What Is Dance A Sport?

A sport is defined as an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment. In this case, dance is a sport because first of all an individual needs to be athletic, have determination, be strong, and most importantly have a passion for it. If anybody asked any athlete why they do a sport the athlete will respond with, “Because I love it. I worked hard for where I am.” Dance is shown to be one of the most unique and creative sports in the world. A sport is not defined by the ball that’s used, the uniforms provided or whether or not it’s an olympic sport. It is defined by the passion, strength, hard work, teamwork, and much more. Most individuals start sports at a
In dance, the practices are more complex than an average sport. There’s a certain class for each technique and skill. A typical competitive dancer schedule entails of two hours of strength and conditioning and about three hours of ballet, jazz, lyrical, and whatever dance they are working on for competition. These practices usually happen about three times a week for a full school year. Once summer comes, dancers are usually at the studio everyday for about five to six hours. Summer dancing is mostly for technique and skill to build it back up for the competition year. Mackenzie Alosi, a dancer at Green Bay School of Dance, says she dances 15-20 hours a week. Mckenzie also believes that strength and endurance is a huge part of dancing because those are the two main aspects of getting through a performance or routine safety and to the best of a dancer’s ability. There are also people who believe dance does not require physical effort. Some people think dance involves less endurance than sports like track. However, runners exert forces in only one direction but, as Dr. McNitt-Gray said, “In dance, their hands, legs, and head are exerting forces in different directions all at the same time” (Cambio). From the foot work to the cardiovascular system functioning about the same, they are very similar sports in the end. Not only are the physical aspects of the sports resemble but also the team bonding is very
The key vitamins in a dancers diet include; Fish oil, turmeric, vitamins D and C, potassium and most of all a lot of protein. Fish oil helps with energy, bone and muscle development and weight loss (WebMD). Turmeric helps with arthritis and inflammatory (WebMD). Vitamin D helps with bone development and structure and Vitamin C helps with an individual’s cardiovascular system. Having all of these supplements on a daily basis boosts energy, decreases pain and sustains a healthy heart (WebMD). Lastly, potassium helps with high blood pressure, arthritis, muscle pain and inflammatory (WebMD). These vitamins are not only great for dancers but also for any athlete. Protein is the largest part of an athlete’s diet. Protein is the main source of building muscle and reducing fat. Whether someone is a football player, basketball player or dancer; those individual’s need to consume at least 110-180 grams of protein a day to retain their muscle. Workout plans are just as important as the diet. Athletes should be doing 20-35 minutes of cardio everyday and at least four days of strength training. Strength training can be anything from lifting weights to pilates. The cardio reduces fat and the strength training builds muscle and speeds up an individual’s metabolism. Not only does this lifestyle seem very complex with the working out and diet plans, but it also affects a dancer mentally