Big Dance 2012 and the Big Red Bus, now touring various London venues, plus some in the Midlands, is taking along a Harlequin Liberty sprung dance floor.
As part of the Cultural Olympiad the Big Dance Bus tour is “set to get everyone dancing this summer.” It will be stopping at shopping centres, squares and parks, plus a few famous London locations – “anywhere where there are people who might be in need of some fun and dancing.” The Big Dance Bus will host a multitude of dance styles and activity, from street to folk via contemporary and tango. “The Big Dance Bus brings its own resident dance company and presents a mixture of performances from local acts and schools to professional. plus the opportunity to join free workshops in swing, folk, hip hop hula and Zumba®.
On tour with the Big Dance Bus and provided by British Harlequin, is 100m² of Harlequin Liberty™ sprung dance floor. Liberty is a floating floor system composed of sprung floor panels, which can be quickly latched together, then covered with a Harlequin Cascade™ dance surface to create a professional quality sprung floor at each of the 30 venues on the seven week tour.
The iconic red double-decker London Routemaster bus is described by the organisers as “the ultimate pop up ballroom and ready-made rave... complete with it its own dance-floor, pumping sound system, compere and DJ - perfect for showcases, portable raves and impromptu dance offs.”
British Harlequin plc, world leaders in floors for the performing arts, will also be showcasing the product that was awarded ‘Widget Product of the Year 2011’ on their stand (4) at the ABTT Theatre Show 2012.
The award winning Edge-Safe, will be featured along with Harlequin’s comprehensive range of floors for theatre, dance and display when the 2012 show opens at the Old Truman Brewery in London on 13th June. Announcing Harlequin’s move to display the product, Group Marketing Manager, Mark Rasmussen hinted a further announcement could be anticipated in the next month or so.
Edge-Safe is a revolutionary theatre stage safety product that improves the safety of working on and off the stage by greatly reducing the chance of equipment, crew and performers falling from the stage edge. The judges felt that “Edge-Safe can make a significant contribution to safety in theatres, by providing a low profile barrier to stop wheeled items like flight cases and Tallescopes falling from the front edge of the stage as well as protecting Performers and Crew.”
British Harlequin offers four Education Dance Floor Packs specifically designed for use in schools. Whether for dance study at GCSE and A-level, or for extra curricula activity, there is a ready-to-use package available. A new brochure explains the choice of packs in greater detail.
The right floor is essential to ensure dance students achieve their best performances in safety. Ordinary wood floors or sports floors are too slippery for safety and too hard or unyielding for most dance disciplines. Without a purpose-designed dance floor, there is higher risk to health through injury from falling or muscle strain. British Harlequin's dance floor technology provides dance students with floors that offer the right degree of "traction" and controlled "spring".
Dance Floor Pack A is ideal for infant, junior and lower schools needing a roll-out floor for dance lessons and performances that can then easily be stored away. Harlequin Reversible is a double-sided flooring suitable for both dance and stage, with an alternate colour on the reverse. There are 7 combinations to choose from, each quick to roll out and lay flat to provide a slip-resistant dance surface.
Dance Floor Pack B is well suited to secondary schools for A-level work. Pack B contains a larger quantity of Harlequin Reversible to comply with the recommended minimum 10m x 7.5m dance floor space for A-level work.
Dance Floor Pack C is ideal for secondary schools looking for a hard-wearing floor suitable for dance and stage use. Harlequin Studio is a specially developed vinyl formulation that meets the needs of dancers and has a cushioned backing, This pack also complies with the recommended minimum 10m x 7.5m dance floor space for A-Level work.
Harlequin Education Dance Floor Pack ‘D’ is based on the renowned Liberty sprung floor panels, which can be fitted together to create an 80m² dance floor. Comprising 36 full size and 8 half size panels, which are joined together using a unique latching system, the pack also includes edge trims and a ramp to complete the sprung floor. Four lengths of Harlequin Reversible can then be laid and secured with the joining tape provided to complete the dance surface. The Harlequin Reversible flooring can be rolled up, secured with Roll Straps and placed in the Harlequin Storage Bags supplied when the floor is not required. As an optional extra and for added convenience, two Harlequin Liberty Panel Storage Carts can be ordered to assist transporting and storing the panels.
British Harlequin plc is pleased to announce that Ray Lloyds has been appointed Harlequin’s Contracts Director. Ray has worked in the flooring industry for over 30 years, gaining a wealth of knowledge and expertise and what he doesn’t know about flooring isn’t worth knowing!
Ray began his career as an electronics engineer at Visionhire, where after seven years he was promoted to managing the 35 strong service department. During this stage of his career Ray taught evening classes in practical electronics at both West Kent College and Wandsworth College. But the family firm was calling with Ray’s father keen for him to join him in the flooring business where in 1980 he began working alongside his dad installing commercial and domestic flooring.
When Ray started working for Harlequin in 1994 it was as a sub-contractor, which led to a permanent move in 2004 and appointment as the company’s first Contracts Manager. A move that also brought on board the young apprentice floor layers he had trained and who are still part of the Harlequin team today.
Ray’s wealth of experience and expertise make him a valuable member of staff who is always pleased to impart his knowledge.
A brand new stand furnished with bright red Harlequin Hi-Shine display flooring, will be on show when British Harlequin exhibit at the eagerly anticipated ABTT 2012 Theatre Show, June 13 and 14.
Although enjoying a well-earned reputation as world leaders in the development and supply of dance floors, Harlequin also specialise in stage flooring and floors for TV shows, events and display. Harlequin Hi-shine has proved extremely popular in all these markets and can frequently be seen as an integral design component in many leading television entertainment shows. Set designers are impressed by the way Hi-Shine rolls out instantly to provide a breathtaking wet-look finish to create a perfect display floor for entertainment presentations, fashion shows or exhibition stands.
Harlequin Contracts Division has considerable expertise in building custom designed stage floors for applications such as theatres, performing arts venues, cruise ships and education facilities.
Visitors to the British Harlequin stand (004) at the ABTT 2012 Theatre Show, which is for the first time being held at the Old Truman Brewery in East London, will be able to discuss flooring requirements with company experts.
When the United Nations International School of Hanoi, Vietnam looked for a multi-purpose floor for their performing arts facility, they naturally turned to Harlequin.
The stage floor specification called for a robust solution that could take the wear and tear of school productions, stage props, trucks and scenery construction and yet offers a cushioned floor and non-slip surface for dance. Hong Kong based Harlequin Asia took responsibility for the supply and installation of a specially constructed Harlequin semi-sprung batten floor system, with a Harlequin Standfast™performance surface. A combination that provides durability as well as slip-resistance for performers.
Dave Porter, Director of Operations at the United Nations International School of Hanoi takes up the story. “Harlequin provided us not only with a durable Harlequin Standfast floor but also a professional stage sub-floor build-up, customised to suit our school’s needs. Our stage floor is being put to the test daily by our students and can withstand the harsh climate conditions here in Vietnam.”
Harlequin Standfast™ is an extremely hard-wearing performance floor intended for permanent installation, suitable for heavy duty use and ideal for stages, percussive dance, multi-purpose use and ballet.
The school has a student roll of 285 representing 42 nationalities, a teaching staff of 42 and a non-teaching support staff of 50.
An interview with Sergei Filin, Artistic Director of the Boshoi Ballet is featured in recently released footage from Russian television.
The video can be viewed on YouTube.
