184 advice on floors
Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2001 21:24:14 +0800
From: Sue Stigleman <tangosue@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: advice on floors
The studio where we have been meeting for over a year has recently redone their floors. The new flooring is stickier, not for walking but for swiveling. Some of the followers come to a dead stop when an ocho is led because their feet won't swivel easily.
Do people have advice either on how to cope with this floor, or on what specifics (e.g. Finish X is good, Finish Y is bad) to look for in seeking out a new place, if we decide to uproot and meet somewhere else?
We tried cornmeal this last Sunday. Some cloggers here in Western North Carolina who like a low softshoe style of clogging use it on floors, and I know that used liberally it makes floors very slick. Instead of putting it out all over the floor, we put a little of it out and tried stepping in it, but it wasn't very effective. We also thought of talc, but no one had any that day.
Any advice is welcome. Thanks!
--sue
tangosue@earthlink.net
--
Get your free email from https://webmail.earthlink.net
Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2001 23:21:22 +0900
From: astrid <astrid@RUBY.PLALA.OR.JP>
Subject: Re: advice on floors
I dance in one studio that has a PVC floor, and after trying brandnew
Argentine leather soles and still having too much friction, I put talcum
(face) powder on the soles of my shoes with a powder puff before every
lesson. It worked.
Here in Tokyo floors are either too rough or too slippery, nothing in
between. Must be the cheap materials, I guess. Or is there any good floor
where one MUST wear suede soles instead of Argentine (maybe rubbed down with
a candle if too smooth) ?
I'd like to know too.
Astrid
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, September 05, 2001 10:24 PM
Subject: advice on floors
> The studio where we have been meeting for over a year has recently redone
their floors. The new flooring is stickier, not for walking but for
swiveling. Some of the followers come to a dead stop when an ocho is led
because their feet won't swivel easily.
>
> Do people have advice either on how to cope with this floor, or on what
specifics (e.g. Finish X is good, Finish Y is bad) to look for in seeking
out a new place, if we decide to uproot and meet somewhere else?
>
> We tried cornmeal this last Sunday. Some cloggers here in Western North
Carolina who like a low softshoe style of clogging use it on floors, and I
know that used liberally it makes floors very slick. Instead of putting it
out all over the floor, we put a little of it out and tried stepping in it,
but it wasn't very effective. We also thought of talc, but no one had any
that day.
>
> Any advice is welcome. Thanks!
>
> --sue
> tangosue@earthlink.net
>
> --
>
> Get your free email from https://webmail.earthlink.net
>
>
Date: Sat, 15 Sep 2001 08:32:48 -0600
From: Tom Stermitz <Stermitz@RAGTIME.ORG>
Subject: Re: advice on floors
>The studio where we have been meeting for over a year has recently
>redone their floors. The new flooring is stickier, not for walking
>but for swiveling. Some of the followers come to a dead stop when
>an ocho is led because their feet won't swivel easily.
>...
>Any advice is welcome. Thanks!
>
>--sue
>tangosue@earthlink.net
Be MOST careful about the swiveling because it can ruin knees...for
the men as well as the women.
I occasionally teach a class called "Dancing on Concrete". In Buenos
Aires and elsewhere they actually dance on concrete or cobblestones,
and everyone must take absolute care not to pivot AT ALL.
The milonguero style can be done with virtually NO pivoting of the
feet. The salon style requires pivoting.
Again, be MOST careful.
--
Tom Stermitz
2612 Clermont St
Denver, CO 80207
home: 303-388-2560
cell: 303-725-5963
Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2001 09:46:21 -0500
From: Stephen Brown <Stephen.P.Brown@DAL.FRB.ORG>
Subject: Re: advice on floors
Sue Stigleman wrote:
>The studio ... has recently redone their floors. The new flooring is
stickier, ... Some of the followers come to a dead stop when an ocho is led
... Do people have advice either on how to cope with this floor, ... or on
what ... to look for in seeking out a new place, if we decide to uproot and
meet somewhere else?<<
Ballroom dancers also appreciate less sticky floors. Swing dancers and
yoga and aerobics classes do not seem to care. Ballet dancers want sticky
floors. If there are a significant number of ballroom dancers using the
studio, you may want to approach management of the studio with the
suggestion that they buff the floor to make it more slippery.
If buffing is not an option, you may want to consider the use of dance wax
as a temporary solution. Talcum powder will also work but can damage the
floor. I have had mixed results with corn starch. In humid environments,
it seems to have little affect.
In searching for a new space, you may want to consider what types of
dancers already use the space looking for groups that want a more slippery
floor. Then you can test the floor for suitability.
--Steve (de Tejas)
Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2001 09:29:55 -0700
From: Roger Pick <pick@CABLESPEED.COM>
Subject: Re: Advice on Floors...
There is a powdered wax called "dance wax" that is available in the US.
I found it at a restaurant supply store. It's VERY effective and a
small amount sprinkled on the floor from a container with holes in the
lid is sometimes far too much. I've found that on even very rough
floors it's sufficient to sprinkle a teaspoon full in a pile at out of
the way place and just touch each shoe sole to collect a few grains and
then pivot in place to distribute the wax on my shoes. It's amazing how
little it takes. If not used carefully, I'm sure it's dangerous.
Roger Pick
pick@cablespeed.com
Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2001 11:01:32 -0700
From: Ed Loomis <edl@WCO.COM>
Subject: (fwd) Re: advice on floors
Hello all,
When the floors were redone at "Tango by the River" in Sacramento
earlier this year they were sticky at first as well. As the polymer finish
cured over a couple of months the surface continued to harden and became
delightfully fast. While we were waiting we kept baby powder in an out of
the way spot where folks could go dab and spin. That was only necessary for
a while, though. Be patient and protect your knees for now, the floor will
probably cure into a nice surface in a while. Good luck.
Ed
On Wed, 5 Sep 2001 09:46:21 -0500, Stephen Brown
<Stephen.P.Brown@DAL.FRB.ORG> wrote:
>Sue Stigleman wrote:
>
>>The studio ... has recently redone their floors. The new flooring is
>stickier, ... Some of the followers come to a dead stop when an ocho is led
>... Do people have advice either on how to cope with this floor, ... or on
>what ... to look for in seeking out a new place, if we decide to uproot and
>meet somewhere else?<<
>
>Ballroom dancers also appreciate less sticky floors. Swing dancers and
>yoga and aerobics classes do not seem to care. Ballet dancers want sticky
>floors. If there are a significant number of ballroom dancers using the
>studio, you may want to approach management of the studio with the
>suggestion that they buff the floor to make it more slippery.
>
>If buffing is not an option, you may want to consider the use of dance wax
>as a temporary solution. Talcum powder will also work but can damage the
>floor. I have had mixed results with corn starch. In humid environments,
>it seems to have little affect.
>
>In searching for a new space, you may want to consider what types of
>dancers already use the space looking for groups that want a more slippery
>floor. Then you can test the floor for suitability.
>
>--Steve (de Tejas)
Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2001 10:26:52 -0700
From: Huck Kennedy <huck@ENSMTP1.EAS.ASU.EDU>
Subject: Re: advice on floors
Steve de Tejas writes:
> Ballet dancers want sticky floors.
I hate to be contrary to my friend Steve, but I would have to take
issue with this particular pronoucement. Ballet dancers hate slippery
floors, but that does not mean that they like sticky floors. Nobody
likes sticky floors (well okay, maybe flamenco dancers, I can't say for
sure).
> Ballet dancers frequently apply resin to floors to improve their grip.
I would say they do not do this frequently. They do frequently apply
rosin to their slippers. They have a rosin box that they step into,
and then they carefully scrunch the rosin into the leather of their soles
on a small spot of the floor next to the box to remove excess rosin so as to
avoid tracking it onto the floor itself. I've seen them occasionally apply
it to a particularly bad spot on the floor, but individuals applying rosin
to the floor instead of the shoes is usually frowned upon, because it affects
everyone instead of just the individual having the traction problem.
It's similar to a violin. You apply rosin to the bow, but (unless
you're a country-bumpkin fiddler who doesn't know any better) you clean
the rosin off the strings frequently with a cloth, and you never apply
rosin directly to the strings.
Huck
Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2001 21:23:31 -0500
From: Stephen Brown <Stephen.P.Brown@DAL.FRB.ORG>
Subject: Re: advice on floors
I am not a ballet dancer, but Susan and I have taught tango classes in one
of the top ballet studios in Ft. Worth that was run by people with
outstanding credentials in the ballet world.
Huck Kennedy wrote:
>Ballet dancers hate slippery floors, but that does not
>mean that they like sticky floors.
What ballet dancers seem to find appropriate seemed very sticky for tango.
Ballet dance companies frequently use marley surfaces for dance floors.
Marley is on the sticky side for tango dancing.
>[Ballet dancers] frequently apply rosin to their slippers. They
>have a rosin box that they step into, and then they carefully
>scrunch the rosin into the leather of their soles on a small spot
>of the floor next to the box to remove excess rosin so as to
>avoid tracking it onto the floor itself.
I stand corrected on this point, but after a day's worth of ballet dancing,
the floors in some ballet studios seems to have had rosin tracked all over
them, which really makes for surfaces that seem sticky for tango.
With best regards,
Steve
Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 09:11:38 -0400
From: Ba Tango <rhink2@NETSCAPE.NET>
Subject: Advice On Floors
Hola All,
Here's a tip given to me by an old ballroom master: apply hand soap (the
candle wax thing is probably equivalent) to the soles of your shoes. The
soap not only slows down a fast (i.e. slick) floor but also speeds up a
slow (i.e. rough or tacky) floor. Therefore, the soap will in effect
even out the surface. Also one can easily remove the soap with a shoe
brush. The soap also can double for the purpose it originally was intended
if one needs to freshen up. I never go anywhere without my soap.
Bob Hink
Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 22:20:48 +0900
From: astrid <astrid@RUBY.PLALA.OR.JP>
Subject: Re: Advice On Floors
apply hand soap (the
> candle wax thing is probably equivalent) to the soles of your shoes. I
never go anywhere without my soap.
>
Well, that would make solving that problem awfully easy. Just go to the
bathroom and... But what does the soap do to leather soles ? This does not
sound very healthy for the shoes . And what about meeting those people who
have stepped on a wet cloth to slow down their shoes ?
Astrid
Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 09:46:53 -0500
From: Bibib Wong <bibibwong@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Advice On Floors
Astrid et al,
I agree with the comment about candle and possibly soap.
Candle to me particularly is handy as the last resort, as a lot of dance
places we visit tend to have candles lit, than stocking talcum powder,
handsoap bars, let alone resin.
By handsoap, the earlier writer referred to rubbing the bar on the sole--
dry-- not with water. Most likely one carries a bar of dry soap as most
handsoap now are in liquid form or being wet.
I always brush the soles after an evening using wax (which I have to apply
carefully and frequently). I wonder if one needs to do the same with
handsoap (bars)
BB
> apply hand soap (the
> > candle wax thing is probably equivalent) to the soles of your shoes. I
>never go anywhere without my soap.
> >
>Well, that would make solving that problem awfully easy. Just go to the
>bathroom and... But what does the soap do to leather soles ? This does not
>sound very healthy for the shoes . And what about meeting those people who
>have stepped on a wet cloth to slow down their shoes ?
>
>Astrid
Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 12:11:53 -0600
From: Paul Akmajian & Karen Reck <paulnkaren@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Re: advice on floors
Stephen Brown noted:
> Talcum powder will also work but can damage the floor.
It can also "damage" other dancers. To AT dancers sharing a studio with
other dancers (especially ballet dancers): PLEASE do not use talcum powder
on your shoes or the floor unless use has been specifically approved by the
studio operators (AND your instructors). It is much preferable for AT
dancers to accommodate their style or choice of movements to the venue -
cobblestones or ice ;-) - than to risk precipitating an injury to another
dancer. In many studios the ballet dancers are children & teens - please
don't risk ending their dreams. Change studios if you cannot accommodate to
existing conditions without risk to yourself or others.
Karen in Albuquerque
Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2001 10:47:04 -0400
From: Jean-François Bouchard
<jean-francois.bouchard@MEQ.GOUV.QC.CA>
Subject: Floors
What is wrong with my message sent last week concerning the use of boric acid on floors ?
JF Bouchard
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 01:08:20 +0900
From: astrid <astrid@RUBY.PLALA.OR.JP>
Subject: Re: Floors
Subject: Floors
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 01:08:20 +0900
From: astrid <astrid@RUBY.PLALA.OR.JP>
Subject: Re: Floors
Subject: Floors
>What is wrong with my message sent last week concerning the use of boric
acid on floors ?
>JF Bouchard
(Jim Lane must have forgotten it or something.)There is probably nothing
wrong with it if you want an absolutely cockroach free tango studio.
Why would you want boric acid on your soles ?
; )
Astrid
Date: Mon, 17 Sep 2001 22:47:22 +1000
From: Arthur Athanassiou & Alison B Reid <athanass@OZEMAIL.COM.AU>
Subject: Re: advice on floors
I always have a spray can of Silicon in my car. It is supposed to be
used for sticky windows and draws .... BUT ... a little on the soles of
your shoes will turn any floor into a sheet of satin.
Eventually the floor will smooth out, but this way you can continue to
dance. Becareful not to get it on your heels or you will have no brakes.
Arthur
Brisbane.
At 21:24 5/09/2001 +0800, Sue Stigleman wrote:
>The studio where we have been meeting for over a year has recently redone
>their floors. The new flooring is stickier, not for walking but for
>swiveling. Some of the followers come to a dead stop when an ocho is led
>because their feet won't swivel easily.
>
>Do people have advice either on how to cope with this floor, or on what
>specifics (e.g. Finish X is good, Finish Y is bad) to look for in seeking
>out a new place, if we decide to uproot and meet somewhere else?
>
>We tried cornmeal this last Sunday. Some cloggers here in Western North
>Carolina who like a low softshoe style of clogging use it on floors, and I
>know that used liberally it makes floors very slick. Instead of putting
>it out all over the floor, we put a little of it out and tried stepping in
>it, but it wasn't very effective. We also thought of talc, but no one had
>any that day.
>
>Any advice is welcome. Thanks!
>
>--sue
>tangosue@earthlink.net
>
>--
>
>Get your free email from https://webmail.earthlink.net
