Harlequin Floors prepares for Prix de Lausanne

Photo credit: Prix de Lausanne 2012 – photo Gregory Batardon

Harlequin Floors, world leader in dance floor technology is proud to be a sponsor of the 41st Prix de Lausanne which takes place in Switzerland from 27th January – 2nd February. Competitors in this prestigious event will once again enjoy the benefit of performing on Harlequin dance floors, supplied as part of the company’s sponsorship arrangement. New for the Prix de Lausanne 2013 will be a Harlequin Floors sponsored scholarship awarded to one of the competition winners. 

The two rehearsal spaces will benefit from Harlequin Studio vinyl dance flooring. The stage where finals and semi finals take place enjoys Harlequin Studio vinyl to provide participants with a professional dance surface allowing them to fully express their dance talent before the judging panel without concerns for slips and falls. 

Harlequin Floors take a positive approach to supporting emerging talent in dance and endorses the aims and achievements of the Prix de Lausanne as an event to encourage and nurture dancers who will go on to become leading dancers and stars of the future. The motivation behind the partnership between Prix de Lausanne and Harlequin Floors is a shared interest in youngsters with a talent for dance which this year is strengthened by the introduction of the new Harlequin Scholarship. Additionally Harlequin Floors has supported the introduction of technology to the event and for the fifth year since its inception will sponsor the Video Blog offering followers insights into the emotions of competitors and otherwise unseen behind the scenes preparation. 

Created in 1973, the Prix de Lausanne is an international competition for young dancers aged 15 to 18 with “a prime objective to discover, promote, and support talent among the world’s finest young dancers.”The 41st Prix de Lausanne International Ballet Competition takes place 27th January to 2nd February 2013 from which Senior Sales and Marketing Manager, Patrick Lesage will be issuing regular reports throughout the event. 

When flooring takes centre stage

Floors for the performing arts must often fulfil a wide range of functions from stage floors designed for heavy traffic, a sprung floor that meets the needs of dancers or simply a floor for a ‘one off’ exhibition event. But with floors becoming more than just a neutral functional element, what options do set designers have to give their flooring that exciting ‘wow’ factor? 

In the entertainment industry, set design plays a significant part in an audiences’ enjoyment and floors have become an additional creative element that can add to their understanding of a production’s setting and mood. After all, the success of many prime time talent shows is as much down to the set as the format of the show. 

Offering the perfect display for set designers, Harlequin Hi-Shine from the world leaders in advanced technology flooring for dance and the performing arts, gives flooring the wet-look finish and is integral to the visual effect. 

Used on leading prime time talent shows, pop concerts, commercials, fashion launches and exhibitions, these smooth shiny temporary floors roll out easily and provide a breathtaking and highly reflective glossy finish – ideal for spectacular lighting effects. 

Suitable for loose lay or semi-permanent installation, Harlequin Hi-Shine is fast and easy to install making it extremely adaptable. The floor’s special laminated hard polymer ultra-gloss surface is superior to urethane for scratch-resistance and adds lustre to any event. 

Harlequin Hi-Shine is also requested for award dinners and celebrity performances which require a quick set-up and breakdown. It is also a quick, simple and very economical answer for photo shoots where you need a smooth, shiny floor which requires speed of installation. 

For nearly 30 years, Harlequin has developed its own portable and permanent sprung floor systems and produced a world-renowned range for all types of performance for stage, studio and display use. 

Portable, double-sided roll-out floors and permanent, heavy-duty cushioned vinyl including ultra-glossy Harlequin Hi-Shine are testament to why Harlequin has become the market leader through product innovation, expertise and by developing close relationships with industry experts. 

New Scholarship to be awarded at Prix de Lausanne by Harlequin Floors

New for the Prix de Lausanne 2013 will be a scholarship awarded to one of the competition winners and sponsored by Harlequin Floors, world leaders in dance floor technology. 

Announcing the new scholarship initiative, Chantal Lagniau,
 General Manager of Luxembourg based Harlequin Europe SA said, “Supporting young talented dancers and looking towards the future of dance is a cherished value of Harlequin Floors. In recognition of the dance community and in memory of our friends and founders of Prix de Lausanne, Elvire and Philippe Braunschweig, we have decided to strengthen the privileged links between both institutions and our support to the Prix de Lausanne. by giving this scholarship to one of the 2013 candidates.” She added, “We are also delighted to continue our support for a fifth year of the very successful initiative of the video-blog which allows Internet users to share in the emotions of the candidates and offers a glimpse behind the scenes at the Prix de Lausanne.“ 

The motivation behind the partnership between Prix de Lausanne and Harlequin Floors is a shared interest in youngsters with a talent for dance. In fact, for over 40 years, the Prix de Lausanne and Harlequin have in their own ways supported future stars of the dance world. The Prix de Lausanne enables students to access a study grant whilst Harlequin provides top quality dance floors. Harlequin also leads an international awareness campaign on the importance of the correct dance floors in preventing injury to dancers" 

The objective of the Prix de Lausanne is to help young talented dancers start in their professional careers. The winners of the contest receive scholarships that allow them to complete their training for one year in one of the schools or professional dance companies that are partners of the Prix de Lausanne. 

The 41st Prix de Lausanne International Ballet Competition takes place 27th January to 2nd February 2013. 

New Harlequin floors rated highly by dancers

In what may be the first of its kind, a customer satisfaction survey to measure how dancers respond to new dance floors, has been conducted with staff and students at the famous Conservatoire de Paris. Survey results demonstrated a huge vote of confidence in the Harlequin Liberty™ sprung floors and Studio™ vinyl dance surfaces installed in three of the Conservatoire’s five studios. 

Summarising the results of the independent survey, Patrick Lesage, Senior Sales and Marketing Manager, Harlequin Europe said, “90% of the teachers and students are happy with the new floor. Previously all studios had been equipped with traditional basketweave floors comprising just two layers of battens and commonly recognized as having hard spots where the battens intersect. Over 80% unprompted noticed the floors had been changed and when asked to express a preference, 91% of teachers and 76% of students said they preferred the new floors. Probing further the survey revealed that a large majority (91% teachers & 82% students) considered the floor more shock absorbent and 82% of teachers and 72% of students are of the view that the rebound is better as well.” 

Daniel Agésilas, Director of Choreographic Studies at the Conservatoire explained, ”Following many tests the Harlequin Liberty™ sprung floor was found to offer the best balance between flexibility and rigidity. Combined with the adhesion offered by the Harlequin dance floor surfaces it is a great success.” He concluded, “We chose Harlequin because the company has undertaken all the necessary research work to enable dancers to work in conditions of optimal safety,” 

The Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Paris is one of six higher schools in France. Approved since 2009 to award the Higher National Professional Diploma of Dance, the Conservatoire provides open training in today’s classical and contemporary choreographic creation with the emphasis throughout the course placing the students in a professional situation. 

Harlequin floors for dance, theatre & events at PLASA

British Harlequin, world leaders in floors for the performing arts, will be presenting a comprehensive range of floors for dance, theatre, display and events on stand 1 L31 at London’s PLASA Show, 9th~12th September 2012. 

Harlequin’s popular floors for display are being increasingly used for major television productions and events, to add colour, gloss and sparkle to the set. Harlequin also builds and installs custom designed floors for theatres, performing arts centres and cruise ships. The Harlequin name is of course familiar to dance companies and dance schools around the world. Within the global dance community, Harlequin is respected for investment in supporting research leading to the development of advances in dance surfaces and sprung sub floors. Modern dance floors are contributing to reducing injuries and boosting dancers’ confidence. 

With more than 30 years’ experience in producing world leading floors for performance, Harlequin provides sprung floors for permanent or temporary installation, roll out and permanent vinyl floors. Accessories include tapes, roll carts, bags and straps, ballet barres and cleaning materials. 

Experts from British Harlequin will be on the stand at PLASA 2012 to advise the most suitable floor type for a wide range of performance venues. 

Big Dance at Covent Garden Piazza

Some pictures from the Big Dance today on Harlequin Liberty sprung floor at Covent Garden Piazza.

Tuesday 10am and the floor is ready

Thanks to Harlequin there's no dancing on concrete

HostHakeem Onibudo calls for appreciation for Harlequin Floors

The show starts with audience participation

The Dance Guide joins in

The resident company open the show

The violinist waits her cue

Camera crews cover the event

It's Big Dance Week

The Big Dance Bus rolled into Covent Garden Piazza today - the next stop on the tour that is getting everyone dancing this summer. And as show host, Hakeem Onibudo told the lunch time crowds "without Harlequin providing the dance floor we would be dancing on concrete."

By 10 o'clock the Harlequin Liberty sprung floor was laid on the Piazza and the Harlequin Cascade dance surface taped in place as preparations for today's show proceeded back stage. 

After a warm up for members of the audience, the Big Dance Bus resident company took to the stage in a routine choreographed by Fleur Davison and Natasha Khamjani.