Is Dance Considered a Sport? Three laps around the gym, minute long planks, crunches, sit-ups, and pushups in a matter of thirty minutes. As a dancer, experiencing and realizing the strength that needs to be present in order for an athlete to grow is vital. We go through long hours of choreography sessions, pain and strain on our bodies, and vigorous training. Many people will disagree on the status of if dance is a sport or not. Both Mary- Elizabeth Esquibel, in her article “Why Dance Will Always Be a Sport” and the infographic entitled “Is Dance a Sport?” attack this controversial dilemma. Even though these arguments use different formats, they use rhetoric similarly.
In Esquibel’s article, she battles with the use of ethos. Her article is created on a site called “The Odyssey”, which is a tool for college students to upload essays. Many people would argue the fact the Mary-Elizabeth isn’t credible because she doesn’t pertain a profession or have a degree in the works of which she’s talking about such as dance. If she was trying to convince the audience with her own words, it should not be biased based on her own experiences. The article reads, “I was a competitive dancer for 13 years and I know the strength and grace that dancers must have while dealing with the pain and strain that their bodies are going through”( Esquibel 1). This may cause the readers to feel as if the author, Mary-Esquibel, is trying to make herself sound more-knowledgeable than anyone else
This sport is one very similar to many, but also very different. It holds true similarity through its athleticism, but it differentiates itself with many other sports through its artistic form. A dance can tell a story, give emotion, and hold a power all at once. There are many athletic qualities that make dance a sport. Two qualities regarding this are that they undergo many hours of strength training and conditioning, and the athletes show prominent and positive sportsmanship.
Albert Einstein once said “Dancers are the athletes of God.” Dancers deserve to have the title of athlete, to start, take a look at the definition of an athlete “a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina, or strength” (dictionary). While dancing requires great artistry, artistry is just one aspect of dance, because there is clearly an athletic side as well. Dancers athletic side is not seen by many because of the reality of what is seen on stage, but is what is seen on stage all of it? The amount of passion and dedication dancers have leads to countless hours at the studio every week. With the many genres of dance to choose from, each involve athleticism one way or another. The many different options make it easier for a dancer to branch out and explore new ways of fulfilling their dreams. Dancers need to stop being underestimated by everyone, they need everyone to see them as athletes and artists.
Some may argue that dance is an art and not a sport. Yet, it has the same characteristics as a sport does.
What do you think makes people better at the activity that they are doing such as constantly improving their agility and strength? Dance should be considered a sport. First, dancers put in as much stamina and sweat that football players do. Also, you are still competing against other companies for the win so it is still competitive. Lastly, it helps your agility as well as any other sport and gets you in good shape, again, like any other sport. Here is some proof.
Whether cheerleading is considered a sport has become a very controversial topic over the past few years. Due to lack of education of the sport, it is very frowned upon by other athletes. Other athletes seem to feel that cheerleading isn't difficult and requires minimum to no effort. These accusations can be very hurtful when coming from a cheerleader’s perspective. Based on their strength and skill, the amount of practicing and maintaining health, the number of injuries, and its competitive aspect, cheerleading should be considered a sport. The talent that these young men and women have is phenomenal. The performance of their skills looks extremely flawless but no one truly knows what goes on behind the pretty stunts and synchronized
Many people consider activities such as, football, baseball, volleyball, and track to be a sport. The qualities that tend to make these activities considered sports are, running, tackling, hitting a ball, participating in relays, and so much more. Not mentioned in this list of sports is dance. People tend to believe that dance is nothing more than moving your body to some music, it is also very mentally engaging as well as being a physically demanding activity. The question that many might ask: Why is dance not classified as a sport? Dancers that compete in competitive situations do not get off as easily as people may think. These dancers require countless hours of exercising, training, and stretching, just as much, if not more, than other sports. To perfect the art of dancing comes with years of training and dedication. With this explanation of the art of dancing, it can be concluded that dance is in fact a sport.
“ And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.” said by Friedrich Nietzsche. Although many will argue that competitive dancing should be considered an art over a sport, I have a different opinion. Though I do believe that dancing has many qualities that would consider it an art, I still believe that there are even more qualities that should make it considered a sport. Keep in mind that i'm talking about competitive dance, not just a couple classes throughout the week. Competitive dancers go to competitions with a judging system that ensures objectivity, fairness, and transparency. Dancers also require good stamina, speed, flexibility, and muscle. Dance also requires a very strong level of discipline and strength.
a) Many ask, “How can dance be a sport? You can't judge on time and the scoring is subjective!” Just like figure skaters, competitive dancers are judged on many criteria: technique, posture, timing, line, hold, poise, togetherness, expression, presentation, power, and foot or leg action. Dancers have a lot on their minds while performing. They are constantly asking themselves, am I extending correctly? Is my technique right? Is my head facing the right direction?
Dance began as a form of communication and storytelling. Thousands of years ago dancing served as a way for people to tell a story and helped distract themselves of the hardships they faced. Furthermore, dance was a form of storytelling through communication, which then turned into using storytelling through dance as entertainment. According to the History World, many dancers during the BC time danced in front of only a few people to get a story across. That later turned into hundreds of thousands of people as dance was used by many. Today, dance is also a form of entertainment and storytelling, but in a modern sense. However, today perfection and technique are stressed more than they were in the past. Yet, the passion for dance has not changed. Many dancers who share this passion also have many of the same qualities. Among a discourse community of trained dancers, one expects to find individuals who are healthy and active athletes, expect perfection from themselves through competition, and religiously attend dance performances.
Radio City Music Hall, professional ballet productions, and Broadway are only a few places audiences can watch graceful athletes called dancers. Many times these talented people have had to sit and listen to sport experts say repeatedly that dance is not a sport but but is instead an artform or hobby, like singing. This assumption is not only false but is an insult as well. Dancers sacrifice many hours learning, preparing, and execution dances that will be performed in front of hundreds of people. Yet, when the dancers come off of the stage, chests heaving from the effort to appear graceful and beautiful, some critics look at them not as athletes, but as hobbyists. The definition of sport, according to the Oxford dictionary, is “an activity
What exactly determines whether or not an activity is a sport? The term sport is defined by The Free Dictionary as: A physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively, an activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of
Tap dance is a form of dance that utilize the tapping sounds of tap shoes on the floor and create the rhythm. There are many forms of tap dancing. Through the movie, “Tap”, and the journey/experience of the main character, Max, that I learned many different elements to tap dancing. Some of the elements are the rhythm, the dancers, the creativity behind tap dancing.
Dance is a unique sport because it combines the grit and sweat of sporting events, such as track and field, with the style and extravagance of a fashion show (D.Fowler, 2000).
Some people may argue that dance is an art form, not a sport They say dance tells more of a story than it does being a physical activity. Dance both tells a story and needs physical
This paper explores my main question, “how does movement through dance affect the mental and emotional dimensions of wellness?” I will explore the many unknown benefits that come from dance as well as share expressions of my personal thoughts on the subject. I will also share my personal experiences as well as others’ experiences with dance. In the research portion of my paper, I will cite studies supporting both the mental and emotional benefits of dance. This paper will also explore the perspective of a professor of dance, as well as the lived experiences of actual dance students. My interview will support my paper as it reinforces the findings in literature. I will discuss my future plans on the subject of mental and emotional dance; stressing the need for individuals to dance as the benefits can be