“Soft” Floor? What’s That All About

Dancers prefer floors that can absorb some shock, but which also “give back” some of the energy that is focused on the floor. The ability of a floor to “spring” a little, but not too much, means that moving a jumping done during dance can be done with less energy and with less chance for injury.

The degree to which a dance floor returns some, but not all, of the dancer’s downward energy is often described as the floor’s “softness”.