Dance: Art or Sport?

Today’s blog is dedicated to dancers who hear from outside sources “Dance isn’t a sport.” I think any fellow dancer would disagree with that statement. At least I do. Most people don’t understand the great amount of athleticism it takes to look and be so graceful on stage as a dancer. Just because we don’t throw balls around, doesn’t make it any less of a sport.        

Dancers pour their blood, sweat, and tears into their craft to perfect the technical and artistic abilities of dancing, which leads me to my next point. Some people think that dance is just an art. While I do think dance is very artistic, and can be interpreted in many styles and forms, there is still great strength and control in the steps that make them truly athletic. It’s also a known proven fact, that NFL players take ballet to help them with their agility on the football field. This just goes to show that even “real athletes” turn to dance to make them better athletes.

Dancers learn how to work alone and in groups which helps diversify them on stage. It takes determination, motivation, focus, and commitment to be a successful dancer. Not every person that dances becomes the next Misty Copeland, or featured on SYTYCD,or even working professionals, but they still take away skills that will help lead to any successful future. I personally think the only reason dance isn’t considered an olympic sport is because of how much artistry is construed within each piece that could be presented, because there are plenty of technically difficult skills that could be incorporated within a routine for an olympic scoring system.

So what do you think dance is considered? A sport or an art? My answer is always both. It’s an artistic sport!