Is Dance a Sport?

Let’s dive straight into the debate! Is dance a sport? As dancers, of course dance is a sport. The long days of training, pushing our bodies into shapes they shouldn’t naturally go to and keeping up stamina for high energy during every performance, we train like athletes so why should our profession not be considered the same? Even Apple agrees dancing is a sport as the Apple Watch allows you to select dancing as an exercise type! To help answer the question, is dance a sport, we’re discussing what dance is, the training & fitness that goes into dance and dance competitions. Let’s leap into it!

What is dance?

To answer the question is dance a sport, we first need to look at what dance is defined as. Dance is a form of art, in which individuals create movements with their bodies to music. From ballet, to ballroom, to contemporary, dancers use a wide range of movements to express an emotion or an idea. Dancing requires a certain level of fitness to keep high energy throughout a routine, alongside this, strong muscles and flexibility are needed to create certain movements. This fitness level could be compared to athletes as dance requires fitness, strength and skill.

Dance Training

In terms of dance training, let’s start with ballet. Is ballet dancing a sport? A ballerinas training regime would argue it is. Ballerinas train endurance, strength and flexibility to perform at the highest standard with long hours to perfect the pointe technique and finesse leaps with ease. Could ballroom dance be classed as a sport? Long hours of physical training and long days at competitions means dancers train at an athletic level. Dancers across all genres have hard and long training regimes, comparable to other sports so in our eyes, is dancing a sport? Yes it is.

Dance Competitions

There’s one word to sum up dance competitions: hard. Dancers put in long hours before competitions to ensure performance levels are at 100%. Competitions are extremely long days, where dancers will perform solos, duets and group dances. At a competition, dancers have to perfect their technique and execute routines to impress the judges. Still considering is competitive dance a sport? Dancers go further than the average athlete as facial expressions count! Competitive dancers have to perform, push their bodies to the maximum, all whilst entertaining the judges with fun and friendly facial expressions.

So, what’s your decision? At Move Dance we believe dance is a sport and we love being part of an industry that pushes the boundaries of art and sport. The combined skills of technique, fitness, flexibility and strength allow dancers in all genres to perform at the same level of athletes therefore dance should be considered in the same way, as a sport.

Thanks for reading! We hope our is dance a sport blog has inspired you to take a trip to the dance studio or take the competition floor. We’ve got lots of  dancewear to help you feel empowered and perform at your best. Find lovely leotards, dance shoes and dance costumes. 

Move Dance Team