Dance is just as much of a sport as it is an art

EviE Cook STAFF WRITER

Have you ever watched World Of Dance? Dancing With The Stars? So You Think You Can Dance?

Are those athletes on stage just showing you an art or are they performing their sport?

What exactly classifies something as a sport?

The Oxford Dictionary defines it as “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.”

So why is it a question “if dance is a sport?” Many people feel dance is just an art, but the physical demands dance has on a person’s body and mind are much greater than they look.

From personal experience, competitive dance has taken a huge toll on my body, from a broken nose and sprained ankles to mental blocks and body issues.

Dance is sometimes more physically demanding than other sports such as football and soccer. Yes, from the outside looking in, football and soccer involve more physical tackling compared to dance.

However, when you take a closer look, the endurance and

The word athlete is defined as “a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina, or strength.” Dancers are just that, as they need a lot of strength to jump high, turn without falling over, and keep up with the a while to heal, but I have only seen it in dancers. biometrics involved in jumping, landing, and balancing, dance, especially ballet, requires more physical demand than any other sport.

This does not usually happen in any other sport, which is kind of unique,” Kaminski said.

While in all sports, people face the risk of breaking bones, getting concussions, and tearing ligaments/muscles, dance has its own special injuries as well as all the other risks of contact sports.

“I think you might get more muscle strains in dancers due to the increase in flexibility dancers have compared to other sports,” Kaminski said.

Considering the fact that the team consisted of eight to nine girls throughout their season, which is pretty small compared to previous years, as well as it being a small team in general compared to other sports and schools, this is impressive.

Colleges also consider dance a sport, as dancers can receive college scholarships and offers to join college teams just like other sports can.

According to Cartwright Fitness, “a kinesiologist observes dancers and they can move their legs up to 15 mph and turn over 100 times per minute as well as having incredibly strong core muscles for turning and leg muscles for leaping.”