Humphries 1

Danika Humphries

Ms. Jorgensen

English 10 Honors

28 April 2019

Is Competitive Dance Considered a Sport?

The subject of competitive dance is more controversial than you would think. No, we are

not talking about the dance moves such as the “Woah” or the “Roger Rabbit,” we are talking

about the art of competitive dance. Dancers who participate in competitive dance have

distinguished, unique movements of the body that are choreographed to get the judges attention.

Not only must the dancer have an overall style of the two minute routine, they must also execute

the dance with perfected technique from years of training and performance to entrigue the

judges. Yes, the fixed-minded, jocks of the football team or soccer team might laugh at you for

saying this very sentence, but dance is a sport. Competition dancers compete in teams just alike

sports teams, they are at high risks for injuries that can also occur for one of another sport, and

competitive dancers train like any other athlete.

Competitive dancers compete in teams against another with a system of scoring. The

teams are lead by experienced coaches who also have the passion the dancers have. With the

coach’s experience in the field, they lead their team of dancers to victory with lessons and

teachings to help the dancer grow. May this seem familiar? This type of learning happens in each

and every sport out there. A mentor guides the learner to be the greatest they can be, which then

guides the team of athletes to compete against more vigorous teams to be the best.

 
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Dancers have every opportunity of injury just like athletes from other sports. From the

many years of classes taken to gain more knowledge in the world of competitive dance, the many

more strenuous efforts we put on the human body. From experience, these dancers move their

bodies in ways that the body should not be moving but they do it anyways. Throughout the

evolution of dance, the rise of competitivity and levels have advanced tremendously, which may

not be healthy. Have you ever heard of a dancer getting their hips replaced in their late twenties

from the amount of damage that has been done to them over their countless years of training?

There have also been dancers who have fallen in fatigue and torn an ACL and still have troubles

years after because of their passions for competitive dance. In Dance, dancers can be susceptible

to injuries like torn ACL’s and broken ankles just like athletes who are also dedicated to their

sport just like dancers

Dancers train by running, weightlifting, and toning their bodies for eligibility in our sport

just like other athletes. The dance team here at Coronado practices all year long. The women on

the team have no off season and most of their breaks are for school purposes such as

Thanksgiving and Winter Break. Summer Break is used for training and exercising their bodies

to be able to be their best. This dance team is not the only one who works all year long either.

The dance team at Basic High School also exercises and works their dancers to be at the fittest

they can be. Not only do competitive dance teams workout and condition like other sports teams,

we practice and dedicate many hours to the art of dance. ​ ​Dancers also need to practice and train

themselves to get skills needed for their choreographed pieces.

Just like any other sports, you must eat, sleep, and breathe dance to be the best of the best

of your sport. If one needs the dictionary definition of a sport well it means “ athletic activity
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requiring skill or physical prowess” (Rousseau). The definition of dance supports my claim

because those who understand competitive dance know that dance uses lots of athleticism and

uses exertion on your body to keep going throughout competition pieces. So the next time the

two tables filled with boys decide to criticize you about how competitive dance isnt a sport, have

them try it and see what they think after a long week full of sixteen hours of dance a week, sore

muscles, and hurt limbs.

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Works Cited

Dachowski, Kylie. “SiOWfa15: Science in Our World: Certainty and Controversy.”

​SiOWfa15 Science in Our World Certainty and Controversy​, 17 Sept.

2015, sites.psu.edu/siowfa15/2015/09/17/is-dance-a-sport/. Accessed Apr.08 2019

“Dance | Definition of Dance in English by Oxford Dictionaries.” ​Oxford Dictionaries |

English​, Oxford Dictionaries, en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/dance.

Accessed Apr.09 2019

Guarino, and Lindsay. “Is Dance a Sport?: A Twenty-First-Century Debate.” ​Journal of

Dance Education​, Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut

Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940;

Web Site: Www.tandf.co.uk/Journals, 30 Nov. 2014, eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1063103.

Accessed Apr. 09 2019

Linnihan, Madison. “Dance Is Not A Sport.” ​The Odyssey Online,​ 11 Apr.

2018, ​ ​www.theodysseyonline.com/dance-is-not-sport​. Accessed Apr. 09 2019

“SPORT | Definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary.” SPORT | Definition

in the Cambridge English Dictionary,dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/

english/sport. Accessed Apr.08 2019