Bringing Ballet West's Sprung Floor Back to Life

Hidden beneath the dancer's toes at each performance is Ballet West's basket weave sprung floor, the springy stage that has supported decades of leaps and turns.   

Built from hundreds of interlocking 4x8 panels, this type of flooring cushions dancer’s landings, taking pressure off their joints during repeated jumps and turns of a performance. The floor’s built-in give also works like a spring, helping push dancers upward as they jump, while also creating a safer surface when they land.

However, after repeated use during performances, which includes heavy scenery getting rolled across the floor, the panels begin to crack and edges start to splinter. That means every single panel is pulled out, inspected, and repaired. Hundreds of panels checked over one by one, and every broken piece is removed and replaced with new wood parts, and the entire floor is ready to spring back to life.