Everyone knows that passion and a lot of hard work are the prerequisites for becoming an accomplished dancer. But apart from that, there are other aspects that can help you nurture your talent and achieve your goals, while also making the journey smoother. The equipment you use and the practice space also play a major role in your dance life.
If your days revolve around training sessions and you find yourself spending more time at your local dance studio than in any other place, why not make your life easier and bring the studio at home? Wouldn’t it be better to have your own training space where you can dance your days away and practice whenever you feel like it, rather than make endless trips to a dance studio?
Just think about it: if you’ve got some extra space at home and a bit of money that you can invest in this type of project, you can create an at-home dance studio that will suit your needs perfectly. Then you can forget about missing practice sessions because you couldn’t get to the studio, and you can train on your own terms. So here are a few tips that can help you turn this prospect into a reality.
Choose your space
You need enough space so you can move freely and make the most of your practice sessions. If you’re constantly going to bump into surrounding objects and worry about tripping over and breaking household items, you won’t be able to focus on what you’re doing and your sessions won’t be very productive. So ideally you can find a place in your home where there are no such risks and elements that can distract you. Also, try to choose a room that is as far away as possible from bedrooms or areas that other people in the house use constantly, so you won’t bother others and you won’t be bothered either.
If you have a basement, consider yourself lucky. Basements are perfect for setting up dance studios as they check all the boxes listed above, provided that they’re clutter-free. However, even if your basement is a complete mess and it’s been used to store piles of random items, you can still turn it into the dance studio of your dreams if you do some spring cleaning and remove all the clutter.
Use mirrors
Once you’ve found the ideal space for your project, and you’ve made sure it’s clean and clear, it’s time to make it look like a real dance studio and not just a random empty space. So, the next thing you should do is bring in the mirrors. No dance studio can be complete without at least one large enough mirror so you can watch your movements while you practice.
There are various sizes and shapes you can choose, depending on the space you have at your disposal and your budget. Obviously, you’ve noticed that professional dance studios have huge mirrors, sometimes covering entire walls, but that might not be possible to replicate at home and it’s not exactly budget-friendly either. So, don’t worry too much about the size of the mirror. Instead, look for glassless dance mirrors that are completely shatter-proof, provide a bright reflection and can be easily installed or made portable.
Install flooring
As a dancer, you definitely know how important floors are in a dance studio. The space you’ve chosen to use as an at-home dance studio probably doesn’t have a floor that is suitable for dancing, so you’ll have to install new floors. This will require a larger investment, but it’s absolutely essential to practice on an appropriate floor. If you’re going to set up your dance studio in the basement you’ll probably have to deal with concrete floors and your joints won’t appreciate it. If it’s a spare room you want to transform and you’ve got a fluffy carpet in there, it’s not going to help you with spinning and sliding.
I think you’ve got the point. You can dance on any type of floor, but it won’t be the same as practicing on a floor that’s specially built for the purpose. In this case, the smartest option, even if not the cheapest one, is to install wooden floors in your future dance studio. If you simply don’t have the budget for it, the next best thing is to install a vinyl mat.
Invest in a good sound system
Now that you’re done with the mirrors and floors, you’ve got one last important investment to make: getting a good sound system. If there’s no music, there’s no dancing and if you can’t hear the music properly, you can’t practice properly. Now we’re not saying you should buy the most performant surround-system on the market, but you can’t rely on your smartphone and wireless earbuds to provide the musical background in your studio. Apart from being impractical and uncomfortable, you won’t feel the same connection with the music. If you do a bit of research, you can find some decent speakers at reasonable prices, so you won’t have to break the bank to ensure good sound quality for your dance studio.
Set the right vibe
Now that you’ve got all the essentials covered, you can put your dance shoes on and start practicing, but not before adding some final touches to the studio to complete the picture. There are not only practical aspects to be taken into account. The space you use as a dance studio should also give off the right vibe and inspire creativity. There are various elements that can create the perfect ambiance in a dance studio and one of them is lighting. If you’re not lucky enough to have a room flooded by natural light, choose the suitable lighting fixtures to brighten up your studio. Apart from that, you can also add posters and other decorative items to set the mood and give you the energy you need.
