Deb,

You don't say what kind of dancing is being done, how long the dance lasts
and how many dancers dance at one time.  Is your dance activity a one-time
event or like Gadsby's, does it happen with great frequency and includes
public participation?  Are you sure the floor boards date back to the 18th
century, or like Gadsby's, was an old floor that by the 1970s, everyone
thought was 18th century? It sounds like you are using the hallway of the
house for dancing, which was commonly done in the 18th century.  Hallway
floors saw a lot more traffic than floors in the rooms off of the hallway;
chances are that it may not be old or date back to when the house was built.
It's hard to advise you without knowing how you use your floor and what kind
of floor you really have.

Having worked at Gadsby's Tavern Museum and with the dance program, I would
advise the following:
1.  Check with your dancers about add-ons to the dance floor. Let them advise
you about what surface can or cannot be used for dancing. Dancing on anything
other than a regular surface is difficult and dangerous.  You could have
dancers tripping on a mat (regardless of how thin) or falling off a stage
(regardless of how high).
2.  Get a floor expert to tell you about your floor.  Granted, finding
someone who actually knows what an 18th century floor looks like is hard, but
you might find someone who could date the floor you have.  They would look
not only at the wood but also at how the boards were laid.
3.  Once your floor is dated, then re-assess how you will use it.  If it is
truly the original floor or old enough to be historic, you have something
unique and wonderful and you may not want to have any dancing take place on
it.  You will instead want to protect it with a carpet.  Hallways often had
carpeting. You will want to check your house inventory for your period of
interpretation if there is one, or check to see if inventories of other
houses in your vicinity show hall floor coverings.
4.  If it is not the original floor or one that could qualify as historic,
don't worry about it!  Go ahead and let your dancers use the floor without
any covering at all.  But like all well-used floors, you will have to replace
floor boards from time to time and will have to budget for that. If anyone
tells you to sand it, find another floor expert!

Finally, do check with the Gadsby staff in Alexandria, VA.  Gadsby's puts on
many balls and dances throughout the year in its 18th-century ballroom and
attracts quite a crowd each time. They are the true experts when it comes to
dancers, dance masters and staying true to the period dance form and
protecting original elements of a historic house.

Monta Lee


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