How to Create a Dance Room in the Basement

There's no need to dance on the sofa when you have a dance room in the basement.

Whether you like to dance freestyle to your favorite tunes or you have a daughter on the high school dance team, you can be sure that a dance room in your basement will be useful. Some open space is all you need to allow you and your family to break it down downstairs. Considering the purpose of the room -- whether it's for formal dance training or just some dancing fun -- is important when designing the basement dance room.

Instructions

1. Measure how much basement space you want to dedicate to the dance room. If you don't want your entire basement to be overtaken by dance space, then choose a corner area for the dance room setup. Mark it off with painter's tape so that you know what area you're working with.

2. Select an appropriate flooring for the dance area. A hard floor is easier to dance on than carpet, so if you have carpet, remove it. You can replace the carpet with laminate tile -- or if you have concrete under the carpet, you can simply treat the concrete and leave it as is. If you're not on a budget, hardwood floors are an attractive option for your dance room.

3. Place a large mirror on a wall if your dance room is for practice, not just freestyle dance fun. If your daughter wants to practice her dance team routines in this room, she'll want to do it in front of a full-length mirrored wall so that she can perfect her moves.

4. Set up a space for the music to play. Choose a small but sturdy table for the basement dance room. Here, you can place the stereo, whether you have a full sound system or simply an MP3 player and speakers. Place this table near an outlet, and keep the cords running along the wall so that the dancers do not trip on them.

5. Include any necessary dance equipment. If you have an aspiring ballerina in your household, for example, a ballet bar attached to the mirrored wall is a must. If you are using your dance room simply for fun, fill a few baskets with fun props and accessories for dancing silliness, such as inflatable microphones, feather boas and high-heeled shoes.

6. Include appropriate lighting. If you're going for the dance studio feel, then track lighting in the ceiling that provides ample light without getting in the way of the dancer is ideal. If you're going for fun, a disco ball hanging in the middle of the room with some floor lights in the corners add enough lighting for the dance party.

References

• Harlequin Floors: Home Studio Kits, Tap and Hip-Hop Practice Floors