The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) raised over £400,000 at its recent fundraising event, A Midsummer Night, held at the Mandarin Oriental in Hyde Park, London.

The evening brought together leading UK dance companies including The Royal Ballet, Northern Ballet, Scottish Ballet, English National Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet, whose dancers performed excerpts from a range of works.

All dance companies donated their time and talent in aid of RAD’s mission to support and train RAD dance teachers.

The performances took place in the Mandarin Oriental’s ballroom, which required a purpose-built stage to meet professional standards. Dancers performed on a Harlequin Liberty sprung floor with a Harlequin Cascade performance surface.

Dame Darcey Bussell, RAD President, said: “Setting up a stage for professionals means meeting a very specific set of standards. The flooring had to reflect what these dancers are used to in rehearsal and on tour.”

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“Harlequin Floors has been a part of my life and my main career — it's all about the safety and longevity of a dancer. When we’re asking so much of the dancers, we want to ensure we’re looking after them as much as possible.”

Ballet stars were joined on the night by a number of well-known guests lending their support to the cause, including Lulu, Elizabeth Hurley and Billy Ray Cyrus. The evening featured a live auction, a two-part dance programme and exclusive behind-the-scenes content shared on social media.

The funds raised will support RAD’s charitable programmes and teacher training initiatives in the UK and around the world.

For more information contact the Harlequin team today.

Photo credits - Andrej Uspenski