Author Topic: Spiking a Dance Floor  (Read 13496 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Emilyann5

  • Tourist
  • *
  • Posts: 3
    • View Profile
  • Experience: College/Graduate
Spiking a Dance Floor
« on: Aug 19, 2011, 02:37 pm »
I'm stage managing a musical theatre workshop at school and I need to tape down numbers so that they are able to find center. But I know there was a rule about not using spike tape on a dance floor, but I cant remember what tape you're supposed to use. Help?

Thanks!

loebtmc

  • Forum Moderators
  • *****
  • Posts: 1574
    • View Profile
  • Affiliations: AEA, SAG, AFTRA, SMA
  • Current Gig: Caroling, caroling now we go — and looking for my next gig!
  • Experience: Professional
Re: Spiking a Dance Floor
« Reply #1 on: Aug 19, 2011, 03:02 pm »
try paper/painters tape

Emilyann5

  • Tourist
  • *
  • Posts: 3
    • View Profile
  • Experience: College/Graduate
Re: Spiking a Dance Floor
« Reply #2 on: Aug 19, 2011, 03:45 pm »
Thank you!

MatthewShiner

  • Forum Moderators
  • *****
  • Posts: 2478
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Affiliations: AEA, SMA
  • Current Gig: Freelance Stage Manager; Faculty for UMKC
  • Experience: Professional
Re: Spiking a Dance Floor
« Reply #3 on: Aug 19, 2011, 04:06 pm »
BUT check with your production manager as they may have a method or tape they want you to use.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Anything posted here as in my own personal opinion, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of my employer - whomever they be at a given moment in time.

loebtmc

  • Forum Moderators
  • *****
  • Posts: 1574
    • View Profile
  • Affiliations: AEA, SAG, AFTRA, SMA
  • Current Gig: Caroling, caroling now we go — and looking for my next gig!
  • Experience: Professional
Re: Spiking a Dance Floor
« Reply #4 on: Aug 19, 2011, 05:57 pm »
what he said

WWMSD, right?

iamchristuffin

  • Permanent Resident
  • *****
  • Posts: 270
    • View Profile
    • www.christuffin.co.uk
  • Affiliations: UK SMA, UK Equity
  • Experience: Professional
Re: Spiking a Dance Floor
« Reply #5 on: Aug 19, 2011, 07:57 pm »
I'm stage managing a musical theatre workshop at school and I need to tape down numbers so that they are able to find center. But I know there was a rule about not using spike tape on a dance floor, but I cant remember what tape you're supposed to use. Help?

Thanks!

Can I ask why? I often use LX (PVC) tape instead of spike tape, but I've never had a problem using it on dance floors.

Chris

MatthewShiner

  • Forum Moderators
  • *****
  • Posts: 2478
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Affiliations: AEA, SMA
  • Current Gig: Freelance Stage Manager; Faculty for UMKC
  • Experience: Professional
Re: Spiking a Dance Floor
« Reply #6 on: Aug 19, 2011, 08:28 pm »
I have found venues being very protective over dance floor for a variety of reasons.  Dance floor is expensive, and some tapes leave a residue or take up what ever is on the dance floor.  And even if there are certain tapes or taping methods that can leave the floor damage free, certain venue managers still have issue and being very protective - if you ever work at New 42 studios, you aren't allow to spike with red spike tape.  There you go.

It's best to express your needs and ask what their recommendation method is.


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Anything posted here as in my own personal opinion, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of my employer - whomever they be at a given moment in time.

On_Headset

  • Permanent Resident
  • *****
  • Posts: 402
    • View Profile
  • Experience: College/Graduate
Re: Spiking a Dance Floor
« Reply #7 on: Aug 19, 2011, 09:14 pm »
To build off MS's remarks, the venue staff will also know far better than you what has worked in the past, and this information becomes 10x more useful if you're in a situation with all sorts of exceptions and requirements. ("You can't use spike tape, but you can use painter's tape, but not black painter's tape, except for the downstage half of the room, where only black tape can be used...")

BayAreaSM

  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 410
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
    • Bay Area SM
  • Affiliations: AEA
  • Current Gig: VP, Operations in AV Events
  • Experience: Professional
Re: Spiking a Dance Floor
« Reply #8 on: Aug 19, 2011, 09:19 pm »
Since I work in ballet 80% of my year, and granted, the floors belong to our company - we have always used regular spike tape on all of our studio and performance floors. And I can second Matthew's comment about red spike tape. If left for an extended period of time (about 1 month), it does leave a red stain on the marley. However, if it's only laid down for our short runs (1 week at most) it does not.

But yes, as everyone has said, check with your PM or whomever is the owner of said floor before you put anything down.

cprted

  • Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 83
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Experience: Professional
Re: Spiking a Dance Floor
« Reply #9 on: Aug 20, 2011, 03:21 pm »
These days I spend most of my theatre time touring with a Ballet company.  I use 1/2" paper artists tape for spikes and will cover them with clear marley tape if we're going to be in a venue for more than 2-3 days.

A very helpful house tech once covered my spikes with scotch packing tape ... that was a job and a half to remove after 10 days of shows/rehearsal... thankfully, it wasn't my floor!

iekikalynn

  • Tourist
  • *
  • Posts: 1
  • Gender: Female
  • One Nutcracker closer to death. -Richard Buckle
    • View Profile
  • Affiliations: AEA, AGMA, Theta Alpha Phi, [YSD]
  • Current Gig: Ballet
  • Experience: Professional
Re: Spiking a Dance Floor
« Reply #10 on: Oct 20, 2011, 08:21 pm »
I work for a big ballet company and we too use PVC tape, not spike.  I think because it lays smoother and there's no ridge or rough spot to interfere for the dancers. Not that spike tape is a huge obstacle, but PVC is a little closer to the marley texture, it's smoother, pulls up easy, and does ball up when slid over like spike does often.
-Stage Managers: Rebels without applause.

themikejones

  • Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 52
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
    • Mike's Homepage
  • Affiliations: AEA, SMA
  • Experience: Professional
Re: Spiking a Dance Floor
« Reply #11 on: Oct 21, 2011, 11:15 am »
I'm doing a large dance show right now so I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents.  We use 3M color vinyl electrical tape for lines & spikes.  Then we clear tape on top of that with clear vinyl dance floor tape.   For the dance numbers & letters we special order vinyl numbers-- but you can pick up something similar at a craft store. Here are some links.

3M vinyl electrical tape: http://www.all-spec.com/products/165-102.html?gclid=CKHjof2H-qsCFQor7AodHQR9pA
Dance floor tape: http://www.thetapeworks.com/tape/index.php?cPath=25_58 
Vinyl Numbers/Letters: http://www.amazon.com/Permanent-Adhesive-Vinyl-Letters-Numbers/dp/B002Y2NYJG

But I second what others have said about checking with whoever is in charge of the space to see what they allow on their deck. 

BayAreaSM

  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 410
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
    • Bay Area SM
  • Affiliations: AEA
  • Current Gig: VP, Operations in AV Events
  • Experience: Professional
Re: Spiking a Dance Floor
« Reply #12 on: Oct 21, 2011, 10:50 pm »
I say, I must work for the strangest company ever. While we do use plain old spike tape for our marks, if we try to cover them with vinyl dance floor tape, our ballet dancers complain that it makes the floor slick. Though we also use gaffers tape to tape our marley seams - as our dancers claim that the vinyl dance floor tape is also too slick.

Guess my ballet dancers are just different.

ambrosialx

  • Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 77
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
    • Ambrosia LX and Design Portfolio
  • Affiliations: University of Guelph
  • Current Gig: Production Manager- Roseneath Theatre
  • Experience: Professional
Re: Spiking a Dance Floor
« Reply #13 on: Oct 22, 2011, 10:22 am »
I as well work primarily in dance, ballet, and contemporary and we've always used cloth spike, to keep it from peeling I usually cover it with clear hockey tape which doesn't leave a residue and is nice and thick
"I will prepare and someday my chance will come"

ambrosialx

  • Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 77
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
    • Ambrosia LX and Design Portfolio
  • Affiliations: University of Guelph
  • Current Gig: Production Manager- Roseneath Theatre
  • Experience: Professional
Re: Spiking a Dance Floor
« Reply #14 on: Mar 14, 2012, 05:14 am »
if they are going to be pulled up and used in different spaces (or if you are sharing a space and have to remove spikes during hte week or something) laminate your spikes and then cover with clear tape such as hockey tape!
"I will prepare and someday my chance will come"

 

riotous