Why Dance is Not Only a Sport, But the Hardest Sport Out There

Many people will read this title and chuckle to themselves, and I know what you may be thinking, how could one make an argument about this topic? But trust me, being a dancer for 18 years and a dance teacher for five years, I could easily list about 50 reasons off the top of my head as to why dance is the most difficult sport. Since sports played with a ball dominate many people’s attention, let me draw your attention to the sport of dance.

Dance first started out as a way of expressing emotions and communicating to others and it has continued to evolve into a form of entertainment. Dance in general has always been deemed an “art,” and while this is true, there is also a highly physical aspect that must be considered. Expression and artistic passion are important with each dance move, but hard work and dedication to the competition aspect of dance is what has transformed this art form into a sport as well. Dance is a profession, and you can even choose to major in it at larger Universities with departments in the arts. There are many styles of dance including ballet, jazz, lyrical, modern, contemporary, bachata, hip hop, ballroom, tap, African Diaspora and so much more. The world of dance is mesmerizing place to find yourself, but in reality, it’s not as easy and delicate as it appears to be.

A ball doesn’t create the sport, your body creates it.

Unlike football, basketball, baseball and many other sports along those lines, dance doesn’t require the use of a specific object. While props can always be used in the dance world, they are never required. The entire point of dance is to show expression through your body. And while other sports do require the physicality aspect of the body, this is not the main thing they are thinking about while playing the game. A basketball player may be thinking “don’t drop the ball”, but a dancer will be thinking “don’t drop your leg out of the air”. The mentality in this aspect is entirely different and because of this, dancers require loads of concentration to be able to depend on their bodies so heavily.

Both flexibility AND strength are required.

In most sports, you will find that men and women work towards building muscular strength and endurance. Dancers also excel in this aspect but are required to have loosened and stretched muscles to allow their bodies to bend in every other direction. In fact, dancers must specifically work their muscles so they remain strong, but don’t bulk up too much for fear of no longer being able to stretch the muscles through flexibility. It is one thing to focus purely on strength and entirely another thing to add in the ability of lifting your leg all the way above your head and holding it there.

Dancers have the most demanding job.

Dancers were ranked number one, out of the top 20, as the most physically demanding job in the country according to researchers at InsuranceProviders.com https://www.dancemagazine.com/most-physically-demanding-jobs-2644898194.html?rebelltitem=6#rebelltitem6. The data found that the profession of dance scored a 97 out of 100 for the overall level of physicality on the job. Dancers were placed above athletes and sport competitors who ranked at number three on the chart scoring a 90.4. Dance in general just requires more, and while dancers may not be able to lift more than the average athlete, they have much more in their back pocket to get them to the top.

You are required to memorize each routine which can take hours of practice.

A significant difference between the performance and competition aspect in dance is that it is all pre choreographed. During a basketball game, anything can happen, even when players run a set play. They make gametime decisions on the court to win. Whereas with dance, you will spend hours and hours memorizing and perfecting a single routine just to perform it once and hopefully nail it. This puts an immense amount of pressure on dancers, especially when they are competing or performing for their profession. At the end of the day there is no room for even one small error when performing a dance routine. One mistake and you might as well walk off the stage because it will decrease your chances of winning by a lot. And this is something that is drilled into the minds of dancers, to the point that it can become very mentally exhausting. Which leads into the next point.

It affects your mental health just as much, if not more, than your physical health.

Because this sport is all about the body, you consistently have people rejecting you because of what your body is doing wrong. Never will you enter a dance rehearsal and find the instructor looking for all the good things you are doing. In fact, an instructor’s main job is to fix all your errors. Sometimes these “errors” include aspects of your body you can’t control. Body dysmorphia and anxiety are common in dancers due to the feeling of your literal-self not being good enough. The strong mentality dancers maintain to fight through these intrusive thoughts is impressive. And at the end of the day, you can always expect a dancer to smile through the pain and give an amazing performance on stage.

Dancers are just that amazing. They push through hours of rehearsals day after day and always come ready to perform and show off their hard work. Why is it that anytime I tell someone I’m a dancer or dance teacher for a living I feel brushed off and not taken seriously? The world needs to put dancers on the same pedestal they put athletes on and appreciate their dedication to both the arts and competition. But hey, if you’re not going to listen to me just look at the data and facts out there, because they do exist. Dancers are powerhouses and in any standoff against what the world deems an “athlete”, I guarantee they would pull some tricks out of their pocket that would make people question their assumptions.