When you hire a dance floor for your wedding reception, birthday or private function, you are getting a dedicated surface designed not only to look good but to feel good to dance on.
Dance floors are also typically known as “sprung floors” because whilst they tend to resemble materials such as wood or parquet, they have a degree of impact resistance that allows them to soften the impact of body movements and avoid twisted ankles or stressed joints.
The best kinds of dance floors also reduce noise and can even make a dancer better, as they can use the floor as a springboard.
Whilst the history of dance floors is remarkably difficult to track, the first person who seemed to realise the true potential of the sprung dance floor and its potential to liven up parties was Lorenzo Papanti, an Italian dancer and trainer based in Boston, Massachusetts.
Mr Papanti emigrated from Tuscany in 1827 and quickly brought elements of the Rococo ethos over the Atlantic. Whilst this was initially a tough sell given the puritanical roots of New England and the belief that dancing was something nobody else should see, he quickly became popular in the Boston area.
By 1837, he had enough money and enough success to open a ballroom on Tremont Street that was amongst the most extravagant places to learn to dance anywhere outside of a royal court.
However, whilst the golden mirrors, chandelier and comfortable dressing rooms were relatively luxurious innovations, the biggest change was the floor itself, which featured one of the first sprung floors ever made.
Whilst it is unlikely that this was the very first, it was one of the first noteworthy dedicated dance floors, and it would prove to be influential as dances such as the waltz became increasingly popular and necessitated a floor that worked with dancers.
Their use expanded from palaces and embassies to luxury homes and private clubs before becoming more widespread as dance halls became open to everyone.