MANSFIELD — Sarah Horrigan-Ramos said she’s excited for her new floors to get scuff marks.
“These floors are meant to be used and you will see marks on the floor,” the Richland Academy of the Arts dance department chair said.
Horrigan-Ramos cut a ribbon with Richland Academy dance instructors and students on Monday after the upstairs studio floors were replaced in May by CMG Flooring.
“The CMG owner said ‘a clean floor with no marks means you’re out of business,’” Horrigan-Ramos said. “The new floors don’t smell like feet and sweat quite yet, but I’m sure they’ll get there.”
Richland Academy executive director Michael Benson said the old ballet floors were installed in 2000 and maintained by Richland Academy staff.
“Most floors are recommended to be replaced every ten years, but the faculty’s work allowed them to last a bit longer,” Benson said. “It was really important to make this change.”
The ballet floor is a sprung floor, which offers dance instructors and students more support when they’re jumping and helps prevent joint injuries.
Benson thanked the Robert and Esther Black Family Foundation and the Richland County Foundation for their support of the project, as well as the nearly 90 citizens who donated to the Richland Gives campaign.
He estimated the project cost $100,000, 30% of which was funded by the Robert and Esther Black Family Foundation. Individual donors also supported $16,000 of costs and business manager Pam Madore wrote grant applications.
“Our entire Richland Academy team helped bring this to fruition, and this is just phase one of the renovation,” Benson said. “Phase two will include a tap and jazz space for us to advance our jazz program.”
Benson said Richland Academy usually has more than 1,200 students each year, about 700 of whom participated in dance classes.
Ballet, pointe and jazz classes will use the new dance floor, but tap shoes and street shoes won’t be allowed.
To see the class schedule or register for a class, visit richlandacademy.com. The academy also partners with the Mansfield-Richland County Public Library to offer drop-in yoga and salsa classes for patrons with adventure passes.
