The first international ballet competition in Beijing sponsored by Harlequin Floors

Harlequin, world leaders in dance floor design, were proud to be a sponsor of the first annual Beijing International Ballet and Choreography Competition and to have provided the sprung floor for the main stage.

Hosted by the National Centre for the Performing Arts and strongly supported by China's Ministry of Culture, 80 dancers competed in the classical ballet and choreography contest. Judged by an international panel drawn from 10 different countries, the panel included Tamara Rojo, the Royal Ballet's principal dancer, appearing in a judging role for the first time.

Harlequin Liberty™ sprung floor panels with a Harlequin Cascade™ dance surface allowed the contestants to perform with the total confidence that comes with knowing you are dancing on a first class sprung floor.

Madame Zhao Ruheng, former artistic director of the National Ballet of China,now Artistic Director of Dance at the National Centre of Performing Arts, said that she envisioned the event with the help of Frank Andersen, artistic director of the Royal Danish Ballet. Zhao and Andersen first met at a competition in Korea and talked about hosting a Chinese event for years. "Now, our dream has come true, " Madame Zhao said.

Renowned Finnish ballerina Doris Laine, who chaired the ballet portion of the competition, first visited Beijing 21 years ago. She said the Beijing event has the potential to grow into an influential world contest…like the city's grown."

Covent Garden Dance Company in Wiltshire

Salisbury Life features a story about a boutique ballet event in the grounds of a Wiltshire country house that will be performed on a Harlequin dance floor.

The Royal Ballet to debut at O2 on Harlequin floors

The Royal Ballet is set for a three-day residency this weekend at London’s O2 arena. The venue more typically home to pop concerts will be bringing ballet to large audiences and of course be danced on Harlequin floors. Performing Kenneth Mac Millan’s timeless classicRomeo and Juliet "this will be the first time the world renowned ballet company has performed in a UK arena and promises to be a ballet spectacle to remember."

"The Royal Ballet, usually based at the Royal Opera House in London’s Covent Garden, will move lock, stock and barrel into the arena for these special performances which will feature a filmed introduction to each Act, on giant, live-relay screens, as well as the virtuoso performances from one of finest ballet companies in the world.” Previous tours have been performed in the relative intimacy of theatres and not to audiences in a 20,000 seat arena. It is claimed that “there has never been a moment like this in the history of British ballet".

Dance floors being used by The Royal Ballet are Harlequin Cascade™ which is ideally suited to temporary installation on tour and Harlequin Reversible™ equally suited to "loose-lay" applications but with a slip resistant surface on both sides allowing alternate colour options.

Research shows dancers prefer dance floors over sports floors

Research carried out by Luke Hopper highlights the importance for dancers of the performance of purpose designed dance floors and a preference for greater force reduction than that offered by sports floors.

In a synopsis to the full research paper, Luke of the School of Health Sciences, The University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia reports, "Dancers demonstrated a preference for floors with greater force reduction magnitudes than specified by European sport surface standards, suggesting that bespoke floor standards for dance may be beneficial."

Acknowledged in the full report is thanks to Harlequin for "support in this project".

Shiny new stand and new dance floor launched at ABTT Theatre Show

New AeroDeck™ sprung floor panels were the centre of attention on the British Harlequin’s glossy new stand at the ABTT Theatre Show 2011 today (15^th June) at London’s Royal Horticultural Halls.

With a long history of innovation in the development of special floors for dance and performing arts, ABTT Silver Sponsor British Harlequin plc works closely with both academics researching the relationship between floor quality and injury and in gaining insights into floor characteristics performers prefer. The eagerly anticipated new development draws heavily on this expertise.

A quality floor is the basis on which creativity and excellence in ballet begins

For The Hong Kong Ballet a quality dance floor is of great importance, so it comes as no surprise that the choice is Harlequin.

Recognised as one of Asia’s premier ballet companies, Artistic Director of The Hong Kong Ballet, Madeleine Onne explained, “We use Harlequin to give our dancers one of the most important foundations required to create a good performance - confidence. Whether in soft or pointe shoes, our dancers can focus on their performance knowing that the floor is reliable and has just the right amount of spring.” Recently Harlequin Asia installed a new Harlequin Liberty™ sprung floor completed with a Harlequin Reversible™ vinyl dance surface.

Harlequin Liberty™ is 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, in this case Reversible™, Liberty™ provides the ultimate floor allowing performers to concentrate on their art without fear of falling or injury. Reversible™ is the classic double-sided dance floor surface that provides the option of two colours and of course a slip resistant surface on both sides.

As Madeleine Onne concluded, “A quality floor is the basis on which creativity and excellence in ballet begins”.

In Light and Shadow. Photo - Gordon Wong. Dancers - The Hong Kong Ballet.

In Light and Shadow. Photo - Gordon Wong. Dancers - Wu Fei-fei and Zhang Yao.

Suite en Blanc. Photo - Conrad Dy-Liacco. Dancers - Ye Fei-fei and Liu Yu-yao and Wu fei-fei

The Sleeping Beauty. Photo - Cheung Chi Wai. Dancer - Jin Yao.

Harlequin makes light work of touring sprung floors

Harlequin’s new AeroDeck™ sprung floor is set to lighten the load for touring dance companies. The lightweight modular panels, constructed from advanced engineering grade plastics, cuts the weight of a typical equivalent sprung floor by around 50% and eases transportation of panels in and out of venues.

The new development is not only the result of introducing new technology materials, but also utilising new insights from research into the relationship between floor quality and the health and welfare of dancers. Harlequin has additionally called on the preferences of dancers themselves to create floors they want to dance on. The company has been at the forefront in pioneering the modern dance floor and by working closely with dancers and researchers has introduced a number of innovations both in sprung dance floors and dance surfaces.

The all new Harlequin AeroDeck™ panels dispense entirely with wood to produce a panel that is unaffected by moisture and suitable for use on outdoor productions. At the core of each panel is a patented structure sealed with a bonded GRP surface that provides inherent strength while being very light. Edged by a framework manufactured from re-cycled polyurethane the tongue and grooved detail allows panels to interlock and be locked together using the patented Harlequin latching system. Standard panels are supplied in 2m x 1m or 1m x 1m sizes and incorporate a series of circular dual density pads to provide the spring. Once assembled to form the dance area, the top surface can then be quickly finished using a dance surface from Harlequin’s vinyl range selected to be most appropriate to the dance styles performed.

Recent research has shown that dancing on a sprung floor of consistent performance and providing the right degree of energy return are important factors in avoiding injury and longer term damage to dancers. Using the same type of floor in rehearsal and performance and when touring is now more practical with the introduction of AeroDeck™ which thanks to its light weight offers an easy to move modular sprung dance floor. Full details can be viewed at www.harlequinfloors.com/