By Kayla
I’ve been taking dance classes at home since March, training in the kitchen and trying not to knock anything over. This month, I successfully built a floor for a better ballet experience at home. I had never built anything more daunting than an Ikea shelf, so it took several DIY Youtube videos and multiple trips to Lowe’s to complete the floor.
Many dance studios have sprung floors, which absorb shock to allow for safer dancing. Auditioning, performing, or training on an uncomfortable or hard floor isn’t ideal, and I wanted to create a somewhat comfortable floor for the year. For a home sprung floor, I decided to build a floor with a lower frame under it. With the spring from the 2 x 4 planks and the carpet, dancing on the home floor would be a little closer to dancing in a real studio.
Placing the 2 x 4 planks in a lattice formation was the first step. About 50 screws later, the lower frame was complete. Then, I placed and attached the wide wood planks on top, and laid down marley for a smooth floor.
Finishing this project was very satisfying. It took some time to figure out all of the measurements and purchases for the floor, and I felt successful completing a solid floor. This past year has brought quite a lot of change, and my new floor has allowed me to adjust to the new circumstances of my virtual ballet training.
While dancing at my old studio, I had watched the crew at my previous ballet studio build props in the back room for years, so I enjoyed working on the other side for this project. Building this floor was a new vantage point for me within the field of dance, and I hope to explore other facets like this in the future.
