Persuasive Essay Example: Is Dance A Sport?

What is the definition of a sport? A game played with a ball or any form of equipment? Is it people in tight pants running around? The Oxford Dictionary defines a sport as, “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment”. Football, baseball, and track fit those definitions, but so does another recreational activity that is not typically considered a sport like dance. I am a dancer and have been dancing my whole life. Being a dancer, one of the worst things anyone can say is that dance is not a sport and I want to prove them wrong. 

If you look at the Oxford dictionary definition of a sport, it is “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment”. Dance fulfils all of these requirements. First and foremost, we have physical exertion. Dance, especially competitive dance, demands hours upon hours of training and practice to improve strength, stamina, and flexibility. Competitive dancers are at the studio almost daily, totaling for some to even “up to 30 hours per week”. Dance training this intense provides the “physical agility, stamina and strength” that is necessary in order to successfully compete and perform routines. The amount of dedication and physical challenges dancers have must surely deem them worthy of the title “athlete”. Dancers have to condition and train their bodies so they can accomplish different sets of techniques and choreography. If a dancer has poor stamina, it leads to fatigue, which is usually the main cause of injuries in professional dancers. 

Not only do I see dance as a sport, but I also see dance as a form of art. As reported by Oxford, “art” is “the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.” Also stated by Oxford, art is “the various branches of creative activity, such as painting, music, literature, and dance.” The second definition, although short, really focuses on the meaning of art the most, in my opinion. Different types of dances are used to tell a story, whether it be traditional dance, or a more western dance like hip hop, or classical like ballet. When watching a classic type of dance like ballet, they usually tell a story, which is so beautiful to watch. Dancers create movements in dance segments and use dance features and choreographic tools to portray a story or feelings. Just like with painting and music, the dancer doing dancing speaks to it with their whole mind, putting all they have into it. They also reflect on what the person's feelings are at the time. When dancing, the spirit expresses itself in the same way that the body does. It enables a person to express his or her feelings, thoughts, and experiences.

In addition to my other points, dancers need years of training and experience. When you meet a dancer, whether professional or not, they often start at a young age. Most are around 3-5. This makes them excellent dancers because of all the experience and training they've had since a young age. Just like in every sport, training is also an important factor in dance as well. The more you train or practice, the better you will get. Dancers with years of experience and training know that dancing requires passion, determination, and commitment. For them to stay in dance that long means they have commitment, determination, and an actual passion for dance. This requirement doesn't just apply to dance; it's needed in lots of other sports as well. For example, in basketball, Kobe Bryant was a basketball player who started playing basketball at the age of 3 and ended up turning it into a career for 20 years. This just shows passion, determination, and commitment. He had a lot of experience and training, which definitely made him better and better. Expanding a dancer's overall physical strength allows a dancer to become more flexible and allows them to explore the art of their moves. Dancers can meet the physical requirements of dance by reinforcing their bodies. To become a professional dancer requires approximately 9 years of dedicated training. Becoming a professional can take less or more time, can occur earlier or later, and even professionals continuously train to become more professional. 

Given all these points, it's clear that dance meets all of the criteria for being classified as a sport. It is very physical and requires years of experience and training. It is a form of art and requires stamina, speed, flexibility, and muscle power. Dance should, without a doubt, be recognized as a sport. There has never been any reason to suspect whether dance is artistic. However, nobody should disregard the fact that dance is also a sport. If anything, dance takes all of the essentials of a sport and puts them to good use in storytelling and getting a point across with its artistic side, creating an equal balance between dance and art. Dancers work just as hard as any football or basketball player. To conclude my thoughts, I would like to end by saying that dance is a sport if you really look deep into it.