Have you ever tried to get your ballet kit set up and then asked, do turn boards work on carpet? Many dancers question this, and wonder if they’ll be able to find a suitable space for their turn boards.
Turn boards don’t generally work very well on carpet, although you may be able to find some designs that work better than others. On the whole, turn boards need to be on a hard floor of some sort, and all soft flooring should be avoided. Carpet is not generally a good surface for ballet practice.
We are going to explore why turn boards don’t work well on carpet, what the risks are, and what your options are if you only have access to carpeted floors when you need to practice. This should put you in the best possible position when you’re dancing at home!
Why Don’t Turn Boards Work Well On Carpet?
Although you may be able to find a turn board that works okay on a carpeted floor, most probably won’t, and there are some potential hazards that you need to be aware of before you try this. Even if your turn board will turn fine, you need to think about:
- The potential for rug burn if you are practicing bare foot
- The difference in resistance between a hard floor and a soft floor (which could lead to injuries)
- The risk of catching your foot if the pile is long
It might seem inconsequential to move your turn board from a hard floor to a soft floor, but doing so can make a surprising amount of difference to how the board operates and how you move while using it. Even a small shift in the hardness of the surface can be enough to change how your muscles support you, how you balance, and how you move.
This means that carpet increases the potential risk of injury, because you are much less likely to be able to keep your balance. You might fall and hurt yourself, and could damage your footwear at the same time. Don’t underestimate just how much difference operating on a flexible surface makes to how you will move.
Even if you don’t fall, using a turn board on carpet could have some drawbacks – because your muscles will learn the movements based on soft flooring, not hard flooring. This may cause you to struggle when you swap to the hard floor of a studio, especially if you do a lot of practice at home. Be wary of using a turn board on the carpet.
What Should You Do If You Only Have Carpets?
If there are no suitable dance spaces in your home, you might feel that carpets are your only option for practicing – but they aren’t. You can temporarily turn your carpets into a hard surface, or at least a surface that is harder. This will make it easier to practice your dance moves without increasing your risk of injury.
If you want to do this, you should:
- Get a large piece of plywood with no varnish on it, and set this on the carpet.
- Place your turn board on the plywood, near the center so that you have sufficient room to turn.
- Complete some slow turns to get a feel for the position of the board and the size of the plywood, and gradually speed up if you feel comfortable. If the plywood has been varnished or is slippery for any other reason, stop using it, as there is a high risk that you will fall and hurt yourself.
- When you have completed the practice, remove the turn board and put the plywood away so that it doesn’t damage your carpets by constantly pressing on them even when it is not in use.
If that doesn’t appeal, you could try a piece of lino, which can be rolled up and stored in a corner, and then unrolled when you are ready to use it. However, lino will not give you such a stable surface because it is flexible, and it may gradually start to curl as time passes. This makes it less useful as a dancing surface.
No matter what you do at home, you won’t be dancing on the kind of sprung floor that a proper dance studio provides, but having a firm surface like plywood can make it easier to practice in similar conditions. You cannot safely practice on carpet, so this may be the only other option.
FAQs
Q: Can you do pirouettes on carpet?
A: It is better not to do pirouettes on carpet, because it is very difficult to turn on a soft surface like this, and there is a high chance that you will fall and hurt yourself. All ballet should be practiced on a resilient, non-slip surface, and carpet does not provide the stability or firmness that is needed.
Q: Can you practice pointe on carpet?
A: Again, you should not practice pointe on carpeted floors, because your shoes will make you unstable and there’s a serious risk of falling. You need to use your pointe shoes only on suitable surfaces, because dancing on floors that haven’t been designed for this can be dangerous in many different ways.
Q: Are turn boards worth it?
A: There is a lot of debate over the value that turn boards offer, and some people feel they are a waste of money, while others love them. If you are unsure about whether a turn board might help you, consider borrowing one from a friend so you can test it out before you buy one of your own – but remember not to use it on the carpet.
Conclusion
Even if your turn board does work on a carpeted floor, you should avoid using it, because there are several risks. You might fall and injure yourself, and you are quite likely to burn your feet on the rug as you spin. Turn boards were designed for use on dance floors, and shouldn’t be used on soft flooring.
Check out the tags below in order to see related posts:
