Heh. Oddly enough, I recognize marly in the first four pics you referenced. Not sure about the fifth -- I think that might be a sprung dance floor. And the second set of references, those are ALL marly floors. Most of them against a cyc, with the second against sheers (a fine silk hung in front of the cyclorama). So for the look of these I'd say a complex procedural texture for the marly, and as others have suggested, drape a cloth plane to make a cyc or sheers. Unfortunately, to get the look of those sheers I think you'd have to increase the poly count quite a bit on the cloth plane. But might be possible to simulate it with a displacement channel, driven by a hand-painted map or a procedural texture. Dance lighting is about the body. Class publicity shots, especially with younger dancers, are one of the few times you really get smooth face lighting. Otherwise, it's all sides, back light, top light, et al. Especially sides. Bringing in lights from both sides, flat the the plane of the proscenium, really reveals the form and pose of the dancer. And it's low, too, architecture permitting. Best dance light is at dancer height -- but often you end up having to hang high sides from overhead, as far off stage as you can manage. Some of the most dramatic dance light is with a single strong key. Another popular look is silhouette against a cyc. Kind of making me want to try one of these pics next! But I'm supposed to be working on a teen rock band (to show off some new props I'm making).