Dance is it a sport?

Question

is dance a sport
what do you think

Answer 1

Dance is no more a sport than playing a musical instrument is - especially a large one, such as a piano, marimba, or harp. The body is the dancer's instrument. There are competitions in music, as well, but you don't hear anyone calling piano playing a sport.

It was Title IX, which raised the issue of gender equity in sports, that finally forced American schools and colleges to give some recognition to dance just so they could pad their numbers of women. And in a country where public funding for the arts is so lousy, dancers went along with this pact with the devil. But as girls became more interested in the true sports, public schools were quick to give their dance programs the ax. At the college level, dance programs were more fortunate as many of them made the successful transition from physical education divisions to music divisions.

So at the university level, dance is gaining in respect as an art form. But at the K-12 level, many young girls are still finding themselves making the same pact with the devil in order to get the recognition they deserve. As long as schools only show recognition for grades and competition prizes, dancers will feel that they have to compete as well in order to be included in the school paper, honors banquets, etc.

Do you see what section "Dancing" is under here on Yahoo! Answers? From the dawn of humanity, dance is as elemental a form of artistic communication as cave paintings. It is a vital part of what makes us human, and it should be respected as such.

Answer 2

Dance is certainly very physically demanding and active. Yes, you can think about it as a sport and you can think of it as an art form. I think it is both, and may other things on top of that.

There is a type of dance that is called Dancesport. Competitive Ballroom, which is what it is, is recognized as a sport by Olympic Committee. This clearly defines Dancesport to be a sport. Competitive Ballroom Dancers (especially of high level) are referred to as Dancesport Athletes, and that's official. This is an example of how dance is a sport. That said, it is not only a sport - why would ballroom people work on their expression so much otherwise.

Dance can be many things - art, sport, profession, hobby, entertainment, way for self-expression. I'd say, ballet is more of an art then of a sport, despite being incredibly demanding physically and requiring one to be in top physical shape. Club dancing is entertainment, mostly. And so on.

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I find it amusing that people use it as an argument that "Dance" is in "Art and Humanities" on Yahoo therefore cannot be a sport. Haha. Allmighty Yahoo. By this argument, Gymnastics doesn't even exists, because there is no category for Gymnastics on Yahoo.

Answer 3

A dancer is an athlete. His body is his tool and he trains it roughly each day. But he is also an artist expressing himself through the music. Dancing is a struggle between the physical and the emotional, the artistic. Without the body you can't dance. Without the mind and heart you're only executing exercises.
It's not easy to balance between the two. It's very common for the scales to tip towards the sport side. There are many examples of dancers who ended up doing aerials, splits and acrobatic tricks instead of dancing.
Dancesport (as explained above) is the name competitive ballroom dancing (both Latin and Standard) has taken recently. It's a very accurate term, considering it combines the two basic elements of competitive ballroom dancing, the sport side and the dancing side. Many times couples forget to dance and simply execute routines, but the real dancers have connection, emotion. They are true performers.
Is dance a sport? It's a sport. AND an art form. You need to be an athlete AND an artist.

Answer 4

Ballroom and Latin dancing these days is actually called Dancesport in some countries, but I think it's a great shame.

Sport is physical activity requiring technical skills, but the key is that most sports have competition as their main goal. I know that most dance styles have competitions, medals etc. but artistic expression is the main goal.

By making dance a sport, the emphasis shifts and people start valuing technique above everything. I see that in all forms of dance today - companies are full of dancers who are marvellous athletes and can do all the technical tricks, but they forget about musicality or artistry. Margot Fonteyn, one of the greatest ballerinas of all time, had imperfect technique (including lousy turnout). She probably wouldn't even get into a company these days, because she couldn't meet the technical standards, and yet she was mesmerising to watch.

Answer 5

YES dance is definitely a sport! I, being a dancer, personally know that dance, though not your first idea of a sport, is very physically demanding while being a gracoius activity. The answer is: YES!!!

Answer 6

I don't think it's considered a sport. It's more of an art form. We express ourselves through dance or in other words, through body movement. It can be a workout and it will definitely help you stay in shape, feel good about yourself and release stress. But I don't think that dance is a sport. Maybe aerobics...

Answer 7

Yes it is a sport!
Dancing requires intense physical training just like any other sport. It has rules just like other sports. It can be done in competitions or just for fun. It is an art but then I've heard many golfers refer to golfing as an art. I think both the traditional sport and dance both can be a tool for self expression. Athletes who enjoy what they are doing obviously express their joy's durring play just as they can express anger and frustration. Granted I think that dance has much more expressiveness but simply having that quality does not mean it's not a sport. When dancers end up with injuries where do they get treatment? Often from sports injury clinics! Why because dancers suffer many of the same types of injuries as sports players. It's not often recognized as a sport simply because it's often seen as a feminine thing that requires little effort and whos participants are often seen as "loose in morals." Even womens sports like tennis and basketball weren't considered real sports and are still seen as only somewhat of a sport by many and I don't even want to mention all the sex scandals that have gone on involving professional atheletes! Whose loose now? Also, even if we decide to call it a sport doesn't mean we have to perform it as if it's a sport. It can be as formal or informal as you want it. You don't like to compete you just want to express yourself... well go ahead! How many little kids go out to the fields with their moms or dads to play baseball, tennis, or football for fun? Most of them not even keeping score simply playing for the enjoyment. Those who knock it obviously haven't tried it and those who have tried it but still knock it are just ignorant.

Answer 8

It is a sport and an art. Dance does require u to be physically active

Answer 9

I believe that this is an opinion question and my opinion is that no dancing is not a sport. I prefer to call it an athletic activity that uses art as a creative way of self-expression. I do however believe that dancers are athletes.

Answer 10

No dance doesn't comes under sports category...

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