Dance is a sport. There is a lot of controversy surrounding this argument. Many people who don’t dance assume it’s not a sport because it is also an art form; however, it can be both. According to Webster’s dictionary, a sport is “an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature.” Dance fits into this definition perfectly. I know from experience that dance is a physically demanding athletic activity. I train for 4 days a week from 3 to 5 hours a day. I take classes that many athletes in other sports take including conditioning and technique classes in which I train and work on a variety of skills. So why does this matter? Well, many kids like to do sports after school. I, myself, have been going to dance after school for 12 years now. Of course I have grown a lot since my first dance class but I have also learned that dance can be both a sport and an art form at the same time.

Dance can be a great way to express yourself. According to Diana F. Green’s book, Choreographing From Within “Dance uses the body as an instrument. Body language can be exaggerated and abstracted in dance to project an infinite number of feelings, subtle moods, and emotions” (Perez). Dance is so important to those who like to release their feelings. If you may feel uncomfortable talking about how you are feeling, then dance would be great for you because it doesn’t require talking, only moving. It’s so relieving when I have a really rough day at school and I can go to the dance studio and just let all my feelings out. Dance has really allowed me to have a safe outlet that I can rely on everyday.

Dance has also helped me with my self esteem. Having dance in my life for so many years and being on a competition team has helped me develop so much self confidence. Being in the team environment helps me to grow closer to my friends which allows us to all be supportive of each other. Whenever I feel down on myself, they are always there to lift me up and encourage me and that is something that not a lot of other sports teams have. Taking classes and learning from so many different people has helped me grow and learn new styles and I feel confident when I dance multiple styles. If it weren’t for dance, I probably wouldn’t be the person I am today and I am very thankful for everything that dance has given and taught me.

So...when in doubt, dance it out.

Works Cited:

Dachowski, Kylie. “SiOWfa15: Science in Our World: Certainty and Controversy.” SiOWfa15 Science in Our World Certainty and Controversy, Pennsylvania State University, 17 Sept. 2015.

Perez, Amanda. “The Importance of Dance for Students.” The Foothill Dragon Press, The Foothill Dragon Press, 29 Apr. 2018.