How to build a dance studio at home
Is it your dream to be able to wake up, brush your teeth, and go dance in your own private studio?
To be able to choreograph or take STEEZY Studio classes in the comfort of your own home?
Well, with a bit of sweat and money, you can totally build a dance studio at home! Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it.
1. Decide which area to use
When you’re choosing an area in your house to build a studio, pick somewhere that’s further away from bedrooms.
You don't wanna disrupt your parents or roommates when they’re trying to sleep!
It’s also best to keep it on the first floor so you don’t have to worry about how much noise your feet are making.
Even if you feel like you don't have lots of options, you really don’t need a ton of space to make it work.
I’ve seen dancers use a corner in their garage, a hallway, bathroom, and even laundry rooms as their at-home dance studios.
Once you have your space figured out, you can...
2. Install mirrors
There are lots of different ways you can do this. I personally got 2 mirrored closet doors off of Craigslist for $50 total.
All I did was search “sliding closet mirror,” and found this family that was trying to get rid of them because they were remodeling their house.
You can find them at home improvement stores, too:
These are nice because you can move them around, but a bit less secure if you’re just leaning them against your wall.
You can also use vanity mirrors to build your own dance studio.
Piece them together on your wall depending on how much space you have and how big you want your mirror to be.
A super economical version of this is to get these sticky wall mirrors
and piece them together.
Downside is, you will able to see lines in between them, and they might be difficult to remove from your walls.
If you’re renting a place and don’t wanna risk peeling off the paint, then you can also get a huge cardboard box and stick it onto that and lean it against a wall.
WalMart has these 36” x 60” “Activity Mirrors” for less than $250 that you can install relatively easily.
MiraSafe mirrors can be quite pricey, but they’re amazing for makeshift dance studios.
If you’re the only person using your at-home dance studio, then one of them will be enough.
Check out this article for a step-by-step DIY guide to build your dance studio at home using MiraSafe.
This Fab Glass and Mirror kit is another investment that’d be worth it if you’re building your own dance studio for the long haul.
STEEZY actually uses Glassless Mirrors at our studio / office. They’re also pricey, but an option if you have a lot of space and want to be able to move them around.
3. Install floors
This isn’t absolutely necessary, but if you don’t like dancing on carpet or cement (in your garage), consider getting some wood or laminate floors for your dance studio at home.
There are some portable ones that you can lay down anywhere, like mats.
As well as interlocking ones you can piece together according to how much space you have.
Getting laminate flooring by square foot from a home improvement store is another option.
Dancing on wood is better for your knees and joints than dancing on cement is.
It can also give you a better idea for how your dancing will feel and look when you do it on other wood floors (at a studio, on stage…)
4. Speakers and sound systems
It’s probably not necessary to deck out your dance studio at home with surround-sound system.
A nice speaker does the job just fine, and you can move it around for different occasions. We use this one at STEEZY:
This one’s nice too:
If you're on a budget, just use your iHome or Echo or whatever speaker you have.
And if your at-home dance studio is just for you, you can also get away with just using headphones.
Dancers are lucky – we don't need a bunch of expensive equipment to be able to do what we love!
With mirrors, a floor, and some music, our at-home dance studio is complete.
Whether you live too far from a real dance studio, or just want extra dance practice on top of taking classes...
Building your own dance studio at home will give you the freedom to dance comfortably, whenever you want!
Use it to choreograph, freestyle, and of course – take classes on STEEZY Studio.
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