I saw a clip where someone I think JJ said the Blackpool ballroom floor has lots of springs under the floor

How does this help the dancing? I thought it would put you off balance and be unhelpful

Less chance of the "regulars" breaking a hip on a sprung floor

Most proper dancefloors are "sprung" to help the dancers avoid injury

Still is a hard, shiny surface though so not sure how effective it is. I suppose you would have to speak to the locals.

Lol, its to do with reducing the impact of the floor and avoiding trauma to the knees etc during jumps, skip steps etc. Think of it like a cushioned landing, although you can't feel it when you land on the floor, over time you are less likely to get injuries such as shin splints and stress fractures due to repetitive trauma. And yes, any good dance studio will have a sprung floor - I was a bit shocked that the BBC didn't provide sprug flooring when they decided to do Strictly.

PS Its not like a trampoline! If you have ever been to a gym/aerobics studio you have been on a sprung floor. I've got images of people thinking you literally spring around like a kangaroo or something - its not hugely noticeable!

Beat me to it....All dance floors should be sprung....In the ideal world every gym should have a sprung floor as well.....I`v suffered from shin splints and it`s f*&%*n painful....As you say I `am very surprised the BBC don`t fit a sprung floor as part of the strictly set.I remember watching a documentary about the River Dance show many years ago and the Dancers were bereft when they arrived at one arena and the floor was`t sprung.....They were all aware that injuries were a real possibility....I think the promoter had to fit a sprung floor literally hours before the opening night.

same concept as "you shouldn't run on concrete" - gives you shin splits, stress fractures, and no end of problems. You soon notice where there isn't a sprung dance floor after an evening of (eg) ceroc dancing, or any dancing

As a child my mum moved me from a good dance school with "proper" dance studios to one run out of my school/church hall where I danced for three years. I can remember lying awake at night with "growing pains" in my legs which was actually probably due to dancing for three hours a night on a hard floor. It was only last year after years of dancing on sprung floors when I had to rehearse a very jumpy routine on a non- sprung floor that I really began to appreciate sprung floors - my "growing pains" came back at the grand old age of 24! And I'm still 5"2 lol!

Its not hard to fit a sprung floor either, you can easily build one over an existing floor. Why wouldn't the BBC do things properly? You would think they want to protect themselves against possible injury claims etc by the pro's?

It's laid in a similar manner to that of the floors in squash courts.

Thanks for the explanations everyone. What about the different halls where they have to do their long hours training sessions. I doubt any of them are sprung floor dance studios. They seem to be part of various sports halls.

you'd be surprised, proper gyms etc probably have proper floors, someone else mentioned squash courts. Dance floors eg blackpool are very springy, but bearing in mind where they train has decent dance studio mirrors they probably have decent floors too.

All good dance floors are sprung. Easier to dance, less trauma to joints and kinder on the body if/when you fall.
I couldn't believe the Beeb hadn't got one for the show.

All the more surprising as if I remember from last year, the whole set is dismantled on Sunday and rebuilt each week to allow other programmes to use the studio. It's not as though the Beeb is stuck with fixed hardware.

Is it normal to train in proper dance shoes? For running, no-one trains in race shoes, precisely because race shoes don't offer much support. They are very light, so you go quickly, but your joints ache for days after a hard race.

Do people train in more forgiving shoes and then only wear proper footwear for the show itself? Or can you only refine technique in proper dance shoes? (For running, the only difference with wearing race shoes is that you go faster; the technique is the same as with heavier, supportive shoes.)

I thought I noticed Flavia training in Jazz sneakers the other day. These are good supporting, and have a split sole allowing you to move through your feet and through the floor and depending on the brand there is a slight shock absorption too. I have noticed male pro's dancing in trainers on occasion too which I found a slight shock but suppose its not that big a deal as again, they would have a shock absorbing sole and be supportive of the feet. I think, from a woman's perspective, I prefer to get my heels on as soon as possible as they definitely alter the way you move and if they are what you are going to be wearing for performing then you might as well get used to them ASAP - I usually learn a dance in jazz sneakers then transfer into my Capezios or whatever shoes I will be wearing for the performance with plenty of time to get used to them. However, whilst shoes are important, they are not quite as important as dancing on a sprung floor. Eg, my training is mainly in Ballet and in regular ballet shoes i.e not pointe or demi-pointe shoes you basically have no support, the shoe is more like a glove, and the strength is built up entirely in your feet and ankles. Most contemporary dancers dance in bare feet or just a thong (FOOT thong, get your mind out of the gutter please!) and once I got on to medals my jazz teacher insisted we danced in bare feet for exams and performance, allowing us to develop and demonstrate the strength in our feet, as jazz trainers can distort the impression of what the foot is doing in the view of an adjudicator and I found regular jazz shoes to be slippy. I think it is important for the female celebs especially to dance in their heels asap as dancing in heels does take a bit of getting used to in terms of balance and the weight being more forward etc. The pro females are probably much more used to their heels and I would imagine it would be much easier to teach at the beginning of the week in shoes such as jazz sneakers, as the male celebs are still getting used to the dance, and accidents (in the foxtrot, quickstep etc) are more likely to happen.

On the other topic, I do believe that most of the training takes place in the dance/aerobics studios of gyms. These most likely have a cushioned floor.

They only dance in the TV Studio for a very short period though so perhaps they don't think its worth the extra expense. (not saying that's right but just a thought)

Bella,

My two daughters (age 5 and 7) do ballet and tap (I think they have Carpezio shoes - the name is familiar and I can't think how I'd have heard it otherwise!) and "Miss" is insistent on ballet shoes and tap shoes in class. I didn't know if this was technique related or tradition.

I learnt a hell of a lot when I took the dynamic duo to their exams recently - hair must be in a bun (which "Miss" and the head of the dance school helped me with, thankfully, because I'm a numpty bloke ), no cardigans, bows or laces but not both on shoes etc. - and deduced that dancing has some quite strict rules. I can see, though, that the footwear aspect of technique would be very important.

Both girls want to be "Strictly" pros, so I tell them that Erin and Flavia eat all their veg and don't answer back. They've fallen for eating their veg, but can't see why backchat isn't permitted - I blame "Bad Boy Brendan".

Awww your girls sound lovely. When I was a kid I did tap/ballet/jazz etc and we did competitions that lasted all half term week. One year the organisers decidde to im[prose a rule that tap shoes had to be the same colour as the costume. The older girls used do to about 20 dances per comp, roughly half in tap shoes so this meant mums and dads having to spray paint the shoes in between each performance since no one had more than one pair of tap shoes!

They do sound lovely in theory. It's the reality that is the hard part!!

I knew diddly squat about dancing before the kids started going to ballet, but now I know 1st to 5th positions - not that my knees permit me to assume many of them! It's a good thing to be into, in my view, as it's a good form of exercise and instills discipline. "Miss" takes no nonsense from anyone, and I get to go running whilst they're locked in the dance hall.

They will have brilliant posture and grace for life too!

Yes, Dance is a very strict discipline! My first dance school was as perfect as they come - no knickers under leotards (what respectable 3 yr old ballerina would have vpl?), leather ballet shoes for lessons, satin for exams, shoes sprayed to match costumes etc. I can remember my mum taking me at 5 for my first RAD ballet exam with my hair in ringleted bunches with sparkly bows only for "Miss" to go insane and grab a massive hair brush, millions of kirby grips and french plait my hair all the way across my head like Frida Kahlo and put a pink bow in the back to match my pink leotard, socks and shoes. The other girls were jealous! We weren't allowed to eat or drink in costume or exam uniform, and I can recall practicing my curtsey for hours complete with "dancer's face" and deep inhale through the nose - lol I must have looked so snooty. From such a young age, you are ingrained to behave professionally and I have to say it has stood me in good stead. I teach as well as perform (yes, I'm a "Miss" now lol) and I remember my first exam session as a teacher, doing the hair beforehand and ensuring the children were immaculate looking, teaching them how to smile and greet the examiner politely - its all part of the package of being a performer.

Aww, I'd love to have little girls like yours one day and I hope they would want to dance too. My poor mum didn't have a clue what she was getting herself into bless her, still doesn't! Yes, for ballet and tap, shoes would have to be worn at all times in class. Learning how to do the perfect bun is a must, my mum always did mine lopsided! Capezio make dancewear as well as shoes, their ballet tights may be Capezio? Perhaps their shoes too, but usually at that age teachers ask you to get the cheaper brand Roch Valley as they will constantly be outgrowing shoes. Beware, by the time they are 9 or 10 they can become right little divas and will insist that their hair etc hasn't been done right - no one can give a backstage strop like a 9 year old dancer !

The veg thing, I was at an aftershow bbq once and the children of some of the other performers were following me round asking me why I was eating the "boring food". I told them I like to be healthy and if you eat your fruit and veg you have a better chance of having a long healthy life. One cocky little lad said " So if you eat fruit and vegetables, you live longer? Yeah, right!" to which I said, "Yes, you are more likely too." Fast forward to half an hour later, everyone is eating dessert and there are a group of kids sat in the corner eating the fruit salad because it makes you live longer! Their parents love me now !

Our dance school sounds quite laid back in comparison!

The kids are really into dancing, both in an out of class. After the AS week on SCD recently, they practiced their lifts, with elder daughter playing the role of the man, and after a few tumble, she proudly demonstrated a twirl with her sis accross her back, with arms, legs and toes fully extended. This is much better than last year when I had to re-enact Austin's shoulder spin of Erin - with an 8 foot Christmas Tree!!!

Awwww, bless them! It sounds like dancing definitely has a hold of them - it's great that they want to practice themselves without needing any cajoling too. And its so cute that they try to teach you too - must say that christmas tree was probably much heavier than Erin, although probably a tad more scratchy, yes I would definitely advocate practicing lifts with christmas trees before moving on to human beings - whatever you do, don't let your girls see the table top lift in Dirty Dancing !

Why is the floor so springy?

Is it to help the dancers look more like bush kangaroos?

It was designed to make dance a moving experience.