Skip to content
Australia (English)
hero light overlay.103732

sectors

Floor Information
for Architects

World leader in advanced technology flooring for dance, Harlequin manufactures, supplies and installs a range of long-lasting, durable portable and permanent sprung and vinyl floors for the dance, theatre and the performing arts. Harlequin has led the way in the development of the modern dance floor and is the trusted supplier of performance floors to the world’s most prestigious dance and performing arts companies, theatres, venues and schools.

Harlequin offers a turn-key solution for all performance spaces, from initial design and build through to completion and expert installation, offering advice and guidance every step of the way.  With an extensive range of sprung floors, vinyl floors, ballet barres and dance studio equipment, Harlequin can provide everything a good performance space requires.

As an enlightened manufacturer Harlequin has always worked closely with dance scientists, experts in biomechanics and the dance community to develop floors that are tailored to the specific requirements of dancers. The right dance floor makes an important contribution to safe performance by reducing the risk of slips and falls or longer-term stress injuries.

All Harlequin floors exceed the requirements of relevant standards including BS EN14904 and BS EN 1991.

Harlequin is committed to sustainable development and corporate responsibility forms a fundamental part of our business strategy.

For further information, advice and support, please contact our technical sales team. Alternatively, call us on +61 (2) 9620 7770 where a member of our team will be happy to answer any questions you have.


Architects

Harlequin’s sprung floors, stage systems, vinyl performance floors and dance studio equipment are all available on Archify, enabling you to add the specification information directly to your projects at the touch of a button.

Images, brochures, BIM objects, product specifications, and sustainability policies are also available on Archify providing valuable resources for every stage of your project.

  • BIM Objects available
  • Third-party certificates
  • Sustainability data
  • Acoustic data
  • Verified BIM objects to industry standard
harlequin floors archify cpd logo 1 1

Architects

The importance of specifying the correct performance floor and the consequences of getting it wrong.

Did you know that a three-hour dance performance is equivalent to two 90-minute football games, or running 19 miles? Or that eight out of ten dancers sustain an injury every year?

That’s why the right floor is critical, and why architects and specifiers have a duty of care when specifying the correct floor for dance and the performing arts.

A fit-for-purpose floor protects performers’ physical health, helps them achieve their best and can prolong their career. If the dancers are not confident and happy with the performance of the floor they spend hours using, it can often result in the flooring being uplifted and replaced with a more suitable alternative. Specifying the wrong floor can also have severe economic consequences.

The Harlequin CPD Seminar uses comprehensive data and case studies to outline:

  • Important considerations when specifying a performance floor, and the economic consequences of getting it wrong
  • The increasing importance of scientific research and dancer health and safety
  • A look at the types of performance floors
  • Recent Harlequin case studies
  • Sustainability

Harlequin is widely recognised as the world’s leading authority on dance floors. As an enlightened manufacturer, Harlequin continues to work with dance industry specialists around the world to research and develop floors that dancers are confident to dance on.

The Harlequin range of advanced technology performance floors are designed and developed using research from medical experts and tested by performers. They provide the ultimate dance surface with some degree of traction to offer greater protection and minimise the risk of potential injury as a result of accidental slipping or falling. This increases the confidence of dancers, which directly enhances their ability to perform.

Harlequin Floors is the world leader in advanced technology floors and stage systems for the performing arts. Our performance floors are the industry choice for the world’s most prestigious dance and performing arts companies, theatres, venues and schools.

We manufacture and supply a range of high quality sprung and vinyl floors and specialise in the building and refurbishment of bespoke stage systems.

We have extensive experience working on projects with architects and main contractors at leading venues and dance schools around the world. Our expert team is trusted by architects and specifiers to help them create spaces that are suitable for dance, professional performance and rehearsal. Harlequin dance floors meet performance aspirations and conform to health and safety requirements.


Dance Floors For Education | Harlequin Floors

It is a common assumption that a well-designed sports floor will suit the needs of dancers, but this is not the case. Sprung floors for sport are tested for adequate ball bounce and athletes require a high degree of energy return or ‘spring’. Dancers have little interest in ball bounce and require a combination of shock absorption and energy return. For a dancer, the quality and consistency of both the sprung floor and dance surface is critical. Every dance step or jump on an unyielding surface wears down the resilience of the body and increases the risk of injury and the prospect of long-term damage.

A sprung floor is designed to offer cushioning and impact reduction when landing after jumps or similar movements. Lower limb problems such as tendonitis, ‘shin splints’, knee pain and ankle strain can all be attributed to incorrectly specified sprung floors. Such injuries can have a significant bearing on the longevity of a performer’s career.

Floors developed for general industrial, commercial or sports applications do not offer the benefits that dancers appreciate when they talk about the ‘feel’ of the floor. Only floors developed for dance do that.

Medical research into dance injuries supports the benefits a suitably designed sprung floor contributes towards reducing the type of injuries associated with dancing on hard, unyielding floors. The degree of spring is also critical, sufficient to absorb the impact of dancers landing from jumps, but not bouncy like a trampoline and localised so that the landing does not affect other dancers nearby.

Historically, the choice of performance surface was between a wooden floor and linoleum, until the advent of purpose developed vinyl floors, pioneered by Harlequin and others, during the 1970s.

Although it may be tempting to opt for a wooden floor for purely aesthetic reasons, or a commercial grade vinyl for reasons of cost, Harlequin offer many options specifically designed for dance.

The main criterion for dancers in judging performance is slip-resistance, dubbed “traction” by many in the dance community. Although sports people share concern about the risk of slipping and falling, they again are generally protected by their footwear from floors that might be considered a slip hazard for dancers, for example some hard-lacquered wood floors.

A well-installed hardwood sprung floor, properly finished and maintained, does look attractive and, specifically for ballroom dance, is a desirable choice. Softwood floors are rarely an option because even with a lacquered surface they are too readily susceptible to damage, gouging and splintering. However, with correct preparation and sealing, softwood floors can indeed provide a very acceptable sub-floor on which to install a Harlequin vinyl or hardwood performance surface.

Harlequin Vinyl Dance Floors
architevcts

Currently, no standards exist which relate specifically to dance floors. Harlequin floors are fully tested in accordance with European Standard for surfaces for indoor facilities for multi-sports use, EN 14904:2006 by the Centre for Sports Technology Ltd in London. We deem this an adequate measure for sprung floors, but inadequate with regards to slip resistance of performance surfaces.

The European Standard EN 14904:2006 requires tests for shock absorption, vertical deformation, area deflection and behaviour under rolling load.

Force Reduction (shock absorption)
The ‘Force Reduction’ test measures the degree by which the floor reduces the impact force which occurs when an athlete, or dancer, lands on it. The test is carried out on a concrete floor as well as on the floor under test and the result quoted is the amount by which the force measured on the test floor is lower than the force measured on concrete.

Vertical Deflection
In the ‘Vertical Deflection’ test, the amount by which the floor deflects under impact load is measured directly.

Area Deflection
Area Deflection is measured using a modification of the vertical deflection apparatus. The purpose of the test is to ensure that one athlete or dancer standing on the floor will not be excessively disturbed by the movements of another nearby.

Resistance to a Rolling Load
The ‘Rolling Load Resistance’ test is carried out on two structurally critical areas of the floor. A steel wheel whose width, diameter and corner radii are defined, is loaded to 1500 N and is rolled repeatedly over the surface of each area. After 300 passes, the floor is examined for damage.

The European Standard also tests for vertical ball behaviour (‘ball bounce’) which is irrelevant in a dance floor, and ‘Friction’ which we deem an inadequate measure of the slip-resistance required in a dance surface.

The results of all tests on Harlequin floors can be found in the Specification Sheets for each product.


Harlequin provides unrivalled specialist knowledge in the creation of performance spaces. They have the experience to offer excellent advice and are always focused on providing the most suitable solution for each individual project.

Andrew Stone

Theatre Consultant, Drama by Design for UAL

UALcsm1

Contact us

Contact one of our experienced team and we’ll find the best solution for you. Connect with us by phone or email or for an instant response please click on our live chat.

Tel: +61 (2) 9620 7770

Click to call