“Dance isn’t a sport.” The one statement that makes every dancer’s blood boil to the point they’d rather get a blister from their pointe shoes than hear it once more. 

A sport is defined as an activity involving physical exertion, skill, and competition. Once an activity meets all those criterias, it is considered a sport. 

Now that you know what a sport is defined as, here is how dance is most definitely a sport. You need physical exertion, which is pretty much just exercising. When you dance you are incorporating a lot of muscles in your body and pushing yourself to your limit through all the movements being thrown at you by the teacher, there is a warm up/workout done before any actual dancing takes place. You need skill, the skill needed for dance is to be able to compose yourself of agility and grace, a very hard skill to master. Competition is also needed. Not only is there competition in every dance class one takes, but there is also competitive dance, which is a whole different ball game. 

From those three requirements and the fact that dance fits under each one of them, I’d say my point is proven that dance is a sport. 

I’m not going to sit here and say that dance is the same as other sports because it’s not. Aside from being a sport, dance is also an art form. It is the art expressed through movements of the body to explain a complex story. It is the most beautiful art there is in my opinion. 

Considering the fact dance is not a sport that is necessarily “played” but a sport that is performed, I could see the reason for confusion for some people, but that’s not the only reason I think dance is overlooked as a sport. Dance is considered “girly,” so because girls do it, it’s not considered as a sport by some. Even in the 21st century girls are still facing double standards, especially in the aspect of sports and being an athlete. 

Just because I, as a dancer, do not throw a ball across a field or court, does not mean I am not an athlete. The behind the scenes of the dance world is a culture shock. The amount of time that goes into rehearsals weekly is honestly insane. On average a competitive dancer spends 27 hours at the studio weekly. Apart from all the time and rehearsals spent at the studio there is also a lot of work being put in outside the studio. From stretching, eating healthy, working out, and keeping your mental health intact, it’s a lot. 

I feel like all athletes should be treated the same despite their sport. As a dancer, I’m not given the same understanding of not being able to miss rehearsal compared to a football player saying he can’t miss a practice and it’s understood that it’s important. 

Dance is probably the most competitive sport in the book. As a competitive dancer, it truly is competitive. Every studio and dancer are reaching for that 1st place award and the highest score possible. Every dancer in the convention room is  striving to win that scholarship. It is more than just an extracurricular activity. It is a lifestyle. 

Dance is a sport, period.