Hi Deb,

      I used to be involved with dance of various sorts and have seen
several approaches.  Don't use rubber!  It would be dangerous to the
dancers.  For the same reason that sneakers are not good dance shoes,
they can stick to the floor at the wrong time and cause a twisted
ankle.

      Portable dance floors come in sections and can fit together in
any configuration.  If one rental company does not have enough pieces
to cover the floor, maybe find another company has the same brand and
they can be combined to have a large enough floor.  You may be
thinking of hotel wedding receptions where the dance floor often
seems too small, but they can be made larger.

      As for weight, if a sectional floor is too heavy, then is it
wise to have a bunch of people bouncing rhythmically on the floor?
That's what happens with 18thC country dancing, where all of the
dancers are doing the same steps at once!  Perhaps talk to Gadsby's
Tavern Museum, where they host period dances regularly.
<[log in to unmask]>

      At one swing dance competition, a wooden floor was a necessity.
The hotel was concerned about the sectional floor staining the carpet
in their ballroom.  (The floor sections screw together, so there may
have been some grease around the screws, not to mention dirt from
previous uses.)  The committee had to put down a layer of fabric (I
think they used canvas) underneath the floor.

      One dance club made their own portable floor, which was better
than the hotel floors.  They used 4 x 8' pieces of plywood and built
a framework underneath so the pieces could fasten together.  I think
the club is in North Carolina; let me know if you want me to track
down contact information.  It would still be a heavy floor, but a
team of volunteers can put it together and take it apart in a few
hours.

      It's very important that the floor pieces are fastened together
firmly, or the movement of the dancers will move them around.  Gaps
cause injuries, etc.

      Some friends had a ballroom in their house, and were very
vigilant about the type of shoes worn on their floor.  People had to
have dance shoes that were not worn for walking outside, or else they
had the option of cleaning off their shoes or dancing in their socks.
Regular outside dirt and dust would wear the floor faster.  Shoes
would also be checked for nails.  Some historic repro shoes have
hobnails in the sole or heel.  These should not be worn for dancing
in any case!  It may be difficult if the floor is at the entrance of
the house, but you could have the dancers enter by another door so
someone could check their shoes.  Most historic dancers will
understand if you explain the importance of the preservation,
especially if warned ahead of time.  Changing or cleaning shoes to
protect a site is better than not having the venue available!

      -Carol


>Hi all,
>
>I'm looking for floor covers to go over an original wooden floor in
>a historic house. The house hosts period dances from time to time so
>it would need to be something smooth and firm enough for people to
>dance on. Thus something like a simple canvas covering won't work
>because it would get smooshed into the gaps between the boards in
>the floor not to mention be hard to tack down. Obviously, a huge
>throw rug wouldn't work either because it's not good for dancing. A
>portable dance floor like you see in hotels would be too heavy and
>not big enough to cover the floor, which is the front entranceway to
>a c. 1780s mansion.
>
>Are there things like hard covered rubber mats that we could get in
>sections to put down on the floor? How about a supplier for rubber
>gym floors? Any other ideas?
>
>Thanks in advance for the help!
>
>Deb

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