It’s plain to see, dance is a way to entertain and create movement by performers and observers. However, the question always ends up with whether dance is a sport or just art. Research says that dance is, in fact, a type of sport.

On the Oxford Dictionary website, a sport is defined as “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.”  Dance is a sport but it’s just not taken seriously enough to really consider it as one. Many times I remember in elementary school, I’d ask classmates their opinion of whether dancing was a sport and the answer would always be the same. They’d do a little chuckle and say no. Back then, it would affect me and make me realize that my classmates don’t see dance from my perspective as a competitive dancer. Dance is unique enough to be considered a sport but, also as a performing art. The definition of art is the “expression of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.” Dance can easily fall into both categories but since dance is a visual, creative way of art, it’s commonly known as just an art. 

When comparing other sports to a dance style such as ballet, the first response would be that any other sport is a lot harder than ballet. However, on average, professional soccer teams practice for 4–6 hours a day for 5 days a week. Professional football players on average, train 4-5 hours a day. Meanwhile, training ballet students will dance between 6-7 hours a day. In most professional companies, a morning class at 10 starts the day, and they could rehearse until 6 pm, with breaks. It just shows that performers are determined to work hard to become a better dancer every day. 

Wikipedia states that dance is a type of sport. Wikipedia has a list of sports that are presented in multiple categories that range from Physical Sports to Mind Sports. Under each category, you’ll find different sections that go with the category such as, Ball and Bat Sports and Ball over net Sports. In this case, Dance is found under the section Acro Sports, alongside with Cheerleading, Freerunning, and Trampolining. Whether you like it or not, dance is a sport. Dancers spend so much of their time practicing hours a day, being recognized as a sport is the least of a dancer’s worries. Research shows and my experience with dance is truly both a sport and an art form.