Sprung Dance Floors

Have you ever heard of sprung dance floors? I dance on a sprung dance floor almost every day! Why was this technology developed and how do different types of engineers contribute to the sprung dance floor’s design and manufacture? The creation of this type of dance floor has revolutionized dance and made life better for dancers. Its development came from a place of experience and necessity.

Sprung floor engineer, David Sukonik, danced on traditional ballet floors which were wood on top of concrete. Dancing on these floors day in and day out was very bad for his body and caused injuries to both joints and muscles. He decided that there must be a better floor for dancing that would help protect dancer’s bodies. When the National Ballet of Maryland, the ballet company he was dancing with at the time, decided to move to a new location he took the opportunity to design and implement his sprung floor idea. He created a subfloor that was a sort of weaving of wood that allowed the floor to give a little as dancers danced. Since then, he has designed and installed over two hundred of these floors.

Constraints, complaints, who wants constraints? In the beginning, it was a bit of trial and error for engineer and dancer David Sukonik. He now says that his products today hardly resemble the original conception but that the purpose is the same. He has faced challenges that include different shaped rooms, different wood types, and different dance styles. In the beginning, he used the materials that he had on hand and some additional lumber from a local lumber yard. Now he uses specific products and integrates the latest advances in construction materials as well as cutting edge design.

The subfloor is like a woven basket! Underneath the dance floor there is five layers of woven wood and a layer of plywood! They can put any type of dance flooring on top! The basic concept of the sprung subfloor has not changed very much over the years but as technology gets more advanced so does flooring. Now the top layer can be a wood floor or marley, which is a sheet vinyl product. In the future, sensors could be placed underneath the flooring, above the subfloor, that measure force and pressure. This data could be used to help dancers understand the physics of their movements and help them conquer some of their hardest challenges. Many sports use technology such as this but the performing arts are very traditional and have been reluctant to use such technology in their training regimes. I would love to use such technology to improve my dancing technique.

After the installation of sprung dance floors, ballet companies and studio owners who made the decision to switch their floors realized that this flooring technique helped to prevent injuries. I have never had a dance injury because of these new amazing floors. The experience and engineering that came together to make this technology possible is essential to maintaining my health as I dance over twenty hours a week.

Many different engineers contributed to the building of the sprung floor. For example, chemical engineers contribute to the sprung dance floor because they treat the dance floors before they are put on the six other layers. Chemical engineers developed the sheet vinyl, marley, which is most commonly used for dancing. This is only one of the many types of engineers that contributed to the process of the sprung floor.

I would love to be an engineer that helps in the process of making the sprung floors and making improvements for dancers. Dance can be very traditional and new technology is grudgingly embraced. This subfloor technique is an excellent example of how technology and engineering come together to create a safer and more functional product. I love these floors! Because of them, I can leap higher and dance longer. They help my body so much! I wish I could make them too!

DanseTrack. (2012, November 19) Impressive dance floors by Bolo Productions. Retrieved from http://dansetrack.com/bolo-productions-david-sukonick/

Bolo Productions. (n.d.) The ultimate in dance floors dance videography. Retrieved from http://www.boloproductions.com/