Dance Is A Sport
The word ‘sport’ is defined as an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual team or team compete for entertainment. For the longest time dance, which is indeed a sport, has been disputed over and its legitimacy questioned. Not only is dance is a sport that requires a person to possess strength and athleticism, athletes of other sports use dance to improve in their own sport, and the definition of ‘sport’ in every respect embodies dance as a whole. Dance is an important part of culture and society today. It is something that has been around for centuries and has never died out or changed unlike any other sport.
In order to be deemed a dancer, a person must maintain exquisite physique and strength. Dancers must go …show more content…
through intense training and workouts to build strength. A typical schedule for a ballerina includes: arriving at the studio around 8:15 a.m., about an hour before class to stretch. At 9:15 a.m., an hour-and-a-half of company class warms the body up for the day and gives dancers a chance to technically keep improving outside of choreography. Company class is followed by three hours of rehearsal to prepare for an upcoming show. At 3:00 p.m., three more hours of rehearsal follow. At 6:00 p.m., the typical dancing day is done. However, in order to prevent injury, dancers must cross-train. This means that they must take yoga or Pilates during their free time so that the muscles remain flexible. A typical day for a football player includes: arriving at the training ground at 9:30 to gather their garments. At 9.45 a.m., players change into their garments and relax. At 10.20 a.m., players do fan signing. At 10.30 a.m., the coach calls the players out to the field. 30 - 45 minutes of warming up follow. When 11.15 a.m. rolls around, running, sprinting, jumping and football begin. At 11.30 a.m., the manager arrives on the field. Players split into first and second team squads. Real training starts now for the next one and a half hours. At 12.30 p.m. the manager leaves and players do a 15 - 30 minute warm down. The typical football day ends at 1 p.m., when players change their clothes and leave. The day of a ballerina is nearly ten hours long compared to a football player who only has about a four hour day. Dancers have been statistically proven to be athletes. Ten “So You Think You Can Dance” competitors were tested by the Gatorade Sports Science Institute. They were evaluated on their athleticism and each dancer was ranked with professional athletes. Another example of athleticism in dance is the recent publicity it has received thanks to Under Armour. Under Armour is known for its ads depicting football players, but over the summer, Under Armour released an ad featuring Misty Copeland, a professional ballerina. The slogan to accompany it, “I WILL WHAT I WANT.” The ad shows the muscle and power it takes to be a dancer and the will power any dancer must have to persevere. It is necessary to be strong in dance, however dance does require artistry and creativity which is the argument against it. Although the reactions to the commercial and dance as a sport vary, Copeland says, "A lot of people think of dance as a really sort of frivolous thing, that you just kind of get on the stage and twirl around, but the commercial showing the physicality of what it takes to be a dancer, and to be a professional ballerina, and is giving us the respect that we are just as hardworking as any athlete” (Copeland). Many people say that dancers are not athletes because there is no ball. If having a ball makes a sport what it is, then swimming, gymnastics, track, and many others aren’t sports either. Obviously, a ball doesn’t define a sport. What defines a sport is the hard work and strength an athlete puts into it.
Athletes of other sports have caught on to the strength built by dance and have started using it as a training aspect. Livestrong, a partner of the Livestrong Foundation and “Healthy Lifestyle” tool, says that dance is an important part of being a healthy athlete. Livestrong says that taking a dance class can improve your athleticism by increasing your balance, flexibility and endurance. It promotes lean muscles and agility, and helps develop a strong fitness foundation that can be applied to sports activities. Taking a dance class can help to become stronger, faster and more powerful. In fact, The London Olympians, a leading British-American football team, a required by their coach, Stephen Marcus, to take ballet as a part of their training. He says, "When I first heard of this idea I thought it was a joke but having done some research of my own it makes perfect sense" (Marcus). Another athlete who takes dance to improve is NFL Pittsburgh Steelers player, Steve McLendon. He says he has been taking lessons since his senior year of college and “[ballet] is harder than anything else” he does (McLendon). His football instructor told him that learning and practicing ballet could keep him in football. He even continues it to this day. In fact, he says the ballet has strengthened his knees, ankles and feet so much that he can tell the difference when he hasn't taken ballet in a while. Although not every athlete uses dance as a tool, many do and are very happy with the results.
An athlete is a person who is proficient in sports and other forms of physical exercise.
Synonyms include: competitor, contestant, and professional. A dancer is all of those and then some. A dancer is proficient in dance and other forms of exercise. A dancer competes and a dancer can also be a professional. Not only does ‘dancer’ have a similar meaning to ‘athlete’, but ‘dance’ also has a similar meaning to ‘sport’. The dictionary definition of sport is an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment. Dance involves physical exertion. Professional dancers often have nine and a half hour dance days filled with exercise and practice. Dance requires skill to be truly beautiful and technical. A dance can be performed by an individual or team, and also compete against one another for adjudicated placements for entertainment. Many people of status have supported this including Neve Campbell, a Canadian actress. It is argued that “dance is certainly a sport, and they are phenomenal athletes, and they're also artists" (Campbell). In addition to dance being a sport verbatim, it is also a recognized sport. Dance has been a recognized sport by the International Olympics Committee since 1997. The same type of preparations that go into other sports are put into dancing. Traditional sports carry out practices which are followed by a game, as is the case with dance. A rehearsal is carried out, followed by a performance or competition. The argument against dance being a sport is mainly that it is an art form which communicates to people through emotion. It is true that dance is artistic, but it is not the only aspect of
dance.
Dance as a sport is debated and fought over countlessly. Even despite the fact that it requires the same athleticism as any other sport, is a tool for other athletes to improve, and is in the most literal sense a sport, a large amount of people deny its legitimacy. Many people believe that dance is a sport. Many believe that it is an art. No matter what dance is classified as, it is well-loved and never ceases to captivate audiences and bring them joy.
In order to be deemed a dancer, a person must maintain exquisite physique and strength. Dancers must go …show more content…
through intense training and workouts to build strength. A typical schedule for a ballerina includes: arriving at the studio around 8:15 a.m., about an hour before class to stretch. At 9:15 a.m., an hour-and-a-half of company class warms the body up for the day and gives dancers a chance to technically keep improving outside of choreography. Company class is followed by three hours of rehearsal to prepare for an upcoming show. At 3:00 p.m., three more hours of rehearsal follow. At 6:00 p.m., the typical dancing day is done. However, in order to prevent injury, dancers must cross-train. This means that they must take yoga or Pilates during their free time so that the muscles remain flexible. A typical day for a football player includes: arriving at the training ground at 9:30 to gather their garments. At 9.45 a.m., players change into their garments and relax. At 10.20 a.m., players do fan signing. At 10.30 a.m., the coach calls the players out to the field. 30 - 45 minutes of warming up follow. When 11.15 a.m. rolls around, running, sprinting, jumping and football begin. At 11.30 a.m., the manager arrives on the field. Players split into first and second team squads. Real training starts now for the next one and a half hours. At 12.30 p.m. the manager leaves and players do a 15 - 30 minute warm down. The typical football day ends at 1 p.m., when players change their clothes and leave. The day of a ballerina is nearly ten hours long compared to a football player who only has about a four hour day. Dancers have been statistically proven to be athletes. Ten “So You Think You Can Dance” competitors were tested by the Gatorade Sports Science Institute. They were evaluated on their athleticism and each dancer was ranked with professional athletes. Another example of athleticism in dance is the recent publicity it has received thanks to Under Armour. Under Armour is known for its ads depicting football players, but over the summer, Under Armour released an ad featuring Misty Copeland, a professional ballerina. The slogan to accompany it, “I WILL WHAT I WANT.” The ad shows the muscle and power it takes to be a dancer and the will power any dancer must have to persevere. It is necessary to be strong in dance, however dance does require artistry and creativity which is the argument against it. Although the reactions to the commercial and dance as a sport vary, Copeland says, "A lot of people think of dance as a really sort of frivolous thing, that you just kind of get on the stage and twirl around, but the commercial showing the physicality of what it takes to be a dancer, and to be a professional ballerina, and is giving us the respect that we are just as hardworking as any athlete” (Copeland). Many people say that dancers are not athletes because there is no ball. If having a ball makes a sport what it is, then swimming, gymnastics, track, and many others aren’t sports either. Obviously, a ball doesn’t define a sport. What defines a sport is the hard work and strength an athlete puts into it.
Athletes of other sports have caught on to the strength built by dance and have started using it as a training aspect. Livestrong, a partner of the Livestrong Foundation and “Healthy Lifestyle” tool, says that dance is an important part of being a healthy athlete. Livestrong says that taking a dance class can improve your athleticism by increasing your balance, flexibility and endurance. It promotes lean muscles and agility, and helps develop a strong fitness foundation that can be applied to sports activities. Taking a dance class can help to become stronger, faster and more powerful. In fact, The London Olympians, a leading British-American football team, a required by their coach, Stephen Marcus, to take ballet as a part of their training. He says, "When I first heard of this idea I thought it was a joke but having done some research of my own it makes perfect sense" (Marcus). Another athlete who takes dance to improve is NFL Pittsburgh Steelers player, Steve McLendon. He says he has been taking lessons since his senior year of college and “[ballet] is harder than anything else” he does (McLendon). His football instructor told him that learning and practicing ballet could keep him in football. He even continues it to this day. In fact, he says the ballet has strengthened his knees, ankles and feet so much that he can tell the difference when he hasn't taken ballet in a while. Although not every athlete uses dance as a tool, many do and are very happy with the results.
An athlete is a person who is proficient in sports and other forms of physical exercise.
Synonyms include: competitor, contestant, and professional. A dancer is all of those and then some. A dancer is proficient in dance and other forms of exercise. A dancer competes and a dancer can also be a professional. Not only does ‘dancer’ have a similar meaning to ‘athlete’, but ‘dance’ also has a similar meaning to ‘sport’. The dictionary definition of sport is an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment. Dance involves physical exertion. Professional dancers often have nine and a half hour dance days filled with exercise and practice. Dance requires skill to be truly beautiful and technical. A dance can be performed by an individual or team, and also compete against one another for adjudicated placements for entertainment. Many people of status have supported this including Neve Campbell, a Canadian actress. It is argued that “dance is certainly a sport, and they are phenomenal athletes, and they're also artists" (Campbell). In addition to dance being a sport verbatim, it is also a recognized sport. Dance has been a recognized sport by the International Olympics Committee since 1997. The same type of preparations that go into other sports are put into dancing. Traditional sports carry out practices which are followed by a game, as is the case with dance. A rehearsal is carried out, followed by a performance or competition. The argument against dance being a sport is mainly that it is an art form which communicates to people through emotion. It is true that dance is artistic, but it is not the only aspect of
dance.
Dance as a sport is debated and fought over countlessly. Even despite the fact that it requires the same athleticism as any other sport, is a tool for other athletes to improve, and is in the most literal sense a sport, a large amount of people deny its legitimacy. Many people believe that dance is a sport. Many believe that it is an art. No matter what dance is classified as, it is well-loved and never ceases to captivate audiences and bring them joy.