{"id":65791,"date":"2025-06-12T09:53:34","date_gmt":"2025-06-12T13:53:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/harlequin.local\/?p=65791"},"modified":"2025-06-25T09:27:00","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T13:27:00","slug":"harlequin-floors-chantal-lagniau-featured-in-le-figaro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/us.harlequinfloors.com\/en\/harlequin-floors-chantal-lagniau-featured-in-le-figaro\/","title":{"rendered":"Harlequin Floors & Chantal Lagniau Featured in Le Figaro"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Harlequin Floors: A Pioneer in Dance Flooring and Scenic Surfaces<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recognised Expertise in Professional Dance Flooring Since 1977<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harlequin introduced the concept of the dance floor nearly 50 years ago, with the first in its range being the Harlequin Duo reversible floor. In 1977, Robert Dagger, then Export Sales Director for Marley Floors (a vinyl producer in England), founded Harlequin in response to the specific needs of dance professionals. Today, Harlequin\u2019s floors are trusted by leading institutions worldwide \u2014 from the Paris Opera and the Conservatoires of Paris and Lyon, to New York City Ballet, The Royal Ballet in London, La Scala in Milan, and the Sydney Dance Company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This continued growth is the result of exceptional expertise and a deep sense of responsibility toward the unique demands of dance and stage flooring. Chantal Lagniau, Managing Director of Harlequin Europe, explains:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor over 30 years, I\u2019ve seen every day how meaningful our mission is \u2014 to provide dancers with flooring that supports their bodies, enhances their artistry, and accompanies their performance. Being a partner of the Paris Opera for over 40 years, and present in the greatest theatres, national ballets and dance institutions across France and beyond, is a source of immense pride \u2014 and also a responsibility we take very seriously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Behind every Harlequin floor lies a purpose: to prevent injury, to support creativity, and to develop our products in collaboration with dancers, technical and artistic directors, stage designers, and health professionals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harlequin Dance Floors: Stage Surfaces That Enhance Artistic Performance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Freedom Sonata, choreographer Emanuel Gat choreographs a sequence in which dancers roll out a second white Harlequin Duo floor over a black one. As they do, they also reverse their costumes from white to black \u2014 a striking visual contrast that becomes a key part of the piece\u2019s scenographic language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harlequin\u2019s expertise extends beyond dance to television sets and live events. The high-gloss Harlequin Hi-Shine floor has been used in Kamel Ouali\u2019s musicals and widely adopted on television productions for its ability to reflect light dramatically and visually expand stage space, offering directors and designers new creative possibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company has also collaborated with brands such as Hugo Boss and FIAT, creating bespoke white flooring for showroom events, enhancing the presentation of vehicles, and demonstrating the versatility of Harlequin solutions across different industries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Innovative Dance Floors: How Harlequin is Reinventing Stage Surfaces<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aware of the practical and artistic challenges faced by choreographers, technical directors, and dancers, Harlequin has developed a new generation of floors that meet those demands while prioritising dancer safety. At the personal request of Rudolf Nureyev, Harlequin designed the Harlequin Studio floor \u2014 a surface that is both silky and durable. Made from ultra-tough PVC, it offers exactly the response dancers expect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For 25 years, the Harlequin Liberty sprung floor has delivered consistent shock absorption with no hard spots \u2014 a modern alternative to France\u2019s traditional \u201cdouble batten\u201d floors dating back to the era of Louis XIV. Such floors are prone to inconsistency due to changes in humidity or variation in craftsmanship and materials. They may harden, soften or warp over time, and their rigid structural intersections can create dangerous hard points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nureyev famously used a cane to tap across the stage before performances, identifying hazardous areas by sound. That symbolic gesture reveals just how much a floor can impact safety, precision, and artistic expression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More recently, Harlequin has introduced the Harlequin Liberty Switch \u2014 a cutting-edge floor that adjusts its shock absorption and rigidity at the press of a button. Designed for multipurpose venues, it can quickly alternate between a cushioned floor for dance and a firmer surface capable of supporting pianos, set pieces, or technical equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since its launch in 2022, the Liberty Switch system \u2014 now installed at Dutch National Ballet \u2014 has received four industry awards for its innovation and efficiency, offering technical teams flexibility and reducing operational costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Pose du plancher Harlequin Liberty Switch au Dutch National Opera & Ballet Photographe : Hannah Watkins (Harlequin Floors)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sustainable and High-Performance Stage Flooring: Harlequin\u2019s Commitment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While continuing to provide high-quality, tailor-made floors for dance and performance, Harlequin is equally committed to sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cExcellence must never come at the cost of the environment,\u201d says Chantal Lagniau.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur floors are made from certified materials and designed with long-term responsibility in mind. Being a market leader means setting an example.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company has replanted 4,000 birch trees to offset the material used in its Harlequin Liberty floor, which is made from Latvian birch plywood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to supporting young talent \u2014 such as through its partnership with the Prix de Lausanne \u2014 Harlequin also raises awareness about dancer health and injury prevention. It works closely with medical professionals, including physiotherapists and orthopaedic surgeons, to promote safer practice conditions and reinforce its commitment to both the art of choreography and the wellbeing of those who dedicate their lives to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read the original article here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cFor over 30 years, I\u2019ve seen every day how meaningful our mission is \u2014 to provide dancers with flooring that supports their bodies, enhances their artistry, and accompanies their performance.”<\/p>\n

Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3835,"featured_media":65792,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[210],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-65791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHarlequin Floors & Chantal Lagniau Featured in Le Figaro | Harlequin Floors<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/us.harlequinfloors.com\/en\/harlequin-floors-chantal-lagniau-featured-in-le-figaro\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta 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