Making dancefloor slippery

[AceLineO]

Hey

 

This is gonna sound like an odd one as it goes against the usual request from dancers to make flooring non-slip.

 

One of my colleagues is doing an urban piece with lots of slides, spins and stuff, which works fine in the studio - however, once on the lovely Allegro in the theatre noone's sliding anywhere!!

 

So, I need suggestions on how to un-non-slip the flooring to allow freedom of movement that won't a) ruin the flooring, b) stain skin/clothing (altho might get away with that) or c) make them skate like Bambi

 

any and all ideas welcome!!

 

C

[timtheenchanteruk]

we do this where I work, we have a some cheap lino (non textured) polished up with a buffer, we use ours over carpet to add a bit of cushioning to it as well, our stage floor is as rough as a badgers bum...

[TeeJay]

Is this urban piece part of a longer evening that has a variety of dance styles? Or is it for a show that is just urban?

 

If so, have a look at bringing the studio floor down onto the stage for the show.

 

If it's part of an evening of dance styles, then is there the opportunity to put more slippery more on top as part of a quick change - even just one piece on top can help (we've in the past added a small square of more slippery floor on top for headspins).

 

We've had performers using Pledge in the past to make themselves more slidey - this works but is very not helpful for dancers looking for grip and would need to be cleaned off the stage floor as soon as possible - like straight away.

 

Adding more floor is our preferred option at the dance venue I normally work at BTW.

 

Also, can the urban dancers practice on the stage dance floor? It may be that they can find other clothing options from their own wardrobe that work better or that they can adapt moves for the stickier floor.

 

Most importantly, make sure that they don't decide to try something without letting you know.

 

Nothing so annoying as finding out a day (or two) or during the ballerina's pirouette that there's an unexpected slippy patch on the floor ...

 

Good luck!

[slipstream]

The classic finish for ballroom dancing was Slipperine

 

http://www.brytaflor.co.uk/products/SLIPPERINE.html

 

And still made

 

Sam

[Robin D]

As a ballroom dancer in a past life, +1 for Slipperine. However, the floor to which its being applied needs to be smooth to begin with but it works well on almost any smooth surface including lino. If it's not slipping enough, you just spread a bit more. A commercial vacuum or damp mop restores the original finish.

 

Edit : Typo!

[GregB]

Fog fluid should do the trick nicely ;-)

[Guest lightnix]

Fog fluid should do the trick nicely ;-)

It'll be a b*gger to clean off, tho' :D

 

Just a thought: Is there anything you can do to make the shoes more slippery, too? Good, old-fashioned leather soles (especially when new) are much less grippy than these modern materials.

[smalljoshua]

Unless the dancers wont be spending that much time on their feet.

 

From the OP, I gathered that the dancers were trying to do spins and other moves with the entire of their bodies.

 

Josh