one thing they cannot dance without, and the answer is standing right in front of you, or more accurately, beneath you.

I am speaking of course of the dance floor. Most dancers and parents are not necessarily aware of the details around subfloors, sprung floors, floating floors, and Marley floors. But dancing on anything less than a well-constructed floor can lead to serious injury.

Dancers should never train, rehearse or perform on a non-energy absorbent floor, such as concrete.  Any substance laid directly on concrete is equally dangerous. Dancing on hard floors can produce serious return shock waves, causing premature wear on cartilage and damage to muscles and joints. If there is not any decompression of the surface when your feet hit the floor, none of the force dissipates into the floor, and instead all the force is returned into your legs.

Laminate or other products laid directly on concrete do not absorb the shock waves to the body that dancing creates. Just because you see wood on the floor does not mean it is safe.

Dancing on the wrong floor will result in fatigue, pain and injury.  Shin splints, fatigue, knee and back problems, strains, Achilles tendonitis, premature wear of cartilage, and even broken foot bones can result from continuous use of a non-absorbent floor. 

The best way to prevent against potential injury is by choosing a studio with a professional "floating floor". A floating floor is a dance floor that rests on a system of high-density foam, to absorb the shock of jumping.

The top layer of the dance floor is also an important factor. A vinyl composite "Marley" floor is accepted worldwide as the best surface layer for recreational to professional dance. Facilities such as the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the Royal Academy of Dance in London, England, and many others all use Marley floors as their dance surface. A Marley floor allows dancers to slide, with a degree of "controlled slip", but is not slippery so there is less risk of slips and falls.

Very few studios use professional Marley floors because of the expense involved, and usually opt for a regular floor tile for a studio floor, or use laminate applied directly over concrete.

Our Stouffville studios have floating floors that have thousands of high density foam blocks under the floor surface. Our special floors help reduce the risk of injuries and allow students to dance longer without getting tired.

Wherever you choose to dance and train, don’t be afraid to ask the staff and owners about their floors. You dancer’s health depends on it.