Competitive dance as a sport

Dance is a competitive sport practiced worldwide, there are various types of dance such as: jazz, lyrical, hiphop, ballet, modern, tap, contemporary, stage, etc. Some people argue that dance is not a sport, but I'm here to tell you that in fact it is. When we compare competitive dance to other sports such as soccer, football, and basketball, there are lots of connections that can be made. In these traditional sports, we have a winner and a loser, practices, MVP awards, refs, and games, and most people don't realize that dance is the same. At dance competitions they have 1st/2nd/3rd place/gold/silver/bronze, practices and training year round, creativity/choreography/outstanding dancer awards, judges, and competitions against other dance studios. In the academic article titled "Is dance a sport?” The author Lindsay Guarino writes, “The oxford dictionary defines sport  as “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment’’’ Dance obviously falls under this category as competitive dance teams perform 2-5 minute long routines composed of technical movements that require dancers to maintain their stamina and a high level of energy throughout their time performing on stage for an audience while competing against other dance teams and studios. Another survey done in America asked presidents, athletic directors, senior women administrators, and dance/cheerleading coaches about dance and cheer and its recognition as a sport, the results showed that “Respondents viewed both dance and cheerleading as being characterized by many to most of the defining elements of sport and were at least somewhat supportive of pursuing NCAA emerging sport designation and OCR sport recognition” (Hennefer, April|Sowder. “Dance and Cheerleading as Competitive Sports: Making a Case for OCR Sport Recognition & NCAA Emerging Sport Designation.”) This again just goes to show that dance is a very physically demanding activity and deserves its recognition as a sport. A couple other arguments include while most sports are seasonal, like hockey in the winter and lacrosse in the spring/summer, dancers train year round for the same goal which is competition season, which makes it even harder. Dancers are required to take part in flexibility exercises, technical training in ballet, “across the floor” which involves practicing turns, jumps, and kicks and much more during classes. Dance classes can be up to 30 hours per week, and is most practiced after school hours or on the weekends. A final argument that some may bring to the table is that dance is different from other sports in the sense that other sports are televised and watched, but nowadays, and in recent years, we see more dance shows on TV such as world of dance, dancing with the stars, and so you think you can dance, that stream live global dance competitions and people can buy tickets to attend and watch.

References

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