Is dance a sport?

Jessica 

Football, swimming, tennis, basketball. All of these are well-known sports that we all know. These sports seem to project a sense of masculinity, and in thinking about these sports, one might imagine strong athletes who are passionate and seriously dedicated to their sport. But what if we asked you to imagine a dancer? Would you think of the stereotypical petite ballerina who looks quite different from the image of your typical athlete? Due to the amount of physical and mental training necessary for dancers to perform, dance should be considered a sport. 

Dancers need refined technique, which calls for physical strength, similar to any other sport. Although you may question how something simple would be a sport, rigorous training is required to perform and execute flawless technique. Dancers need stamina, flexibility, strength and control. The discipline that they need to execute their movements is often underestimated and misunderstood as dancers work extremely hard to build up the confidence and skill necessary to make everything seem easy, coordinated, and graceful. 

Not only is dance physically demanding, but it requires having a strong mentality as well. Having to memorize choreography is one thing, but being strict with yourself to constantly improve your technique, particularly with ballet, is incredibly demanding. Dancers face struggles of trying to improve and develop the mental strength to overcome these challenges. 

In conclusion, the hard work and perseverance dancers dedicate to dance is evidence that dance should be categorized as a sport. The under-appreciated grit, endurance and dedication dancers have deserve to be recognized as more than just a stereotype.

Kainat

Sports and performing arts are very different in many ways, but dance is something that blurs the line between the two. There have always been speculations about which category dance belongs in and whether or not it is a sport. The opinions always vary but I believe that dance should not be considered a sport.

I believe that dance is not a sport because although sport and dance both need high levels of endurance, strength and athleticism, dance should not be constricted to the definition of a sport. Dancers combine their athleticism and artistic abilities to create something so much more. While dancers do compete in tournaments, dance isn’t about competitions or tournaments, it is more about having an impact on the audience. Good dancers always have the audience in mind whilst performing. 

Now, some may argue that dance has the various physical aspects of a sport so it should be considered one. This may be true, however, when dancers perform, it’s not about winning or losing. With dance, it’s about telling a story and making the audience’s experience special, whereas when a football player competes they’re not concerned about the audience’s opinion; the thing that is most important to competitive athletes like football players is winning.

 So, in conclusion, dance requires a lot of athleticism, work, and practice but it should not be considered a sport. Dance is a mix between performing arts and sports but it leans more towards performing arts.