If you are serious about becoming a famous tap dancer, you are going to have to purchase your own practice floor at some point. Below I share three portable flooring options that may help you to eventually rival the great Savion Glover!
There are 3 levels of tap surfaces that I have used for practicing at home and recommend for others.
#1 – A Sheet of Plywood
The cheapest way to create a surface for tap dancing is to get some plywood and have it cut to whatever size you need. Be advice that you will have to balance convenience with quality. In general, the thicker the board is the longer it will last. At the same time, the thickness will add to the weight and bulk of the board, making harder to transport.
Sanding is also recommended to help you avoid splinters.
Plywood is the cheapest option for getting a floor to practice on but it also has its downsides.
First among them is the fact that plywood does very little to help absorb the shock of dancing on hard surfaces. This increases the possibility of injury.
In addition, the sound quality on a plywood sheet is not great and they can be difficult to transport for use in performances due to their size.
#2 – Jubilee Dance Floors
Jubilee Dance Dance Floors have a good balance of cost and convenience.
It comes in panels that are 2′ x 2′ and connect to one another using industrial strength velcro. This means that your practice floor could be as large as you need it to be. The panels fit together securely and seamlessly.
The boards are made of Polymer with a foam backing which helps to protect the joints and makes a really good sound. The Jubilee Dance Floors costs about $36 per square at the time of this writing.
The big con with these floors is that they are not made of wood so they probably would not appeal to hardcore wood floor enthusiasts. Also, the velcro wears out over time and they are useless on carpeted surfaces.
#3 – The Stagestep Portable Tap Board
This board has the best sound quality!
It’s extremely durable as well, having survived the worst that I and other local hoofers could give it at our monthly tap jam. You can pick it up at Stagestep.com.
The only downside is that this board weighs around 37 pounds and is awkward to carry. I hope this article helps you to find a solution to the challenge of practicing tap at home.
