Dancing is one of the most direct ways for us to express ourselves when we feel like we need to let some of our energy out. Whether you prefer jazz, ballet, or contemporary, you’ll need somewhere to sharpen your skills, and dance studios around the country tend to be a great option (at least in non-pandemic times).

While people may put a lot of thought into picking the right dance studio, they don’t always consider the kind of dance flooring that is used at these venues. Over the course of today’s guide, I’m going to explore what you should look for in dance flooring when deciding between various types of dance floor tiles.

Dance Floor Energy Absorption

One of the first things to consider in your dance flooring is its ability to absorb energy, much like Marley floors can. This is why a sprung floor is such a great choice for dancers, as it will compress with each use, allowing you to rebound off of the surface with more energy than you otherwise would have.

The installation of Marley floors and other specialized dance flooring types with good energy absorption can often get expensive, especially since you’ll need a professional to do so. The quality of your flooring is another thing to consider, as high-end flooring will cost a pretty penny.

Lateral Support of Dance Floors

You’ll also want to make sure that your dance floor has sufficient lateral support, meaning that it won’t deform when someone dances on it. This will help ensure that dancers don’t end up injuring themselves when they’re up on the stage, ensuring that a twisted ankle doesn’t result in an unfortunate end to your event.

Once again, there are many dance floors available to choose from if you’re looking for good lateral support, but Marley flooring is once again a front-runner in this case. To see if your dance floor has proper lateral support, press against it with your fingers to see how hard it is. There shouldn’t be much “give,” if any.

Non-Slip Dance Floor Tiles

Whether it’s a permanent or portable dance floor, you’ll want it to be as safe as possible since you don’t want to have injured dancers on your hand because you used a polished wood floor. In many dance disciplines, you’ll want to make sure that there is as small of a chance of your dancer slipping as possible.

Keep in mind that certain types of dance may take advantage of the dancer’s ability to slip over the dance floor, so this won’t always be the best option. Thankfully, you have so many flooring options available that you’ll be able to satiate everyone’s needs, ranging from tap dance to hip hop.

Multi-Purpose Dance Floors

Speaking of flooring options, the great variety that you have available becomes critical when looking for multi-purpose flooring. A practice dance floor should typically be multi-purpose, especially if dancers with a variety of skill sets tend to use it. Some dance flooring installations may even feature a subfloor that you can swap in.

Also, if your space is used for more than just flooring, you may want to opt for a portable dance flooring installation that can be rolled out instead of remaining permanent. This will allow you to alter the surface, making it more suitable for dancers of many different disciplines.

Some dance flooring makers may even offer several roll-out floors in a single package. This will allow you to swap between surface options on the fly, allowing your dancers to practice ballet on one day and then jazz on the next day.

Professional dance studios may even have separate dance rooms that are dedicated to different dance styles. This will allow them to set up quality, permanent flooring that will both look and work great without having to commit to a single type of dance flooring.

Dance Flooring Safety

The last (and most important) thing to consider when picking out dance flooring is whether or not it is designed to be as safe as possible. Whether or not a dance floor is safe depends on two factors: its shock absorbency and whether or not it will allow a dancer to slip and fall (which we’ve already discussed).

A dance floor needs to be able to absorb your energy to ensure that you don’t get injured if you fall on it. When a dance floor absorbs energy, it’s actually stopping the energy of that impact from being transferred to your body, and that energy is what causes injuries in the first place.

Consider the difference between falling in a pool of water and falling on a concrete parking lot. Since the water in your pool absorbs your energy, you don’t get hurt by the fall. The same holds true for dance flooring, so sprung floors and other kinds of shock-absorbent dance floors are the safest.