Harlequin Floors celebrates The Academy dance studio and training centre launch in Southampton

Harlequin Floors have played a vital part in the development of The Academy, the south coast’s largest dance studio and training centre. Opened on Friday 28th June 2013 by Strictly Come Dancing professional dancers, Ian Waite and Natalie Lowe, the centre in Southampton features 720m2 of Harlequin Activity Sprung Floor and Harlequin Standfast. The grand opening saw the unveiling of three large dance studios, costume and shoe storage room, an aerial performance room and two singing rehearsal rooms, all in a converted warehouse. The Academy will house rehearsals for thousands of dancers and performers rehearsing for appearances on Carnival Cruises. Each of the three dance studios were fully equipped with Harlequin Activity Sprung Floor topped with Harlequin Standfast Surface and were built to replicate a ship in a bid to help performers get used to the interior of the vessel. For the first time in a Harlequin Floors project, coloured weld was also added to mark out the stage areas that would be available on the main ships. Harlequin Activity is a sprung floor system based on the ‘triple sandwich’ system developed by Harlequin Floors over 30 years but still sets the standard for the industry. Its shock-dampened characteristics will help dancers to avoid a trampoline effect when rehearsing and will reduce the possibility of injury. The Harlequin Activity was topped with Harlequin Standfast Vinyl flooring and will provide a slip-resistant, durable surface. Suitable for a wide range of dance styles including ballet, contemporary, modern and hip-hop, the flooring also offers versatility to the rehearsal rooms. (Photos copyright Maria Slough)

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