Dance is one of those fascinating activities that has a hard time falling into a certain “category”. It seems like a never-ending debate on whether it’s considered a “sport” or an “art”. We would like to argue that it’s both. Here’s why….
Why a Sport?
Dance is an unbelievably physically demanding activity. It requires lots of stamina and strength that lots of people don’t recognize. Dancers spend many hours training, if not more, than a “traditional athlete” (like a soccer, or basketball player). Dancers also put their bodies through a lot, which can often result in physical pain and injuries, just like any other sport. Dancers often require physical therapy to keep their body and their muscles in a healthy, working condition. Sport is defined by the dictionary as “a game, competition, or activity needing physical effort and skill that is played or done according to rules, for enjoyment and/or as a job”. Dance checks all of these boxes:
✅ – A game/competition/activity: Many dancers will compete at competitions, and/or have it as their after school activity
✅ – Physical Effort: Dance requires an incredible amount of strength/stamina
✅ – Skill: Dance requires years of training and an incredible amount of skill
✅ – Rules: There are rules that need to be followed in dance, just as there would be any other sport, in order to keep us safe
✅ – Enjoyment: Most importantly, dance is for pure enjoyment 💞
Why an Art?
Dance is a beautiful craft that can be enjoyed by many people. Dance is also an incredible tool for expression, just as any other form of art. Dancers can express so many emotions through their dancing (happiness, love, anger, sadness, etc.) all by changing the way they perform it, or change their movements. If you’ve ever watched a professional ballet dancer on stage, it’s like watching a paint brush move across a canvas. There is an incredible attention to detail in the way they move, that is undeniably beautiful.