Harlequin set to roll out new floors at PLASA 2016

New silver Hi-Shine used at fashion show. 

Photo supplied by Chadwicks, Australia.

Entertainment and events flooring specialists Harlequin Floors will be exhibiting at PLASA 2016, Olympia, London from 18^th to 20^th September on stand F10. In a move back to west London and with PLASA also returning to its traditional September date, the show organisers promise it “will deliver a renewed proposition, providing an exhibition solution more suited to current industry needs.”

Harlequin Floors offer a wide range of floors for live entertainment, the performing arts, dance, special events, set building, television studios, exhibition stands, as well as theatre stage construction and stage refurbishment projects. At PLASA this year Harlequin will additionally be launching a number of exciting new floor options, including the addition of Gold and Silver, the first two in Harlequin’s new Metallic range, joining the already immensely popular Hi-Shine event and display floors.

Also of interest to set designers looking for new creative opportunities, Harlequin is rolling out Reversible Pro a floor that is well suited to printing designs and images using advanced wide format computer controlled techniques. Based on the original concept the new Harlequin Reversible Pro is a unique double-sided option that still allows the colours to be changed around. Reversible was Harlequin’s first product and has remained a best seller ever since. The new Reversible Pro version benefits from an additional layer to the standard floor for even greater stability, which ensures it's even quicker to lay flat.

Harlequin’s flooring expertise is not limited to providing stunning display surfaces, or safe surfaces for the performing arts and for dance, but the company also enjoys an excellent reputation for stage floor construction and stage refurbishments. Look out for Harlequin’s new, free guide to stage construction which will be available at the show.

Japan’s Anteprima Incontro fitted with Harlequin Cascade

Hisako Toda (owner of the studio)

Katsue Kobayashi Ballet teacher

Mitsuyo kaneda Ballet teacher

Kazuna kinugasa Ballet teacher

The Anteprima Incontro studio, located on the northern shore of Japan’s Kyushu Island in Fukuoka, has recently gone through a major revamp of its studio and chose Harlequin Cascade™ for its dance floor surface.

Work began on 25^th July, with a representative from Harlequin’s appointed installers in Japan arriving from Tokyo later that week to lay down 100sq.m. of light grey Harlequin Cascade vinyl floor. The teachers expressed their excitement to be using Harlequin Floors, knowing that they’d be dancing on the same floors as the likes of The Royal Ballet and The Bolshoi. Harlequin Cascade™ is widely recognised by professional dancers and technical managers, that thanks to the floor’s silky smooth embossed surface it provides a deceptively good grip allowing dancers to concentrate on their performance without concerns they might slip or fall.

At the beginning of August, General Manager of Harlequin Asia, Kasper Nyboe, visited the studio from the Hong Kong office to meet the owner of the studio and the ballet teachers.  They were delighted with the new dance floor and proudly received the Harlequin Floors certificate.  

Harlequin Hi-Shine floor adds gloss to fashion show

When David Jones launched their Spring-Summer 2016 season with a spectacular runway show of Australia's most celebrated designers, it was staged on Harlequin’s popular Hi-Shine flooring.

Harlequin Hi-Shine flooring is already a ‘hot’ product for set designers for use in fashion shows, television shows and exhibitions – in fact any application where a high gloss floor adds to the glitz and glamour of the event.

Stage Rentals, New South Wales branch, the production company behind the ‘David Jones Spring – Summer 2016 collections launch’ selected and purchased Harlequin’s black Hi-Shine for the fashion show runway. The glossy, ‘wet’ look of Hi-Shine provides a spectacular floor surface, which offers interaction with the event lighting and itself becomes an important part of the set.

Although the deep black option was used on the David Jones fashion launch, Hi-Shine is also available in a range of colours; a range which has recently been extended to include some new options. The current choice now comprises gold, silver, black, white, red, blue and grey. Supplied in rolls of 15m, 20m or 30m and 1.5m wide, Harlequin Hi-Shine rolls out and lays easily to provide a stunning floor. Thanks to a special laminated hard polymer ultra –gloss layer, the surface is scratch resistant too.

Harlequin Floors proud to present the Australian Dance Awards for a record fifth year

On the day that the shortlist has been announced, Harlequin Floors has confirmed it will continue as the main presenting partner for the Australian Dance Awards when the 2016 event is staged at the State Theatre Centre of Western Australia on Sunday 18^th September. In an event presented by Ausdance in conjunction with Harlequin Floors, the Australian Dance Awards will celebrate the best in Australian professional dance at a gala showcase evening of performances and awards

Mark Rasmussen, Harlequin Floors Group Marketing Manager, said, “Harlequin is so proud to be involved for the fifth successive year. The Australian Dance Awards is always a fabulous evening and one of the first events to go into my diary each year.” Talking about Harlequin Floors’ continued support, for the Awards, Ausdance National CEO Roslyn Dundas thanked Harlequin Floors for their on-going contribution, “The ADAs are non-commercial events that rely on the generosity and goodwill of partners and sponsors. Harlequin Floors, as main presenting partner for a record fifth year, are showing their commitment to our industry as we celebrate all that is best in Australian Dance.”

The annual Australian Dance Awards (ADAs) recognise and honour professional Australian dance artists who have made an outstanding contribution to dance. The Awards are presented in an evening of performance that showcase some of the best Australian dance from the previous year, with a focus on artists from the host state or territory.

The shortlisted nominees for 2016 can be viewed by clicking here.

Harlequin to launch new floors at ABTT Theatre Show 2016

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ABTT Technical Theatre Special – not one new product, three!

 

New silver Hi-Shine.  Photo: Chadstone

Harlequin Floors is a brand not only synonymous with trust, but also innovation. At this year’s ABTT Theatre show, Harlequin are showing off not one, but three new developments starting with an update of one of its most popular lines…

It’s Gold & Silver for Harlequin Hi-Shine

 A new ‘Metallic Range’ featuring gold and silver finishes is all set to join Harlequin’s Hi-Shine range of display floors. Already massively popular with “Saturday night” television productions, set designers, touring bands and fashion shows, the new metallic floors bring a further dimension to the wet glossy look of Harlequin Hi-Shine. Recently silver Hi-Shine was an important element in the set design for several fashion shows produced by Gloss in Melbourne, Australia. 

Harlequin Reversible Pro – the best just gets better!

When an iconic product such as Harlequin’s Reversible roll out floor for stage and dance is the subject of a new launch, you can be sure that it’s something special.

Launching this month and on public exhibition for the first time the ABTT Theatre Show is new addition - Harlequin Reversible Pro.

Known world-wide for its unique double-sided option to allow companies to change colours around, Reversible was Harlequin’s first product and has remained a best seller ever since.

Harlequin Reversible Pro retains the feature of a slip-resistant surface either side, and now thanks to a the introduction of a new fibre interplay layer, Reversible Pro offers even more dimensional stability. In

short, floors roll out and quickly lie flat – an absolute boon to busy stage technicians and touring companies. 

For set designers and production companies, Reversible Pro’s improved dimensional stability makes it a superb surface for printing.

New Stage floor is tough & hard-wearing

Yet another new product being previewed at ABTT is Harlequin Rocksure, which promises the hardest wearing yet easy to maintain stage surface so far. Thanks to the polymer composite formulation of the material, Rocksure is an alternative to Harlequin’s more traditional stage surfaces such as wood, a painted “sacrificial” layer of hardboard or heavy-duty vinyl. Harlequin Rocksure is available as an option on both new stage builds as well as stage refurbishment.  

Harlequin sets the stage for ABTT Theatre Show 2016

Harlequin Floors will be exhibiting their extensive range of flooring products and demonstrating their capability in stage construction at the ABTT Theatre Show 2016, which will take place on the 22nd and 23rd June at Alexandra Palace.  

The Harlequin brand has earned a deserved reputation in theatres world-wide for the quality and breadth of flooring products, as well as expertise and experience in stage construction and refurbishment. The Harlequin stand [A33] will be show-casing a wide range of flooring systems for the performing arts and display applications with technical experts from the company on hand to provide advice.

The Harlequin stand will be furnished with Harlequin’s glossy Hi-Shine floor, which has proved extremely popular with set designers, not only in theatre, but for TV shows, exhibitions and display purposes. Visitors will able to examine many different floor types, including printed flooring, which offers new customisation options. Harlequin also designs, supplies and installs special flooring solutions for theatre stages, television studios, exhibitions and display and is widely recognised world-wide for dance floors.

A Harlequin studio floor may be based on technology, but the installation process reveals something closer to art.

Janet Karin OAM

Janet Karin OAM, a leading dance educator and former lead dancer with the Australian Ballet, recently had the opportunity to see the expertise and skill involved in installing a new Harlequin  dance floor at first hand. Janet explained, “Of course, I knew that Harlequin's floors were top of the range, but I had no idea of the expertise that went into tailoring each individual floor. A studio floor may be based on technology, but the installation process revealed something closer to art.”

The full story of the installation of Harlequin sprung floors is described by Janet on the Harlequin blog. 

Janet concludes, “My students unreservedly love this floor. The company dancers feel able to trust their Harlequin floor in the extremely taxing choreography of the present repertoire. Judging by the way Trinity Laban’s Harlequin Liberty floor in London is unscathed after 12 years of constant use, we can expect to enjoy ours for many decades.”