sprung floor

The worst possible surface for dancers is concrete. However, concrete is the basis for almost all commercial construction, thus many schemes have evolved to provide a surface with adequate cushioning.

museav;153793 said:
A floating floor with a resilient mounting, typically neoprene or foam but it can also be physical springs.

The most common method may be "basket-weave" where 1x3s or 1x4s are woven or laid at 90° angles below the plywood floor sheathing.
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Harlequin Floors - Official Website - Harlequin WoodSpring Basketweave.
Many professional ballet companies carry their own modular floor, in 4'x4' or 4'x8' sections. (As well as Broadway shows, see below.)

For years the two primary tenants of the New York State Theatre (recently renamed the David H. Koch Theatre), the New York City Opera and the New York City Ballet were at odds over the stage floor. The Ballet needed a resilient surface, and the Opera needed a rigid floor capable of supporting their massive sets.

See also the thread: http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/scenery/9682-sprung-dance-floor.html.

Description of one floor, from a Broadway touring show, as told by a technician on the Stagecraft Mailing List:
We troupe a 64'x29'-5" sprung dance floor similar to this; as a
touring floor, it is by definition "modular and portable."

From the stage floor up, the structure is:

1/4" Duron backing
3/4" thick neoprene squares, 4"x4", on 1' centers
3/4" plywood
1/4" Duron, painted dance surface

The 4'x8' panels lock together in staggered fashion with casket locks,
with 4'x4' pieces filling in the odd ends. The edges of the plywood
are routed with 1/2" round, and 1/2" dowel is attached on one long
side and one short side, serving as sort of tongue-&-groove alignment
and making the deck flex as a cohesive surface... Usually.

We inherited this floor from the 'Movin' Out' tour, and have schlepped
it all over the world for the past nineteen months. By and large, it
has held up reasonably well to the grind, with a modicum of care taken
in laying it. The Duron deck surface gets repainted every 6-10 weeks
or so, and touched up where the stuff got damaged from careless Locals
trying to kick it together.

Personally, I like this deck a lot, as do the dancers who have worked
on it on tour for the past year and a half.

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