A Time To Dance has one of the largest dance facilities on the Gulf Coast. The studios feature floor to ceiling mirrors, adjustable ballet barres, and all the typical features needed in a dance studio. The studios also are setup with a wireless sounds system so that instructors are able to play music from their ipod/ipad anywere in facility. This allows them to move about the room and still maintain the ability to adjust the music as needed.
What really sets our facilities apart is our sprung dance floors. True “sprung” dance floors have the right amount of “give” to them. Dancing on concrete or even “floating” roll out floors directly on concrete results in the body absorbing the energy of that impact.
According to Perry Silvey, the production stage manage of the New York City Ballet, this flooring is injury free and predictable. Concrete floors can create many physical problems for they allow not “give”. A properly sprung floor absorbs energy, preventing overuse injuries.
Why is this important?
The impact force with which the foot strikes the ground will rebound off the surface and vibrate up through the body as an energy shockwave. This shockwave affects muscles, tendons and leads to joint trauma at the ankle, knee, hip and lower back. According to Sports Medicine experts, the body feels three times its weight in pressure with each foot-fall while running and up to seven times its weight when it jumps. Jumping on a non-sprung floor can result in shin splints, sprains, or worse.
You will find a lot of studios skip this important step as these floors are very expensive to install. Before you sign up for classes at any dance studio, ask if they have true sprung floors!