Dance floor for the RNZB

Help The Royal New Zealand Ballet purchase a new sprung dance floor for the Isaac Theatre Royal.

Ballet dancers are high-performance athletes, combining exceptional physical fitness with the grace and artistry of their profession. A sprung dance floor is essential for professional dancers, reducing the physical impact from landing the exciting jumps and awe-inspiring leaps that captivate the audience.

The floor of the stage at the Isaac Theatre Royal is concrete and – while built to withstand an earthquake! – it can cause considerable issues for Royal New Zealand Ballet dancers and other dance companies performing there.

A new dance floor!

Our dancers are more prone to injury when they perform on a hard floor, especially during the winter months. This can mean that dancers are more cautious when performing in Christchurch, rightly putting their own safety above their desire to give their very best to the audience. Our performances look beautiful at the restored Isaac Theatre Royal, and the dancers love the warmth and dedication of the audiences there, but with no sprung floor, our audience misses out on seeing the RNZB at its absolute best.

What we need:

We must prioritise the health and well-being of our dancers, and all the dancers who perform at the Isaac Theatre Royal, and need to purchase a new sprung floor to do so.

The floor will be custom-made for the stage at the Isaac Theatre Royal and will be stored by NZ Van Lines, free of charge, when not in use. It will be an asset for the RNZB, but just as importantly, it will be an asset for Christchurch and the future of professional dance in the city.

How you can help:

We need your support to help fund the new floor, as it is an expense outside our core funding. The total cost of the floor is $35,000 but thanks to the generous support of the RNZB Foundation, we only need to raise $10,000 to achieve our goal.

Our dancers are so grateful to you - our friends and whanau - for your support of their wellbeing.

Image above: Principal Laurynas Vėjalis. Photo by Stephen A'Court.