Is dance a sport?

Hannah Nicholas, Staff Reporter
October 20, 2011
Filed under Opinion

    “An individual or group competitive activity involving physical exertion or skill.” That’s the definition of a sport from the dictionary. Does dance fall under that definition? I think yes.

    First of all, dancers compete. The Kamiakin Dance Team and dance teams all over the nation attend regional, district, and state competitions. National competitions are held as well. Plus, the competitions are more demanding for dance than other sports. As Kamiakin Dance coach Sara Kennedy says, “Our competitions require more preparation than other sports. In addition to the dances we perform at games, we also have to perfect multiple competition routines.” Also, in other sports, no one cares what the athletes look like. As assistant coach Brielle Olson says, “A dancer must perform a difficult, physically demanding routine while still looking pretty and with a smile on their face.”

    Dancers must be very physically fit. In order to be a good technical dancer, a person must have muscle strength, flexibility, and cardio endurance. Think about all the jumps, leaps, and quick, complicated movements dancers must do – that takes a lot of conditioning to do well. Balance and strong core muscles are required to be able to turn and control movements as well. “People underestimate us. We make it look easy, but I would love to see the football players try it,” says dancer and junior Celina Duncan.

    As for the skill part of the definition, it takes a great deal of practice and talent to become a good dancer. “It takes a lot of conditioning and practice to improve our strength, and do better on technique, and become stronger dancers,” says freshman Alexis Phipps. As a senior on the Kamiakin Dance Team, I am very aware of the time and practice required to be good at dancing. I have spent countless hours practicing my dance technique, and know it takes a lot of hard work to improve a little.

    So is dance a sport? According to the dictionary definition, it definitely is. Dancers have to follow all the same rules that sports do, and work just as hard as all other sports. As a senior and a captain of the Kamiakin Dance Team, Kristina Mackie says, “We meet all the same qualifications of any other sport. Just because a ball isn’t involved doesn’t mean it’s not a sport.”