by Kosi U.
It has been an ongoing battle in the dance community for many years. Is dance a sport or not? Many argue that dance is a sport because of the physical activities dancers go through to perform so gracefully onstage, while others say that dance is more of an art form and you can’t even win any awards for dancing. Well, that second claim is not entirely true. There are many dance competitions over the globe such as the Prix de Lausanne, an international competition for young dancers, and even the Starbound National Dance Competition which is the largest in America.
Although dance is an art form, it should not invalidate the incredible amount of athleticism needed to become a performer or competitive dancer.
Dancers are required to put an intense amount of pressure on their bodies which can lead to injuries and exhaustion, just like football or basketball. According to the John Hopkins Medical Center, common dance injuries include hip, foot, ankle, and knee injuries in addition to stress fractures and the possibility of arthritis. Most of the injuries result from the overuse of muscles, which further empathizes the amount of time dancers spend training.
Also, did you know that the amount of energy needed to perform a full dance routine is the same as the energy needed to play 2 full football games or run 18 miles!
Tampa Buccaneers player Steve McLendon said in an interview that he also takes ballet classes.
“It’s harder than anything else I do,” McLendon told the Pittsburg Post Gazette
In the same article, he had also said that ballet helps to strengthen his knees, ankles, and feet to a great extent that he can even tell when he hasn’t been to classes in a while. If ballet is demanding for a professional football player, imagine how challenging it would be for a regular person like you or me.
When people think about dance, ballet, in particular, they imagine girls in pink fluffy tutus, twirling around the dance floor. First of all, boys dance too, not just girls. Second of all, dancers only wear tutus in rehearsal and during performances, not in class. Finally, people don’t just twirl around on a stage. There are years of practice and building up techniques involved. If you’ve ever seen any dance videos, you may have observed all of the turns, leaps, kicks, and other intense movements dancers perform. You can’t just go out and attempt to do these moves yourself without any professional instruction unless you want to get hurt. This is why it is key that dancers work with trained professionals and attend daily classes to build their strength, technique, and stamina.
At the end of the day, dance is a sport and is unique from others because it can still be seen as a beautiful art form. Even at a competition, you have no choice but to admire the artistry of other dancers and how they use their movements to tell a story. By now, we can all see that dance isn’t for the faint of heart and it is physically demanding. Still, a great amount of creativity goes into the creation of dance.
When we think about dance, it is a special case, both an excruciating sport and a magnificent art form.
Fountain of Knowledge 