Floor quality problems

[David Bailey]

Inspired by the "knee problems" thread and this:

My first dance in the main room, I couldn’t spin at all (ended up sort of staggering round), it hurt my knees and at one point I could actually hear my shoe squeaking above the music…

What are the best techniques for avoiding injury on a bad floor?

(Apart from not dancing on it, of course )

[ducasi]

Don't spin, or wear slippier shoes, or use talc, or step your turns and ask your leads "no fast turns or spins", or just do a slow blues dance no matter what the music.

[Martin]

Inspired by the "knee problems" thread and this:


What are the best techniques for avoiding injury on a bad floor?

(Apart from not dancing on it, of course )

I used to take 4 different pairs of shoes to cope with whatever floor.

Now I wear leather sole, rubber heel, and tone it down when on a very sticky floor.

I would suggest step turns on a very bad floor.

[Lynn]

What are the best techniques for avoiding injury on a bad floor?

As a follow, and since we spin more than the leads there are two things

- the right footwear - if going to an unfamiliar venue I bring several pairs of shoes with different soles so that I am prepared if the floor is slow.
- adjusting spinning - sometimes I will give up trying to spin on one foot and will swap feet part way round, or I will adjust the speed, and will definitely avoid double spins.


And yes, dancing less. I might avoid doing the class for a start to minimise the amount of turning and spinning I am doing and I will just have a few less dances - depends on the music and leads though. If music fast and the leads are all wanting me to spin a lot, I will dance less. If music slower and I can play more, then I will still dance as much.

[MartinHarper]

Bounce. Take steps on the ups.

[Andy McGregor]

If the floor is wooden and sticky it is my experience that it is dirty. You will find that a sticky residue builds up on the sole of your shoe. In these circumstances I usually find that the floor improves during the course of the evening as other dancers pick up the sticky stuff on their soles and, effectively, clean the floor. My advice is to wait until later and then dance on the cleaner floor.

On composite floors that have been treated with non-slip you are stuffed and should find somewhere else to dance rather than risk injuries. And you should question the judgement of the person who booked the venue for an MJ event.

When I'm looking at new venues I take dance shoes with me to test the floor. I usually do a few twirls in the middle and in one corner. If the floor is too slow I do not book the venue. I will not use powder to speed up the floor. You can imagine the liability claim if I've done something to make the floor slippery and somebody slips

We have regular balls at Hove Town Hall (where they have Britrock) and the floor is usually very fast. I've been sharing events with Sarah Johnson a this venue and she's got it sorted after exensive research for Britrock. We mop the floor with 'Astonish - No Rinse Wood Floor Cleaner' and the floor is exactly right for MJ. I recently shared the same venue with another operator and his solution was to ask the venue not to clean the floor - it was OK, not too fast, but but a bit inconsisent. In balance I prefer the treated clean floor option to slow down fast floors.

[johnnyman]

Balance is the key to avoiding injury on the dancefloor and being aware of the space around you and the dancers.

I had one vivid memory from Edgware when Ceroc briefly held their nights at the TA Regiment building there where one of the organisers put soap down on the floor to improve the surface. The sad reality was during a class, a lady was trying a ladies spin, slipped and fell face down on the floor. Not a good way to do a class.

I think having good solid dance shoes that give you a good mix of stick and slide are also helpful.

best
johnnyman

[David Bailey]

If the floor is wooden and sticky it is my experience that it is dirty.

I don't think that applies to Chiswick main room - or for that matter, Berko blues room, which is as bad. But I could be wrong...

You will find that a sticky residue builds up on the sole of your shoe. In these circumstances I usually find that the floor improves during the course of the evening as other dancers pick up the sticky stuff on their soles and, effectively, clean the floor. My advice is to wait until later and then dance on the cleaner floor.

Nope, if anything both those floors get worse - I think it's something to do with the heat?

And you should question the judgement of the person who booked the venue for an MJ event.

Unfortunately, Ceroc venue managers are sometimes more keen on preserving the "impeccable" quality of their floor than addressing the problem. Or, they just don't give a stuff.

[David Bailey]

Balance is the key to avoiding injury on the dancefloor and being aware of the space around you and the dancers.

I'm guessing you've never been to Chiswick main room then? The phrase "treacle" springs to mind...

There's no hope for it, I'll have to buy some leather-soled shoes and bring along 2 pairs. Great

[Twirly]

If the floor is wooden and sticky it is my experience that it is dirty. You will find that a sticky residue builds up on the sole of your shoe. In these circumstances I usually find that the floor improves during the course of the evening as other dancers pick up the sticky stuff on their soles and, effectively, clean the floor. My advice is to wait until later and then dance on the cleaner floor.

I think this was the case this week at Chiswick. I didn’t want to damage my good shoes, so that’s why I changed into my Greeks. However my friend said that after about an hour of dancing, she found her ability to spin had improved (I usually find that my shoes, whatever the state of the floor “warm up” after a few dances and my spinning improves anyway – anyone else find this?). I just wonder if the spinning improves because your shoes are now covered in the gunk, and are therefore interacting with the surface better as it’s like spinning against like. Be interesting to see if she has any problems with her shoes on a better floor tonight.

Balance is the key to avoiding injury on the dancefloor and being aware of the space around you and the dancers.

*snip*

I think having good solid dance shoes that give you a good mix of stick and slide are also helpful.

Makes no difference on a really bad floor what your shoes are like – the ones I started off with on Saturday have danced on a number of floors and have always been fine till Chiswick

I'm guessing you've never been to Chiswick main room then? The phrase "treacle" springs to mind...

There's no hope for it, I'll have to buy some leather-soled shoes and bring along 2 pairs. Great

Bearing in mind the comments about floors that are sticky and floors that are too slippery either spoiling the enjoyment of dancing and the potential for injury, what responsibility do the organisers (Ceroc or independents) have to ensure that the floor is suitable? Connie made comments on the floor at Wimbledon, and I started off at the Grand in Clapham, which had the most diabolical floor you could ever imagine for dancing on (the famous “Saturday Night Fever” lights, combined with rough wood and concrete anyone?) – yet was an extremely popular venue.

[Andy McGregor]

which had the most diabolical floor you could ever imagine for dancing on (the famous “Saturday Night Fever” lights, combined with rough wood and concrete anyone?) – yet was an extremely popular venue.

I think the quality of the floor doesn't matter if your business model is based on beginners and early intermediates. It's only when you want to fine-tune your dancing and find that there is nothing fine about the floor that you notice the difference.

If dancers slavishly continue to attend venues with poor floors an organiser, especially one who isn't a keen dancer, will continue to book that venue and not look for alternatives.

At least their response is a business decision. I, on the other hand, have made a questionable besiness decision because I like the floor at a venue. I have a problem-child venue where I think the floor is one of the best I've ever danced on. It's a sprung oak floor with some kind of composite, Lino type, flooring over the wood. The floor is lovely do dance on, consistent across the whole surface, etc, etc. However, this venue is difficult to get off the ground with numbers growing very slowly and experienced dancers from elsewhere not coming back because they 'prefer a wooden floor': the "home-grown" dancers love the venue The only difference to the two, successful, nearby venues that I run is that floor I know I should find a different venue - but I love that floor

[Andy McGregor]

Oops, somehow posted the same reply twice - sorry

[Hot Cookie]

I'm guessing you've never been to Chiswick main room then? The phrase "treacle" springs to mind...

won't be visiting Chiswick again in a hurry after last Saturday!!!!