Marley Floors for Home Practice: A Guide for Dance Teachers

Students who practise at home on carpet, tiles or timber are training on the wrong surface. A proper marley floor for home practice gives them the same grip and feel as the studio, protects the floor underneath and packs away after use. This guide is written for dance teachers and studio owners advising students and families, and for private teachers setting up a small teaching space.

What makes a good home dance floor

• The same surface as the studio. Practising on the floor type used in class means turns, slides and landings feel the same when the student returns to class.
• Controlled grip. Enough grip for pirouettes and landings without sticking, and a matte surface.
• Portable. It must roll out quickly and store away, because most homes do not have a dedicated studio.
• Tough enough for the style. Tap and other hard shoe styles need a surface that can take metal taps.

The Rosco Marley Mat

The Rosco Marley Mat is a piece of Adagio Tour, the same professional floor used by touring dance companies and competitions, cut to roughly 1.6 m by 1.8 m and supplied with a roll of matching Rosco floor tape. Rosco describes its surface as a limited slip grip that suits ballet, jazz, modern, tap and many other styles. It comes in black or grey.

Setting it up

These steps are from Rosco's Marley Mat instruction sheet.

1. Choose a smooth, level floor. Rosco does not recommend laying the mat over carpet or foam pads, which can leave it lumpy, uneven or torn.
2. Relax the curl. The mat may curl from being rolled in its box. It relaxes over time, and rolling it the opposite way before laying it out speeds this up.
3. Textured side up. One side is textured and an even colour, the other is smooth with a dappled colour gradient. Lay the textured side up.
4. Tape the edges. Use the included Rosco floor tape around the perimeter to hold the mat in place. Spare tape in black or grey is available separately.

Advice for tap dancers

Because the Marley Mat is made from Adagio Tour, it is suitable for tap. Rosco's one warning: check tap shoes regularly and make sure no screws protrude from the taps. A loose screw can gouge the mat, and gouges cannot be repaired.

How tap sounds on Rosco Adagio compared with a standard marley floor. Video: Rosco Laboratories Inc on YouTube.

Scuff marks are normal

Rosco tells new owners not to panic about shoe marks in the first sessions. Scuffs come from friction between the shoe and the grip of the floor, so they show the mat is working. On a new floor each one stands out, but with use they blend into the same patina you see on studio floors.

Cleaning and storage

• Sweep with a soft bristled broom to remove dust and grit.
• Clean periodically with Rosco All Purpose Floor Cleaner and a soft sponge to lift shoe compounds and body oils.
• Avoid abrasive pads and cleansers, and any cleaner containing ammonia, which can make the surface slippery.
• Sweep before rolling up, then roll the mat and secure it with a piece of floor tape. Keep the original box for storage, or roll the mat onto a PVC pipe at least 75 mm (3 inches) in diameter.
• Never store anything heavy on a rolled mat. Rosco warns this can leave waves that are very hard to remove.

Bigger spaces and private teaching studios

For a garage studio or a private teaching room, a cut length of Adagio Tour, Adagio or Rosco Dance Floor can cover the whole room. For hard shoe styles such as tap, Irish, flamenco or ballroom, Rosco Studio Tiles are another option: 0.91 m square tiles, 3 mm thick, with a very fast surface. See our guide to dance floor mats versus full rolls for help choosing.