Persuasive Essay: Why Dance Is Not 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.

Dance has been around for a long time, it is older than many other popular sports we have. It takes on the physical capacity to be labeled as a sport, and yet in most cases, it is not. It is one of the few activities that is both a sport and an art, but it is given very little respect as a sport. Dance has evolved in a number of ways throughout time, but it has always been through a meaning. Whether that be dancing for love or faith, or dancing for first place.

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.

To do something you love and want to be the best at it takes hard work, and most of it takes passion. Kurt Vonnegut once said, “To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it.” He is saying that you can’t go anywhere without your passion for something. That’s the same with all sports, including dance.

“Dancer’s are the athletes of God,” Albert Einstein said. Dance has many structures to it; there is modern, ballet, contemporary, and tap just to name a few. Dancing should be recognized as a sport. Dancing has the same components as a sport does; dance improves memory, balance and coordination, and it provides a mental escape.

Dance should be considered a sport. Dance is always been an art, but if it were considered a sport, people would see how much it takes to be a dancer. It doesn’t just require a passion for it. Athletes with the strength, the drive and the determination to continue, like In any other 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

Not accepting competitive dance to be considered a sport is an injustice and should be changed. Sport; An activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another for entertainment.

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.

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?

Dancing is the movement of one’s body in a rhythmic way. The art of dancing is performed by skillful dancers who can turn the movements into something expressive. Many have said that dancing is not a sport; some say it in a positive way and some in a negative way. Most dancers argue that dancing is a sport. The positive people would say dancing is not a sport because it is art; however, the negative people claim that dancing is not a sport because it does not involve physical contact like football, or the blood, sweat, and tears in the hot sun like other outside sports.

Dance. Is it a sport or an art? Most of you sitting there are probably going to roll your eyes and think to yourself "No, there is absolutely no way dance could possibly be a sport! There is no athleticism, strength, skill, endurance, or muscle involved; therefore, dance is an art." Well I am here to tell you how completely wrong you are. Dance is not only an art, but a very physically and mentally demanding sport.

I agree with this statement as it applies to many sports as well as dance. An individual may participate in dance in many different ways, whether it be recreational, artistic, or competitive. Whether dance is taken seriously, or is participated in as just a recreational pastime - the person participating is still taking part in a sport. To involve oneself in a sport doesn't need the individual to compete in that sport. The sport of dancing is exactly the same as other sports - you don't need to actually compete to call yourself a dance sportsman [S.Kelly, 2000 - view Appendix 5].

Have you ever watched the Nutcracker as a ballet? Or seen a professional dancer dance? You probably thought of some of the things that they did were effortless. The truth is, it isn’t what you think. Dancers go through pain, stress, and shoes (Seriously!) to do what they do. There are a lot of people that think that dancing is easy, and I am here to set that straight. Let me start off by talking about the pain.

First, dancing is one of my favorites hobbies. For centuries, dance manuals and other writings have lauded the health benefits of dancing, usually as physical exercise. We've