WHAT ARE YOU DANCING ON?

You may have heard the term “sprung floor” thrown around. Maybe you are just curious what is best for dancers to dance on. Here’s your answer: sprung floors!

What is a sprung floor?

What does it mean when a dance floor is “sprung” and why is it so important? Being “sprung” mean the floor has give, it bounces and moves along with the dancer. This is important because a floor with give is easier on a dancer’s joints than a floor with out. Imagine landing repeatedly on concrete as opposed to landing repeatedly on a cushion of air. A sprung floor isn’t exactly a cushion of air but its unique design allows for the give that helps dancers joints through long training hours. 

How is a sprung floor made?

Many studios call their floors “sprung” but unfortunately they aren’t truly the construction of a sprung floor. Many floors have a foam underlay, which does help with shock absorbency but doesn’t have the spring of a true sprung floor. You notice that the floor at IDP are raised about three inches. This is because of the design of the spring! Under the marley that your dancer dances on there are two layers of plywood and under that there are three layers of 1×4 wooden beams cross-hatched together, and glued to the bottom layer of these beams are 2 inch pieces of foam, spaced 6 inches apart. It is think complicated pattern that creates the spring in IDP’s sprung floor. 

At IDP we believe that dance-training has benefits for one’s entire life and we want to create a training atmosphere that is safe for a dancer to train many hours and still be healthy. A sprung floor is an important part of this mission. Check out our photos to see how our floor was constructed and feel free to pop in and feel the bounce for yourself.