Tap dancing is a uniquely expressive art form that combines the fluidity of dance with the percussion of sound to produce a show unlike any other. At the core, tap artists express deep stories, rich with emotion and complexity, utilizing body as living instrument, In truth, these artists need nothing more than their bodies and ground. But to express themselves at their highest level, to protect their bodies for ages to come, and to share their art clearly with their audiences, tap dance artists require tools: a dance floor and shoes both designed for tap dancing.

 Tap dance artists regularly perform alongside live bands, and it is important to the full ensemble and performance that the intricacies of their percussive tap artistry is heard clearly. Without the proper shoes and floor for tap dancing, the mesmerizing nature of tap dance performances is lost. Tap artists produce unimaginable feats of sound, and their dedication and skill to the art asks that they be heard. High quality, suspended wood floors for tap dancing, along with their metal plated shoes are the combination that give voice to the form. 

While having tap shoes on hand to practice is relatively easy, having a proper tap dance floor can be more challenging. At O’Mara Sprung Floors, we manufacture portable tap dance floors to provide you with the perfect setup to practice your tap artistry  anywhere, anytime. 

Let’s discover more about our mobile tap dance floors and what makes them so convenient.

What Is a Portable Tap Dance Floor?

As the name implies, a portable tap dance floor is a flooring section perfect for tap dancing that you can take with you anywhere. Whether you want to design multiple areas in a dance studio to be tap-ready, are looking for a solution to practice at home, or want to take your talents on the road, a portable tap dance floor is the solution. 

At O’Mara Sprung Floors, we’ve created a wide array of portable tap dance floors that adhere to the same standards we expect in our larger dance floor designs. You can select from any of the following options:

• 2.5′ x 2′ Folding Travel Board, Carry-On: Maple Tap + Irish
• 3′ x 3′ Folding Travel Board XL: Maple Tap + Irish
• 3′ x 3′ Folding Travel Board, XL: Birch Beginner Kids Percussive Dance Floor (up to age 11)
• 4′ x 4′ Maple Tap + Irish Floor
• 4′ x 6′ Maple Tap + Irish Floor
• 4′ x 8′ Maple Tap + Irish Floor
• 6′ x 8′ Maple Tap + Irish Floor
• 8′ x 8′ Maple Tap + Irish Floor
• 2′ x 4′ Maple Tap and Irish Floor
• 3′ x 4′ Maple Tap + Irish Floor

Travel Boards

Our travel boards come in different sizes and are designed for tappers on the go as they can even be utilized for air travel. They are durable, fold in half, and come with attached handles for easy carrying. You can also purchase a travel board bag to make transport even easier.

You can start dancing on it without any setup time, making it great for spur-of-the-moment performances or squeezing in a few minutes of practice. Don’t be fooled by its simplistic design, though, as it will produce beautiful sound quality and forresist hours and hours of tapping. 

Each board comes pre-finished with O’Mara’s Tap+Irishurethane, making them slip-resistant and more durable. The underside of every board includes foam blocks to absorb landing forces and protect your body, all without sacrificing sound quality. 

Practice Floors

Coming in sizes ranging from 4′ x 4′ to 4′ x 8′ based on the number of 2′ x 4′ panels included, our Maple Practice Floors for percussive dance come with a clamp and cable  set to secure the panels together safely. The smaller-sized floor is ideal for practicing on the go, while the larger sizes  are great for small dance studios, performance centers, and home studios.

These boards, like all our other dance floors are sprung with closed-cell foam blocks to reduce the risk of injury while providing excellent sound for percussive tap dancing. As with all tap dance floors, you can expect the wood to become scuffed, dented, and scratched over time, but this will not affect the board’s performance or shock absorption abilities.  

Home Studio Floors 

Another excellent portable tap dance floor option is O’Mara’s maple tap and Irish floors for home studios. These are similar to the previous dance floor configuration option, but can be expanded in two directions instead of one. So you can start with a 6’ x 8’ or 8’ x 8’ floor, and then if you move or wish to expand your home dance studio space later on, we will help you reconfigure your floor to a larger size. We also manufacture custom size dance studio floors, so you can start with any size you like, custom-fit to your space before it ships to you. Upon arrival, installation is simple and can be done by you. 

Advantages of a Portable Tap Dance Floor at Home

There are numerous benefits to having a portable tap dance floor at home.

Resiliency

Tap dance floors need to be some of the most resilient and durable on the market as they must withstand the constant barrage of tap shoes doing their best to break them down. That’s why we use the highest-quality hard Maple plywood for our portable tap dance floors. One of the hardest wood types available, it is both durable and resilient. Our specially produced plywood is the most stable and resilient panel available, which in combination with the closed-cell foam blocks we adhere to the bottom of the panels, makes the “sprung” aspect of the dance floor feel natural and even.

Non-Slip

All of our portable tap dance floors come with a pre-finished Tap + Irish urethane non-slip layer. This feature makes tapping smooth and effortless while ensuring safety and security for the dancer. This special coating also leaves behind less “black dust,” the residue produced while tapping. 

Portability

Best of all, our portable tap dance floors provide you with the convenience of taking them wherever you want. They can spend their time safely stored away in a cool, dry place when not in use and be ready at a moment’s notice at the dance studio or home. Plus, their ability to travel on planes makes them ideal for tap dancing tours or competitions around the country.

Keep in mind that, while portable, our portable floors are not designed for outdoor use and should be cleaned regularly with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Make sure water does not seep into the seams and the floor dries completely.