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Essay on The Sport and Art of Dance

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Many people play sports in their spare time. Some examples include football, basketball, and golf. But the surprisingly difficult sport of dance is commonly overlooked. Shanna LaFleur once said, “It takes an athlete to dance, but an artist to be a dancer.” Dance expresses strong feelings and emotions through graceful or sharp, powerful movement, revealing to the audience every bit of passion behind it.
Countless forms of dance exist in the world. Jazz, ballet, and tap are the most common. When a person thinks of dance, they think of pink tights and tutus. Dance consists of so much more than that. Jazz, one of the most popular forms of dancing, usually consists of a more upbeat and fast tempo movement. The different types of jazz include: …show more content…

Another dance form, known as contemporary, steals the hearts of most dancers and audience members. Most contemporary dances tell a story or convey a message. This style became known for combining different types of dance to form chorography that people could emotionally connect to. Lyrical, very similar to contemporary, embodies a more ballet look and feel. The slower motions and fluidity creates longer lines and to expresses stronger emotions. The movement, strongly based on the lyrics of the song, expresses a similar if not the same idea.
Many people exclude dance in their mind when thinking about sports. The physical demands placed on the bodies of dancers prove to make them just as vulnerable as football players to injury. Just like any other physical activity, dance comes with a risk of injury. Injuries devastate many dancers’ careers. Luckily, reducing or avoiding them is a possibility. The practice of movements repeatedly that require extreme flexibility, strength, and endurance make them more likely to develop overuse injuries. Beginner dancers must take their time building their strength and flexibility slowly and carefully. Taking the time to properly warm up the major muscles of the body prevents dance injuries the most. John Wooden once said, “Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." Dancing requires a great amount of muscle and flexibility and during the

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