By Ciara Speller | Broadcast Editor
“Dance is not a sport!”
A statement that resonates with countless dancers of the past and present, who train vigorously for hours a week in and out of the studio, much like any other athlete would do.
Unlike most sports, dance has no season. It is a year round commitment with no breaks and very little down time. During “down time” you might find most dancers choreographing while catching a TV show, stretching their feet while getting a bite to eat and practicing their posture as they walk around the mall.
Not to say that other athletes do not do the same thing in different ways, just stressing that dance training never stops.
“Dance should be looked at as a sport because if taken seriously and treated as a form of fitness, it requires both athleticism and immense strength. Dance is unique in the sense that it’s meant to look easy, however it is far from that. It’s an art form that involves intense movement as the medium,” states Jenna Geysen, 16’ a member of Extensions Dance Company.
Dance is an art form; because anyone who can create works that touch lives and aesthetically move individuals should be considered an artist. But there is no doubt that this art form should also be recognized as a sport.
What are the characteristics of something considered a sport?
According to an article entitled, An Olympic Musing: What Makes a Sport?, the author argues that any athletic activity requiring physical exertion ( to a certain level) should be consider a sport.
For example, a collegiate level technique dance class at Salve meets twice a week for an hour and fifteen minutes. In that time dancers are properly warmed up, perform cardio work outs from ab exercises to planks, muscle strengthening and control exercises, to progressions across the floor and in the center .
The classes normally end with a center floor combination, which not only requires rhythmic abilities but also core strength, precision to footwork and placements, as well as attention to detail and stage presence.
That is just one technique class, whereas many dancers on campus involved in dance take multiple technique classes, and are involved in extracurriculars like the dance club or company where much more time and commitment are required. One Extensions Company dancer might be seen dancing for five to six hours a day, which in fact would become physically exerting.
“I definitely think dancers are just as athletic as athletes because we use the same muscles if not more… I think it is being viewed more as a sport now because of things like Misty Copeland and her sports wear ad,” says Emma Concordia, 17’ a dance minor and company member at Salve.
Taking a step in the right direction to show why dance is a sport, Under Armour has recently paired up with Principle soloist dancer for the American Ballet Theatre, Misty Copeland and created an ad expressing why they a sports brand, believe that what Copeland does requires extreme athleticism and would be seen in the way the other sports are looked at.
In the ad we see Copeland dancing in the studio accompanied by the voice of a young girl, a younger her reading a rejection letter from a ballet academy. The camera begins to zoom into Copeland showing her on the box of her pointe shoes and the athlete she is, as every muscle in her body projects out while she is in a tight fifth position.
The commercial then has Copeland freely dance for about 20 seconds, showing the precision, athleticism and control it takes to properly execute everything Copeland is doing.
In an interview regarding the new ad, Copeland mentions that the vision of the ad was to not have her only be seen as a ballerina, but also as the athlete that she has worked hard to become…
“Under Armour is a brand that takes chances and had the mission to promote people who had struggles but persevered while not conforming to the typical mold,” states Copeland.
It takes strength, focus and drive to return to the studio day in and day out, much like a football player displays on the field or a basketball player would on the court. Countless hours working on one particular move before you can get it right, icing your swollen feet after they have been in a pointe shoe for four hours and hitting the gym for your daily workout in addition to hours in the studio.
Under Armour has taken a risk in promoting this campaign featuring Copeland, but it would seem that they as well as many others see what it takes to become a dancer and why dance should be considered a sport in all that it requires.
