Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Harlequin Floors Solves Problems for UArts

  • 11/01/13
Harlequin Floors

Harlequin Floors provide students at the UArts School of Dance In Philadelphia with a shock-absorbing vinyl surface that is ideal for a wide variety of dance contexts including jazz, contemporary and tap.

Donna Faye Burchfield, director of the School of Dance at University of the Arts in Philadelphia, worked closely with a team of decision makers at the highly-regarded performing arts institution to find the best flooring for their busy dance studios. With more than 300 undergrads in the BFA program in the School of Dance dancing on the UArts floors from 8 A.M. until 11 P.M. nearly seven days every week, they needed floors suitable for many types of dance.

Durability, hassle-free maintenance and safety for their dancers were key factors in replacing their previous flooring, which had become extremely slippery, resulting in complaints from faculty and students. The dean, director, faculty and facilities manager knew Harlequin Floors by reputation and reached out to many other university dance departments for recommendations. Donna Faye Burchfield says, “The decision was a clear one. Upon investigation, all recommendations and research pointed us to Harlequin Floors.”

University of the Arts decided Harlequin’s WoodSpring sprung floors with the Harlequin Cascade vinyl surface was the best flooring solution for their needs. The “spring” in the WoodSpring construction comes from the natural flexing and recovery of the triple layer of battens, which is enhanced by shock-absorbent elastomer pads.

The surface is well suited as a portable or permanent dance floor and is extremely resistant to wear, but provides a perfect “feel” — silky soft without any hint of being slippery. Ms. Burchfield enthusiastically explains, “We would highly recommend Harlequin Floors for their consistent and thorough customer service. UArts School of Dance is thrilled with the new floors, which have made a huge difference in the quality of the dance experience for the entire faculty and the students.”

www.harlequinfloors.com

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management November 2013 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • TCU Marks Campus Expansion Milestone

    Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, recently held a topping-out ceremony to mark progress on a major campus expansion effort including four new residential facilities and a five-story parking garage, according to a news release.

  • Rethinking K-12 Schools as a Continuous Learning Experience

    Most students move through three or more separate facilities during their K-12 journey, yet the built environments they encounter at each stage have traditionally been designed in isolation, with little continuity in spatial language, learning philosophy, or physical resources. Each new school is a reset with different layouts, learning models, expectations, and ways of moving through a building. The next generation of school design is making the case that the first day of kindergarten and the last day of high school can and should feel connected through common support systems and infrastructure in the physical environment.

  • Q&A: How to Prevent Kitchen Grease Fires in Commercial Kitchens

    School cafeterias and university dining halls serve thousands of meals daily, relying on high-heat equipment like fryers, grills, and ovens. While these operations keep students fed, they also generate significant grease-laden vapors. Without proper controls, this grease becomes a silent fire threat. As a certified exhaust cleaning specialist and business coach who has helped hundreds of institutional facilities achieve NFPA 96 compliance, I emphasize that proactive grease management isn’t optional; it’s a core fire/life safety practice.

  • Designing Third Spaces That Do What AI Can't

    In 2026, education is evolving faster than ever. With AI reshaping everything from lesson planning to personalized instruction, schools and universities are turning their attention to what AI can’t replicate: spaces that foster collaboration, community, and creativity.