Longboard Review: The Loaded Dancer

And here we have the Loaded Dancer. 55 inches of solid, bamboo, flax, and linen dancing decadence. At its widest point, it is about 9 inches, and weighs near 15 lbs as a complete, which truly makes it a bit of a monster. Thats right, this board is a boat--heavy and stable--and it is wonderful.

I had been eyeing the dancer for awhile, ever since Loaded Boards released it, and once I heard that they were no longer in production, I was lucky when my local skate shop just happened to have a deck. Yes, I dare say it was destiny. I was a bit skeptical at first, worrying about the board possible feeling sluggish or not being able to carve. Once I stepped on it for the first time, all of my ill-conceived expectations wer forgotten.

My current set up is the Loaded Dancer flex 1 with raw Paris 180mm trucks, Venom high rebound 90a bushings, Orangatang 4 president 70mm 83a wheels, and Black Panther abec 7 bearings. The 70mm wheels make for a smooth ride on most any surface and make the board a little easier to throw around in shuvits and other various tricks. The high rebound bushings allow for maximum energy return from an already springy board when coming out of a corner and the wheel cutouts on the deck mean I can lean as far as I want into a turn without worrying about wheel bite.

Now I would like to address a certain claim I've heard a few times, that the Loaded Dancer shouldn't be ridden downhill. Well, those people have obviously never tried it. Once this board gets rolling, it's sheer momentum is enough to keep it going and going and going and going. And while it certainly is not a freeride board, with some work, you CAN SLIDE IT. Just through your hips into it a bit more. Never bash a board before you try it. The Loaded Dancer is great for going fast due to its solid constuction and long wheelbase.

So, I've had the dancer for about 2 months now, and my overall rating on it is wow. While it's size is a little intimidating, and can make it a bit difficult to carry around, it is a seriously well built board. I am thouroughly impressed that a boad this long can have such good handling. And yes, if I havn't already stated it, this board was made to DANCE! The length and width of the deck make it the ideal platform to bust all your craziest moves: piourettes, crossteping combos, nose and tail mannies, anything your heart desires. This board will be your stage.

Now it is a little sad that Loaded has stopped producing the Loaded Dancer, but it isn't impossible to find one if you really want one. Call around to some skate shops in the area to see if they have one sitting around or not, maybe you'll get lucky like I did. Or you could always check out Loaded's newest version of the dancer, the Bhangra. I've heard great things of this mystic board...almost as great as the Dancer itself. Make sure to check it out for yourself.

Happy skatings everyone. Below is an outtake of me failing to hold a drop knee nose manual.