Why Is Dance A Sport

The body is intricately made and can do amazing things. Dancers tap into the muscles of their body that many people do not know exist, much like athletes. A dancer trains hard, spends hours in the studio, is always looking to improve their skills, and engages in competition. The same can be said about football, basketball, and baseball players. People assume that dance is not as challenging or aggressive on the body as other sports. But I, as a dancer, can validate that it is just as hard and uses large groups of muscles to complete certain steps, or moves. Dance has potential to be classified as a sport by society, when all evidence and support is considered.
The training of an athlete is vital in sports. This process requires an abundance
In football or baseball games, teams compete one on one. Chris Altonji’s argument states that dancers do not engage in one on one competition. According to, “Is dance a sport? Opposing perspectives from dancer and football player”, “These competitions involve multiple teams taking their turns performing their dance; one team does their rendition of a high-tempo mash up of the currently most played pop songs, and then the next team does theirs. Never are two teams performing directly against each other. Because two teams are never competing directly against each other, there are no variables except yourself, your teammates, and maybe the ground”(Altonji). Although one on one competition is not a part of competitive dance, studios still register dances which are given a score and a ranking. Teams are competing against multiple others at the same time. Madison Linnihan argues that dance is considered an art, rather than a sport. In “Dance Is Not a Sport”, it states, “Dance is physical exertion and skill that is capable of tapping into an audience's emotions to make them feel a specific way. That's art, plain and simple”(Linnihan) While it is true that dance is used to bring emotion to their audience or tell the story of a song, the physical segment of dance is that of a sport. Although parts of their viewpoints are valid, dance should be considered a sport based on the physicality needed to do