Percussive dance is any type of dance that requires the dancer to strike the ground with power to create and generate sound. Percussive dance and its many variations embrace faucet, clogging, Irish dance, some types of Indian Dance, character/folkloric, South African Boot, flamenco, African and a few Native American Dance. Percussive sound can also be utilized in cheer, spirit and social dance.
Here, we take a look at the necessary parts of a superb percussive dance ground.
#1. Sound
Since the first function of a percussive ground is to generate sound, or by means of affect trigger an “instrument” to generate sound, resembling with faucets or kathak bells, sound technology is a essential consideration in figuring out your flooring system alternative. In a studio or on stage, producing sound additionally could contain amplifying it.
Hardwood or a heavy-duty Marley are the most effective selections to your put on layer. Stay away from pine and bamboo. They are too delicate. Instead, think about oak, maple or ash. Marley flooring which can be delicate, reversible or have foam backing will not be going to assist create sound or stand as much as the abuse that percussive dance inflicts. Select a tough, dense Marley designed for faucet and percussive dance.
The choice of the highest floor is barely a part of the story. Your subfloor is, in truth, a very powerful ingredient in creating sound. Install wooden or Marley over carpet or rubber, and the sound is degraded to the purpose of an unacceptable uninteresting thud. Install over a floating wooden subfloor with a lifeless air area between the slab and the wooden, and the sound is amplified. On stage in a theatre, most flooring have to be miked. Stagestep’s Encore moveable hardwood flooring system, in lots of circumstances, doesn’t require synthetic sound amplification. Besides the quantity of sound, one other consideration is the standard of the sound. Equalizers can assist for amplified flooring together with correct placement of the mikes.
In a studio, wooden flooring are likely to sound higher. However, a heavy-duty Marley over a floating wooden subfloor is an in depth second. Acoustics within the room can add or subtract amplitude and sound high quality. Room acoustics will be adjusted by the location of absorptive or reflective sound parts on the partitions.
#2. Lateral foot help
Whether you dance in footwear, boots, socks or naked ft, steadiness is a essential ingredient. It is particularly necessary with percussive dance as a result of it’s normally one foot that’s putting the ground whereas the opposite is used for steadiness even whether it is for a microsecond.
Lateral foot help is the flexibility of the ground to offer a degree and secure floor for the balancing foot. The floor itself should stay supportive of the balancing foot. A trampoline is an instance of a floor that gives nearly no essential help laterally. Surfaces counting on direct contact with compression supplies resembling foam, rubber or any spongy substance is nearly not possible to work on as a result of it doesn’t present constant stability. A suspended (floating) wooden subfloor is good.
#3. Structural integrity
Every time a dancer jumps, thrice their physique weight impacts the ground. Multiply by 20 to 40 dancers per class, and the structural integrity of your flooring system turns into a priority.
If you’re constructing your individual subfloor, use two layers of ½” plywood. Using the correct quantity of froth blocks, cubes or kinds is essential; too many and also you lose protected return of reliant vitality; not sufficient foam could cause it to compress leading to subfloor failure. If you’re utilizing different supplies, check the tenacity of the subfloor earlier than constructing out. Stagestep has an set up information on-line that particulars supplies to make use of in constructing your individual floating subfloor.
#4. Shock absorbency
All that percussive banging into the ground can negatively affect your physique. Stress fracture, fatigue, and knee, foot and again accidents can shortly observe. The switch of vitality into the ground must be depraved away, or safely returned through resilient vitality (spring). It is critically necessary to the well being and well-being of the dancers and their trainer. Suspended floating wooden flooring flex and return protected vitality (with much less affect) to the dancer. Foam methods beneath the subfloor wooden compress, absorbing vitality, so the general result’s low-impact to the physique by 35-60 p.c, relying on the supplies and configuration of the floating wooden subfloor. A flooring system that reduces shock is a safer ground.
#5. Coefficient of friction
Percussive dance varies in approach and footwear (or naked ft). How that ground feels can affect consolation and efficiency. It is necessary to match your dance fashion to the ground that works for you. Test or have a historical past of the ground floor before you purchase. Check with the gross sales crew. Wood will be tough or easy. It will be very non-slip or as quick as ice. Marley flooring normally function in a narrower vary; nevertheless, they are often textured or easy, and the distinction could make a distinction.
#6. Care/upkeep
Percussive dance will be significantly arduous on flooring. Irish, faucet and flamenco can put on and tear a ground floor plus go away behind residue, scuff and dye marks.
Wood and vinyl can get dented or scuffed, particularly if footwear are in disrepair. So, the very first thing to do is preserve, clear and examine your footwear. A unfastened screw, nail or worn faucet could cause speedy and everlasting harm.
Clean the ground often with a detergent/degreaser (Proclean). This will choose up filth, grime and perspiration. It won’t remove scuff or dye marks. You will want Wipeout Plus for use as a spot remover. You might have a stiff brush to help in eradicating scuff and dye marks earlier than cleansing with ProfessionalClean detergent/degreaser.
Do not let the dye or scuff marks stay in your ground for any size of time. Left to their units, they are going to transmute into your ground, making it virtually not possible to take away.
Aluminum compound residue requires fully completely different methods to take away. Detergent and water won’t assist. Check out Stagestep’s Maintenance Guide at stagestep.com for all of the solutions. Twice a yr, or maybe extra usually, deep clear your ground with ProfessionalClean Ultra and a ground machine, and a inexperienced pad. Wood flooring will have to be screened and/or sanded periodically relying on use. Floorshield II is a protecting ground end made particularly for dance and is accessible for each wooden and Marley flooring. It will defend the floor, scale back upkeep and preserve a protected non-slip consistency.
Percussive flooring that do the job for the best way you progress require a number of concerns: sound quantity and high quality, structural integrity, shock absorption, correct ground and shoe upkeep, and acceptable floor friction. Check out Stagestep for extra. Online, you may request samples and/or a quote.
For extra data on Stagestep and to buy the merchandise, go to www.stagestep.com.
