Persuasive Essay : Is Dance As A Sport?

Cheerleading started as a male endeavor in 1898, when a University of Minnesota football fan led the crowd in verse in support of their team. It was not until World War II, when men shipped out to war, that women took over. Then cheerleaders came to represent the American ideal of femininity: wholesome apple pie with washboard stomachs, perfect teeth, and flawless complexions. Stereotypes cast them as blond, petite, and impossibly perky. “From its humble beginning cheerleading has blossomed into a competitive athletic activity with a serious image problem” (Forman 52). But today’s post-feminist youth have put a new, diverse face on cheerleading. Cheerleading in America is no longer a matter of waving pom-poms, a cute smile and being overly

“ 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.

For high school dance teams, the sport is quite competitive just like any other school sport. Dancers practice six days a week for at least two and a half hours each day, and these practices are far from easy. When it comes time to compete, we do not get any do-overs. So, if someone gets injured, and it is not an extreme case, the dance continues. Dancers are also built and trained to do things their bodies were not naturally born to do, this means dancers have to participate in strength training and conditioning. Having strong and

Dancers go through a lot of pain. On average dancers get hurt about once every two weeks. That means that dancers, on average, get hurt about 26 times a year. Whether it is a tiny fall or breaking a bone, dancing is a foolproof way to hurt at least something in your body. Especially if you are on pointe. In a pointe shoe, you

Along with other sports, dance involves physical exertion and requires skill. It can be inferred that when athletes undergo physical activity, they push themselves to their limit, which results in them becoming sore, and possibly even injured in some cases. This also pertains to dancers. Dancers can pull a muscle by overstretching or by not stretching enough. They can also break any bone by doing turns, flips, jumps, and tricks. In Ronald Smith’s article, he proceeds to explain

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).

Dance demands the same physical skills that are required in other sports. Flexibility, strength, and endurance are key characteristics that most dancers need to posses. As with other “athletes,” most dancers are not born with these abilities but must establish them through practice and repetitive training. Similar to traditional sports practices, dance rehearsals are extensive and require diligence, dedication, and patience from the dancers as they will have to repeat exercises and stretches to perfect their technique and stay on

b) Some people think dance involves less endurance than sports like cross-country running. However, these runners exert forces in only one direction but, as Dr. McNitt-Gray said, in dance, your hands, legs, and head are exerting forces in different directions all at the same time.

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.

Have you ever heard a band member say that the football field belongs to the band and not to the football team? Well, while some people would argue this point, many others agree. Marching band in particular is a very controversial topic in many high schools, and is argued. Some people believe marching band is a sport and some do not. But, since I am in marching band I know it is. Marching band is physically and mentally challenging, it is very time consuming when it comes to practice, and it meets the requirements of the definition to be a sport. Therefor, marching band is a sport.

According to Hannah J. from learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org, “This is despite the fact that dancers have just as rigorous training regimes as rugby players do, for example. Dance improves strength and stamina just as much as football and skiing do.” This is true because it is really hard to train and memorize things in dance such as your routines. Also, if you ever have seen Misty Copeland, you can tell that she has been training really hard for a long time because she has a lot of muscles and she is extraordinary at dancing. Since I do dance, I have noticed a difference in my shape and my stamina due to my training. Next, Hannah says, “Dance has an overall goal or objective to win and tell a story (just like a runner who wants to beat a time, or a footballer who wants to score goals).” So, this is something I agree with because they are showing emotion to the audience when dancing but they are also trying to show as much talent and emotion as they can because that is what will make them win. The emotional

The definition of a sport is an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment. Many people question whether or not marching band is a sport. Although some people may think it is nothing like a sport, many other people do consider it one. Marching band should be considered a sport because you need both physical and mental strength and skills.

Also, injuries are less common. Therefore, dance should not be considered a sport. "Dance is not a sport because there are no winners or losers, also there are no limitations or rules" (Guarino). These people are mistaken because, dance competition judges score each performance based on Technique (1-25 points), Style and Execution (1-25 points), Showmanship (1-20 points), Costume (1-10 points), Choreography (1-10 points), Degree of Difficulty (1-5 points) and Age Appropriate Performance (1-5 points) for a maximum possible 100 points. A final adjudicated score is determined by an average of all judges scores. After this all dancers are put on stage and awarded with trophies 1st-10th place depending on the 1-100 average scoring from the judges. Therefore, dancers do have a set of rules and scoring just like any other athlete. Regarding injuries, they do occur. Most dance injuries are long-term because of the physical stress constantly being put on a dancers body. There are also instant injuries that happen while dancing, most commonly occurring in the knees, ankles, back, neck or hips. "The physical ability and discipline expected of a dancer can be easily related to those of an athlete and increasingly, dance critics are describing dancers as athletes" (Ailey). Ultimately, dancers are consistently proving, even to the critics, that they obtain the skill needed to be considered an

The definition of sport is, “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment”- dictionary.com. Yet most people do not consider dance a sport. Dancing takes just as much work and effort as any other sport does, so why is it not considered a real sport?

Dance is seen only as an art to many individuals but in actuality it is a hard working sport as well. Dance is one way to express oneself, or to tell a story but also to be able to express those dance moves it needs skill and time. Dance has a lot of different types of preparation for example, balance and cardio making that is “physical exertions” sport. If one is lucky enough he/she will also get a well-paid job just to dance for a company. The spirit of dance is not as easy as it looks. All of this comes down to time, strength, weakness and motivation. Any individual can move their body and consider it dancing and they can throw a ball and say it’s a sport.