Is dance a sport?

Question

I think it is, but some people don't think so. I dance and I know that it takes up a lot of energy and flexability.

the definition of a sport is "an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature" (dictionary.com)

dance fits those categories....yes, you DO compete in dance...a dance cometition! and it requires skill and power.

so, if you think dance is NOT a sport then tell me why. if you think it is, then agree with me, please! i am trying to prove this to my sibling! haha

thanks!

Answer 1

In 1950 they officially called dance competition Dance sports, so it is a sport.

Here's a site you can show your brother.

http://sports123.com/dan/index.html

A lot of athletes called organized dance (ballet, jazz, modern, ballroom, etc...) sports.

It is just semantics what your sibling is trying to prove. Sports is when you compete, otherwise, it's play. Most what we call sports came from play, and when it became competition then we called it sports. So I guess, dodge ball is a sport.

Answer 2

YES.

Have a nice day!!

Answer 3

Obviously, your sibling isn't a dancer.

Yes, dance is a sport.

Even though it doesn't really fit into it when you say "sports". haha.

But i totally agree with what you say.

I also agree with the guy who said that it's an Art form since you do express things when you dance. No matter what dance Genre.

Answer 4

Dance is a sport!! I dance for like 9 hrs a week so whoever says its not a sport then you are way wrong!! Dancers work just as hard or harder then like basketball and football players! i take pointe also and go to competions! Now...how is that not a sport??

Answer 5

heck yah! dance is a sport. dancers kick bottom!!!!!!!!i dance and it is the sport. not a sport, but the sport. rock on dancers!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 6

Dance is not a sport. A dancer is an athlete. Think of the entire history of dance, the history of humanity. If you compare how many competitions there are to the amount of dance that really occurs you will find dance contains .005%competition. The idea of the talent show where judges critique and bring you to the next level is a peer review process. That is different than a competition.

Gymnastics is a sport, the olympics qualifies it and the history of gymnastics as a sport is extremely ancient. Ballet, Modern, Hip Hop, Tap, Jazz etc has no place in the olympics. A dance competition on a regional level is a way for studio owners and other business folks to cash in on your dreams.  Where in ballet did you ever hear that a demi plie is worth two points? Or a jete is worth three? Cheerleading competition is a way for a school to market itself, again, its about student enrollment and tuition dollars.

By some logic you can call acting a sport because they have acting competitions. Or anything that sets you up to compete is a sport, like eating hot dogs or the TV show "Deadliest Catch" because they compete as fishermen.

By the very nature of these competitions they look for risk factors, technique and push for more difficult routines. The basis of dance and theater is to tell a story, to recreate a coupling, as a mating ritual, as a way to share your heritage/nationality, a recreation of a sacred text.

The competition nature in dance is amateur/hobbyist. When did a professional company such as the Boston Ballet join or enter a dance fight, or a dance competition. By the time you become a professional you will not write that you received a gold star in dance at such and such a competition. A dancer is an athlete but dance is not a sport. In fact, a dancer can be a better athlete than an athlete of a typical sport. Society may push dance into sport because they want to get more people involved but it will never be the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB because its heritage is too rich, too ancient, and the leaders of the field will keep it nicely nestled as an Art. When you goto college for dance you recieve a degree in art. Heck yahoo classifies it in arts and humanities. Dont let big business sway you into a misconception. There is competition in dance. But its a competition for a role, once you have that role you are creating an ensemble to work together in order to create a legible piece for an audience.

PS yea, ballroom dancing can earn you cash prizes!

Is it a matter of how big a sport is or where the emphasis during the creation of the piece? If you know it will be used in a compeition then it is a dance sport piece. If it is for an audience, it is dance?

Answer 7

PSH! yeah! it is a sport foo:)

Answer 8

And I'm guessing your siblings are not dancers!  haha, well, we know better than them !!!  

Yes, Dance IS a sport!  I totally agree with your definition of it!

Answer 9

Yes, I also think that dance is a sport.

It takes a lot of energy, strength,skill,

and flexability.

Answer 10

I get asked this question a lot, and I go back and forth with it...

Yes, we dancers train like athletes - rigorous rehearsals, all week, throughout the whole year.

But to compare a dance routine like this one ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiLMjIzeY... ) to something like a sport seems ludicrous to me. It's so much more - that's when I think that dancing is an artform.

We work like athletes and perform like artists...we're dancers.

Answer 11

Well dance is a skill included in rhythmic gymnastics and gymnastics is its own sport.

I would say that it is cause it is an olympic event.