When someone asks about sports, their mind automatically goes to basketball or soccer, sports where there’s a lot of running and balls involved. But what if someone said activities like cheerleading, dance, and types of gymnastics would be considered a sport? Most athletes would argue that these would just be considered hobbies and not a sport. There’s a debate that dance isnt a sport, it’s a type of art, but according to QuickSteps, dance is both a sport and type of art.
The argument that it’s more of an art is because dancers go onto stage and show emotions through their movements. They communicate and tell a story to the audience through dancing, but to make this happen, the dancer has to be athletic. This type of sport requires a lot of flexibility and strength.
In dance, they have to build certain muscles that are stretched and loosened so they are able to be flexible enough to move their bodies in all types of ways. These types of movements can cause injuries according to Central PA Youth Ballet. Areas that are prone to get injured on dancers are their ankles, feet, legs, hips, and lower back due to the pressure they put on these parts of their bodies.
To prevent these types of injuries, dancers have to train and have a good diet just like any other sport would.
“Dance is a sport because it’s one where you have to condition yourself so you build stamina. I would also consider it a mental sport because you have to remember an entire routine,” said senior Ma’Syah Gibson.
In other sports, they make decisions on the spot to determine if they will win or not, but with dance, dancers have to learn how to memorize an entire routine to only perform it once. One slip up on a move could cost them that first place spot. All sports can be mentally exhausting, but dance is one of the most tiring ones because of how mentally draining it can be to try and remember an entire three minute routine to perfection.
Another reason why this sport can be so emotionally damaging is because of how much dancers have to put their bodies through. They can develop mental disorders like body dysmorphia because of that fact that they might not feel like they are enough or like they aren’t fit enough for the sport. But even through all the hardships, dancers will always have a smile on their face and give an amazing performance because it’s the sport they love.
“Dance is a sport because you sweat and build muscles through each movement,” said sophomore Adeline Renault.
Dancers put their bodies through a lot to be able to display art and communication through their movements. It’s time that people start to see dance as not just a beautiful hobby, but as a sport, one that requires strength, both physical and mentally. You also need discipline. It’s not as easy as it seems to be.
