Memorandum submitted by British Harlequin
plc
AN INTRODUCTION
TO BRITISH
HARLEQUIN PLC
Founded in England in 1979, Harlequin manufacture
dance floors that provide safe and sympathetic surfaces for performers,
and yet offer low maintenance with a long, trouble-free life.
Harlequin has established business operations in England, America
and Luxembourg, and has earned a reputation as the acknowledged
world leader in dance floor technology.
With an increasing interest in dance at all
levels, including mainstream education, specialist dance schools
and professional dance companies, it is important that dance rehearsals
and performance take place on purpose designed floors for reasons
of both health and safety and to provide a floor that allows dancers
to achieve their best performance levels.
Our submission outlines the reason why floors
specifically developed for dance should be recommended instead
of traditional wood floors or industrial grade vinyl flooring.
THE IMPORTANCE
OF CHOOSING
A FLOOR
DESIGNED FOR
DANCE
When selecting a floor for a dance studio or
performance stage, it is important to make the right choice. For
most people involved in the world of dance it is something that
they will only be asked to do infrequently, so understanding some
of the fundamental issues involved and where to turn for expert
guidance could be invaluable in making an informed decision. The
right floor, selected to suit the particular application and type
of dance, will serve well for many years to come, but a wrong
choice could result in expensive refurbishment or even complete
replacement within just a few years. An equally important consideration
is to ensure the dance floor offers the quality needed for safe
and confident performances, without safety concerns about falling
or incurring injuries. In recent years new technologies have been
applied, and materials developed, to create high performance floors
for a broad spectrum of dance disciplines.
Historically the choice divided between a wooden
floor and linoleum, until the advent of purpose-made vinyl floors
during the 1970s. Although it may be tempting to opt for a wood
floor for purely aesthetic reasons, or a commercial grade vinyl
for reasons of cost, today there are so many options specifically
designed for dance that it makes sense to seriously consider these.
So why not wood floors? Hardwood sprung floors
incur high initial construction costs and are in need of regular
refurbishment every few years. They are also susceptible to temperature
and humidity changes and can be difficult to clean regularly.
A well-sealed hardwood sprung floor, properly maintained in this
way, does look attractive and for ballroom dance is a suitable
option, but it still suffers from the inconsistencies inherent
in wood floors. Softwood on the other hand is too easily gouged
and splinters, but could provide a suitable sub floor for a modern
dance surface. Modern dance floors using vinyl surfaces offer
consistency and are designed to provide the best response for
dancers, reliably, for years of trouble-free service.
SELECTING THE
RIGHT FLOOR
TO SUIT
THE APPLICATION
Steering a path through the many versions available
starts with some fundamental decisions. How is it intended to
use the floor? Will it be permanently installed in the building?
At some stage will there be a need to remove the floor due to
moving premises, or if the landlord places restrictions on structural
modifications? Or will it be used principally for touring? Then,
for what style of dance will the floor be used? And from a practical
point of view, what type of sub floor does the facility have?
Arguably two of the most critical floor characteristics
for a dancer are "traction" and "spring".
Traction is used to describe the degree of friction—just
the right compromise between "blocking", where the foot
is stopped dead—and on the other hand being so slippery
that there is a risk of falling. This provides a good example
where technology has been applied through the judicious use of
plasticisers in the manufacturing process to create a vinyl surface
that consistently gives the correct traction. Spring can be provided
through the backing of the vinyl surface as in the case of foam-backed
loose lay floors, or through the underlying construction of panels
on a series of foam pads or layers of foam and sprung boards.
These are usually referred to as "semi-sprung" and "sprung
floors" respectively. When considering the characteristics
of an ideal sprung floor two important elements can be identified.
First "area elasticity", which describes flexion over
a section, or put simply how the floor "gives" where
a performer lands. This should not have excessive rebound, usually
termed the "trampoline effect", neither should the "give"
unduly disturb neighbouring performers. A satisfactorily shock
damped floor will also reduce the concern for the second measure
known as "point elasticity" that describes the compression
of the floor at the point of contact.
A FLOOR TO
SUIT DIFFERENT
DANCE REQUIREMENTS
Dance styles will have different demands on
the floor and this is why it is important to select a floor appropriate
to the primary dance requirement. Ballet and contemporary dance
should use a sprung floor such as Harlequin Activity or Liberty
panels, with Liberty available in versions for both touring applications
and permanent installation. But percussive dance forms such as
tap, Irish dancing and flamenco will put the floor under far greater
test and can be particularly destructive to the older wooden floors
that will soon start to mark and splinter. For these dance styles
much tougher vinyls have been formulated, such as Harlequin's
Cascade that has been successfully used by "Riverdance"
for many years. María Pagés—leading exponent
of flamenco—recently used Harlequin Liberty panels with
Harlequin Reversible on top to protect the wooden surface but
still give a "pure" sound without the use of microphones
during the recent flamenco season at Sadler's Wells.
TOURING CONSIDERATIONS
Away from the dance rehearsal space, many traditional
theatre stages encountered on tour have to deal with a variety
of different performances and stand the weight of heavy equipment
and trucking of props and scenery, so the surface may not be suitable
for dance. The ability of a touring company to bring their own
floor that provides a consistent and familiar response can be
essential to a successful performance. Dance may take place in
venues not normally associated with the performing arts at all.
The visit to London last year of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company
took place in the Tate Modern, a former power station, now art
gallery, where the existing floor was concrete! In this case,
MCDC appearing as part of Dance Umbrella's 25th anniversary season,
wanted the same floor as they were used to in their own studios
in New York. Because the venue was open to the visiting public
during the day, for each nightly performance portable versions
of Harlequin Liberty panels were brought, and removed again the
performance using specially designed storage carts. At British
Dance Edition 2004, organised by Dance East and presented in several
different venues in and around Cambridge, a simpler solution was
afforded by Harlequin's Allegro roll out, loose lay floor to provide
a semi-sprung "instant" dance floor for performances
by Walker Dance Park Music and Random Dance. Roll out floors can
be easily transported in specially designed roll bags and stored
without damage on their original cardboard cores, ready to use
at the next venue and thanks to clever chemical formulation always
lay flat without wrinkles or kinks in the surface.
CONVERTING EXISTING
PREMISES INTO
A NEW
DANCE STUDIO
With the expansion of higher education there
has followed a growing diversity of curriculum choice, both at
secondary and tertiary levels, and with it a demand for more dance
space, often entailing the conversion of existing buildings into
new performance spaces. As mentioned earlier, the installation
of a floor starts with a decision of whether this is to be loose
lay or permanent. An examination of the sub floor to determine
its suitability or need for preparation will also be a factor.
For permanent floors, remember that installation is a skilled
job and one where installers experienced in laying dance floors
play a critical role. At North Kent College the decision was taken
to install a Harlequin Activity floor.
At the Bishop Perowne School in Worcester, a
Harlequin Activity Floor with Fiesta surface was used to convert
the old gymnasium into a multi-purpose space. At De Montfort University
in Leicester, two Activity Floors with Cascade surfaces were installed
in the new performing arts building. At Peterborough Regional
College an Activity Floor with Studio surface was used to convert
an old engineering block into a dance studio.
Activity goes down in layers, starting with
a damp-proof membrane, then a layer of foam followed by two layers
of different thickness boards, laid in brickwork fashion and at
right angles to one another, so that the joins do not coincide.
Finally, the chosen vinyl is permanently installed as the top
surface and a pvc and metal edge trim fixed around the perimeter,
so that the entire floor is fully floating and not fixed to the
walls at all.
AESTHETIC CONSIDERATIONS
Appearance of the finished floor can sometimes
be a factor and a reason why architects have often tended to choose
wood. For most live performances a neutral colour, typically matt
grey, is used because it does not distract from the performance
or cause the stage lighting to create unwanted reflections or
colour hues on costumes. A recent development has been the introduction
of a choice of engineered wood top surfaces for Harlequin Activity
that has found favour in the type of general purpose dance facilities
installed on board cruise ships and in multi-purpose public facilities,
when used for such activities as community dance, aerobics and
line dancing.
SELECTING A
DANCE FLOOR
Before making a decision as to which floor will
best suit particular needs, we recommend a simple, four-stage
selection process. For anyone with Internet access this is greatly
simplified thanks to an easy to use online guide available at
www.harlequinfloors.com. This process asks first to select between,
"Dance", "Theatre" and "Display/Exhibition".
This is followed by a wide range of dance forms: Ballet, Contemporary,
Jazz, Tap/Percussive, Irish dancing, Flamenco, Line dancing, Aerobics,
Drama, Show/event and Stage set. Next there are four main floor
options: permanent sprung floors, portable sprung floors, permanent
vinyl and portable vinyl. Just one final step, and that is to
enter details on the type of sub floor—hardwood, concrete
or a sprung floor—or if not sure, then there is an option
that leads to all suitable types. Going through this process quickly
offers the best option for each dance application.
SUMMARY GUIDE
TO DANCE
FLOOR SELECTION
Permanent and heavy-duty floors
Allegro—specially developed to offer superb
protection against hard sub floors. The thickest roll-out floor
available. Allegro can be laid onto a very hard surface, such
as concrete, to provide a "semi-sprung" dance floor.
Cascade—the "ideal" surface for
ballet, jazz and contemporary dance, Cascade is suitable for both
temporary and permanent installation and is extremely resistant
to wear. The surface provides a perfect "feel"—silky
soft without any hint of being slippery.
Fiesta—an oak-strip patterned hard surface
provides the solution to the rigours of percussive dance, such
as tap and Irish dance and is also suitable for social dancing.
Studio—designed for extra strength and with
a firm cushioned foam backing which helps to reduce noise while
offering a slip-resistant surface. Studio protects against hard
sub-floors, but is still light enough to be portable for touring.
Tempo—a floor particularly suited to the
requirements of modern dance and thicker than Studio, Tempo provides
added protection against hard sub floors, bridges slight unevenness
and has a wear layer to resist scuffing.
Portable and roll out floors
Cascade—for details, see above.
Reversible—classic double-sided flooring
for dance and stage. With a different colour on the reverse—there
are three combinations to choose from—each quick to roll
out and lays flat to provide a slip-resistant dance surface.
Studio—for details, see above.
Sprung floor systems
Activity—a permanently installed sprung
floor system based on a triple "sandwich" composite
construction. Activity completely eliminates the need for metal
springs and rubber pads and because it is a fully floating system
with no fixings to the floor it can be laid on almost any surface
without preparation. Shock-damped to avoid a "trampoline"
effect and combining area and point elasticity to offer identical
characteristics across the whole floor, Activity is ideal for
ballet, reducing injury risk and enhancing dancers' performances.
Liberty—a floating floor system composed
of sprung floor panels and available for either permanent dance
studio installation or as stage panels for touring. Designed for
safety and suitable for a range of dance disciplines, when combined
with a Harlequin dance surface Liberty provides the ultimate floor,
allowing performers to concentrate on their art without fear of
falling or injury.
ABOUT BRITISH
HARLEQUIN PLC
Harlequin manufactures a comprehensive range
of floorings for the performing arts and entertainment industry
including portable roll-out floors, cushioned heavy duty permanent
floors, touring and permanent sprung floor systems and display
floors. Accessories include roll straps and storage bags, tapes
and maintenance products, and an extensive range of ballet barres.
Located in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, British Harlequin
plc services the UK market, and the rest of the world with the
exception of the Americas and continental Europe. Operating from
Luxembourg, Harlequin's base there provides the same service for
Harlequin's European customers. Headquartered near Philadelphia,
with facilities in Los Angeles and Fort Worth, American Harlequin
Corporation provides the same extensive and comprehensive range
of dance floor systems and display floors to customers in North
and South America and Canada and associated dollar markets. All
Harlequin offices offer a comprehensive range of portable and
permanent dance floors and a contracting service for the installation
of permanent floors for dance and the performing arts.
Company officers
Robert K. Dagger—the founder of Harlequin
floors, is Managing Director of British Harlequin and President
of American Harlequin Corporation. A graduate of Exeter University
he spent three years in the engineering industry in Scandinavia
followed by seven years in the heavy chemicals business before
joining flooring specialists Marley. When that company discontinued
its dance floor line in 1979, Bob went on to found Harlequin with
fellow director John Barwell. Monica Arnott was the first employee
in 1981 and is still with the company, now as a shareholder and
Marketing Manager.
Harlequin has adopted a personnel policy that
has created a global team of knowledgeable and helpful individuals
always available to provide support from initial enquiry and product
selection guidance to final delivery and installation.
April 2004
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