Here’s how to build your own home dance studio:
- Plan the size of the studio
- Buy a sound system
- Add lighting
- Soundproof the room
- Install electronics for filming and streaming
- Add dance equipment like a ballet barre
- Finish with décor
You Have the Space
You Can Practice More Often
It’s not only that having a dance studio at home would be convenient. It would also be incredibly practical.
You can commit even more time to the art of dancing, which is something you couldn’t say before. The more you practice, the better you’ll get at your craft.
You Could Earn Money from the Studio
Later, we’ll go over the costs associated with building a home dance studio from scratch, but it’s going to be quite a financial undertaking, as we’re sure you could imagine.
When you’re not using the dance studio, you can rent it out for small classes, charging them to use the studio. Your home dance studio can pay back dividends for a long time to come!
Home Dance Studio Size
You have a couple of rooms in mind for the home dance studio, but you’re not sure if they’re too big or small. What is the average size of a personal dance studio like the one you seek to build?
The space should measure at least 10 feet wide by 14 feet long to give you ample space to stretch, plie, and dance as you need to.
You don’t want to go any smaller than that. The room will feel too claustrophobic, and you’ll constantly bump your elbows, knees, and arms into the walls.
What Equipment Do You Need to Build a Home Dance Studio?
Later in this guide, we’ll cover in extensive detail a full list of equipment that any comprehensive home dance studio needs.
For now, this is an overview that will get you mentally prepared for what you have to buy:
- A sound system
- Lighting
- Noise-cancelling technology
- Heating and cooling (unless it’s already available)
- Tripod
- Laptop or dedicated media player
- Television or projector
- Dance-specific equipment
- Mirrors
Location Considerations
Outside of the size of the room that might become your home dance studio, you also have to take the following considerations into mind when selecting your ideal studio location.
The View
You’ll spend a lot of time in the dance studio, so it’s best if the room has a nice view.
Windows will let in more natural light, which might be able to reduce your reliance on lighting. Perhaps you can watch the lightly rustling trees, the birds in the sky. But make sure your view is private. Nothing can put you off a dance mood like onlookers who may judge you!
The Ambiance
Dance studios are supposed to be warm, open, and inviting. If the room you choose is tight, dark, and kind of unsettling, you won’t want to use the space much for dancing or any other activity.
The presence of windows will certainly add to the ambiance, as will the paint or wallpaper color, the shape and size of the room, and its décor.
Fortunately, much of that is in your hands, so you can modify the room to produce just the ambiance you’re looking for.
Will It Annoy the Neighbors?
If you’re going to build a home dance studio, we’re assuming you’re a homeowner. No way would any landlord agree to let you build a dance studio in an apartment!
Even still, you want to keep your neighbors in mind when choosing your location. Will they be able to hear the music or feel the movements of your dancing from their house?
If so, then you might want to choose another room deeper within your own home for the dance studio.
Home Dance Studio Mirrors
The benefit of a mirror’s presence is that you can witness your posture and form as you move from dance position to dance position.
If you’re trying to master a very precise form of dance such as ballet, it’s especially to your benefit to have mirrors in your in-home dance studio.
You needn’t surround the entire room with mirrors. However, mirrors from different angles can make for a nice change of view when dancing. For example you may find your form looks different from the side versus the front.
At least one wall should have a floor-to-ceiling mirror, or a series of mirrors arranged as a panel on the wall. A handy tip is if you can’t get a large enough mirror, remember that the more distance you have between the mirror and yourself, the greater the mirror angle will be.
An idea is to get mirror tiles which can make it easy to install, especially if you mount them on a backing board. A good example from Murrey can be seen below.
Murrey Home Gym Mirrors
- 10" Square Wall Mounted Mirror
- Frameless Mirror Tiles
- Set of 12
- 3mm width
Home Dance Studio Flooring
There are a series of considerations to keep in mind when selecting the best type of flooring for a home dance studio.
We have written a comprehensive article on types of dance studio flooring and is well worth a read if you’re serious about flooring. It can be found here What’s The Best Dance Flooring?: A 20-year dancer weighs in.
Let’s summarise flooring considerations below.
Shock Absorption
If you come down hard on the floor, whether intentionally or not, you want the floor to absorb some of that shock so your body doesn’t have to bear the brunt of it. That’s how you end up with injuries, after all!
Slip resistance
The slip resistance of the flooring you choose should be good with dry feet and even better when sweaty. The last thing you want to do is lose your footing in the middle of a dance training session!
Comfort
You’re going to spend hours on your feet at a time. If the dance floor is uncomfortable, then you’ll cut all your practice sessions short.
Noise Resistance
You don’t need your whole family to hear you dancing your heart out if you’re upstairs and they’re downstairs, do you?
The floor of your dance studio should boast some degree of noise resistance for the peace and tranquility of those you share a home with.
For a home dance studio, we most recommend snap-lock tiles, laminate, or carpeting for your dance floor. These materials check more of the boxes above.
For a good example of snap-lock tiles, have a look at the highly rated ones from Hockey Revolution below.
Hockey Revolution 8-Pack Dryland Flooring Tiles
- Slick Interlocking
- Suitable for Indoor & Outdoor Use
- 9.4 Square Feet
The Sound System: How to Choose
You’re not dancing to the songs in your head, so your home dance studio must have a high-quality music system.
While you can play tunes straight from your music collection or Spotify playlist on a laptop or desktop computer, the sound quality of these devices often leaves a lot to be desired.
At the very least, if you’re not going to install a pro-level speaker system, then you need high-quality audio speakers for your laptop to augment the sound.
Surround sound speakers can definitely elevate your dance experience. There is something special about being enveloped by the music. For a good example of surround sound speakers, see the Logitech ones below.
Logitech Z906 5.1 Surround Sound Speaker System
- 5.1 digital surround sound
- THX certified home theater speakers
- Delivers a continuous 500 watts of power
Home Dance Studio Lighting
As we talked about earlier, ambiance is very important when creating your dream home dance studio.
While windows let in natural light, on rainy days or after sunset, you can kiss that natural lighting goodbye. Thus, you need some lights installed in the dance studio itself.
Downlights are a type of recessed light that projects light downward. A few of these downlights strategically installed across the room will allow light to bathe the dance studio from corner to corner.
The space will look and feel cozy because it’s so well-lit.
Installing some quality and stylish lights such as the ones below by OKOOI can really elevate the look and feel of your home dance studio. It also makes it great for filming yourself dancing!
OKOOI 56 inches LED Corner Lamps
- 16 million adjustable colors
- APP & 52 Key Remote Control
- Music Synchronization
- Made of aluminum alloy
Noise Canceling the Room
Admittedly, soundproofing a home dance studio is optional, but it’s a nice consideration for both your family members and your neighbors.
The less they can hear of your dancing, the better, if only because they deserve peaceful environments as well.
If you’re building a room from scratch, then you can insulate the space while it’s being constructed by packing the walls with sound-dampening insulation.
However, we’re guessing that the room you want to use for your home dance studio has already been long since constructed. Everything from wall coverings to hanging sound absorbers on the ceiling or wall to foam soundproofing panels will make a difference in how much sound escapes the room.
Just be sure to keep the door to your room closed when dancing.
For a comprehensive guide to soundproofing a room, take a look at this well-informed article by PopularMechanics: How to Soundproof a Room.
Of course, we would be remiss not to mention that insulating the room with foam wall panels or ceiling panels does detract from the ambiance of the space. You’ll have to decide which matters more to you.
Have a look at the below product by BEEQUIET, a great noise-cancelling option for your home dance studio.
BEEQUIET Self-adhesive Sound Proof Foam Panels
- 12 Pack
- 2" X 12" X 12" sizing
- Pyramid Design
- Environmentally friendly and fire-retardant material
Heating and Cooling Considerations
Not all rooms in a home have vents for heating and air conditioning.
Even if the room you selected for your home dance studio does have vents, they may not be adequate enough for keeping the room cool when you work up a sweat dancing. And having a room that is too hot will definitely inhibit your motivation to dance, trust me!
You have plenty of ways to heat or cool a home dance studio outside of relying on your central heating and cooling.
You can install a few window air conditioning units. The units will cut down on the natural light in the room and will be noisy, but the space will be plenty cool.
A good budget option is to go for a standing fan that is at body height. Avoid floor fans as the air will not blow into your chest and neck areas.
For heating, portable heaters are an option. Just be aware you will warm up after dancing for some time, so try not to overestimate how much heat you will need.
If you have a bigger budget for heating and cooling your home dance studio, then you can always look into a ductless mini-split system.
A mini split includes a condenser that goes outside in your yard. The indoor air-handling unit mounts to the wall so it doesn’t disrupt your dancing.
Mini-splits are more energy-efficient than most traditional HVAC, and they can both heat and cool a space!
A great option for a mini-split system is this one by MRCOOL, which has an average review rating of 4.5/5 stars.
MRCOOL DIY Ductless Heat Pump Split System
- Easy DIY installation
- New SmartHVAC app: wifi controlled
- Designed to cool a single 750 Sq Ft room
Adding the Right Electronics
Electronics make your dance studio feel more legit. Outside of the sound system, which we discussed earlier, here are some other electronics to invest in for your home dance studio.
Tripod for Filming
You may wish to film yourself dancing, be that for your portfolio or to review your performance and continually improve.
You can use your smartphone as the camera, but it’s not like you can hold your camera and dance at the same time.
A smartphone tripod will give you a place to rest your phone. Set the tripod height, hit the record button, and begin dancing!
An alternative to a tripod is a glass phone suction holder, similar to a car phone holder. Just place the suction part onto your mirror, clip your phone in, and away you go.
Laptop/Dedicated Media Player
A dedicated laptop or media player is handy so when it comes to time to dance you won’t be mucking around with systems not meant for the task or systems that need to be setup before you can dance.
Don’t underestimate how small blockers, such as having to navigate problematic technology, can demotivate your dance mood.
Television/Projector for Inspiration/Classes
If you’re watching along and learning new dance moves from a YouTube video, you might want to invest in a projector or a TV. You’ll be able to watch your instructor from a much larger screen than your laptop.
Additionally, a screen is great for setting a vibe in the room. Just play your favorite music video to create your own mini club!
Internet Connection for Streaming
You’ll also need a solid Internet connection as well as a streaming device such as Google Chromecast for connecting your TV to a projector and streaming.
Adding Dance-Specific Equipment
Some dance disciplines require specific equipment. If you follow one of these disciplines, then this is the section for you.
Ballet Barre
A ballet barre will make your at-home ballet practice sessions as fruitful as the ones in your regular dance studio. We reviewed a variety of dance barres on the blog recently, so check that out here: The 10 Best Ballet Barres For Home: Full reviews + buying guide.
You can mount a ballet barre to the wall or purchase a portable version that you can move about the room as you please.
Knee Pads for Floor Dancing
If a lot of your routine involves floor dancing, it’s a good idea to invest in padded carpeting and/or kneepads to safeguard your joints and bones.
The degradation of your body could affect you not only now but long into the future as well.
Adding Décor to Enhance the Mood
Finally, there’s the décor, which is completely optional but still highly recommended.
We’ll stress once again that a dance studio is all about creating that desired sense of ambiance, and that’s something that décor does perfectly.
This is your chance to flex your creative muscle and decorate your studio as you wish. You can choose the paint color, the wallpaper, the wall and ceiling décor, whatever you want. You could even put up a poster of your favorite dancer or singer to feel inspired.
Have fun with it but don’t spend too much money if you can help it!
How Much Does a Home Dance Studio Cost?
Speaking of spending, precisely how much money are you going to shell out for your new home dance studio?
Well, a more conservative estimate is $5,000 USD if you are starting from scratch. That said, you’d have to pinch pennies tightly and really cut back on everything but the bare necessities to make a full dance studio happen at that price.
More realistically, you should plan to spend twice that, or $10,000 USD for a fully equipped home dance studio fit-out.
Home Dance Studio Ideas
Next, we want to share a couple of ideas for putting together your own dance studio no matter which type of room you’ve got available.
For some picture examples of home dance studios, take a look at Ideas For An At-Home Dance Space by YourDailyDance.com.
Luxury Home Dance Studio Ideas
If money is no object and you’re chasing after luxury, then the sky is literally the limit.
You should select a spacious room with stunning acoustics for your home dance studio. Consider mirroring at least two walls so you can review your dancing posture and form from different angles.
Recessed lighting across the spacious ceiling is a must, and a ceiling fan will keep you comfortable as you work up a sweat.
Consider a lighter color for the paint and lots of natural lighting as well to create an open atmosphere.
Bedroom Home Dance Studio Ideas
A bedroom dance studio doesn’t give you a lot of leeway but can still work. Mirrors can create the illusion of more space if you place them strategically.
Use the longer wall in the room with no furniture as your dance corner. Try to reorganize the furniture so it’s all to one side of the room (provided this still looks good) to maximize the amount of space you have to dance.
Basement Dance Studio Ideas
A basement dance studio, especially in a finished basement, is a phenomenal idea.
You’ll need to rely on lighting more than ever here, as natural lighting is either sparse or nonexistent in most basements. Florescent lights don’t look so bad in a basement dance studio.
Wall décor will really create the ambiance the room sorely needs.
Other Considerations for Your Dance Studio
Here are yet some more considerations to mull over as you begin to finalize the design plans of your home dance studio.
Will It Be a Dance-Specific Studio or Multi-use?
Using a dance studio solely for your own dance practices (okay, maybe you’d let some friends rehearse here too from time to time) is certainly one way to use the space.
If you’re worried about making the dance studio cost-effective, you’ll remember how earlier, we talked about possibly renting out the studio to others.
A multi-use dance studio is another way to get some good use out of the space, as you can use it for a gym, as a rumpus room, or just as a space to get creative. Just try and make sure the other uses don’t take away from the dance space.
That said, you might feel like an already small room is even more cramped if yours is a multi-use dance studio.
Sweat-Resistant Seating for Resting
Every dancer needs to take a break, but where are you supposed to sit if you need rest or to put on dance shoes?
Invest in sweat-resistant seating that won’t get stained, dingy, or stinky if you sit on it when bathed in sweat.
This can just be a small detail that can make your dance space that much more enjoyable.
Conclusion
A home dance studio doesn’t only have to be a dream. If you have the extra income and a spot in your home, now you know exactly the steps to take to create the studio you’ve always longed for. If it’s too daunting, just start small and build from there.
Happy dancing!