Bolshoi’s sumptious set design includes the dance floor!

Photo: Courtesy of TDM

After a six year restoration project, reported to have cost a massive £1/2 billion, Moscow’s iconic Bolshoi Theatre re-opened this autumn with a glittering gala performance attended by president Dmitry Medveded and the Russian elite. Unusually, instead of unobtrusively providing a world class floor for the dancers, the Harlequin dance floor was itself an integral part of the set design for the Bolshoi Ballet’s Sleeping Beauty. 

Thanks to innovative techniques developed by Harlequin’s development engineering team, the usually plain vinyl dance surface echoed the sumptious set design with an intricate pattern designed by the Italian Designer Ezio Frigerio. 

Using advanced wide format computer controlled printing techniques, the Bolshoi’s design was digitized for printing on rolls of specially formatted white Harlequin Cascade™ vinyl. 

Extensive testing and experimentation during the development of the technique ensured the surface characteristics - so important to professional dancers - were maintained while ensuring adequate adhesion of the inks to withstand scuffing from ballet shoes. Harlequin is pleased to announce that this capability is now offered as a custom option for purchasers of their floors. 

Harlequin Cascade™ is a reinforced vinyl dance surface manufactured to high standards. It is popular with stage managers as a heavy-duty stage floor withstanding general stage use and tolerant of heavy props and also ideal for dance. A silky smooth emboss gives deceptively good grip conveying a soft feel, giving dancers an unmatched confidence for demanding choreography. The underlying Harlequin Liberty™ sprung floor comprises a series of inter-linked panels designed to provide consistent shock absorption that independent research shows minimize stress injuries for dancers.