According to Oxford Languages, 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,” yet many would disagree on such a topic when dance is thrown in the mix.

While dance does not have the typical team dynamic, setup or equipment like other traditional sports, it still involves rigorous workouts, dedication and an overall dance-centered lifestyle.

Dancers typically follow intense training and practice regimes to keep up with their sport.

According to the article, Is Dance a Sport? Exploring the Athleticism and Artistry of Dance | DanceUs.org, “To sustain such high levels of physical demand, dancers must also master endurance training similar to that of marathon runners or swimmers. They engage in cardiovascular exercises, strength training, and specific routines designed to increase their ability to maintain intensive dance performance without faltering.” 

Countless hours are spent on conditioning to increase stamina for routines, solo and group rehearsals to perfect routines, different classes whether through studio or conventions to learn new material and skills to be implemented later on an actual competition day.

According to Changing the Perception of the Ballet Body – WorldWide Ballet, “The average height of an American ballerina is about 5 foot 2 inches to 5 foot 8 inches. In correspondence to height, weight would ideally range from 85 to 130 lbs.”

These statistics, while in today’s age are changing from the original idealisms of ballet, are part of the reason for the hard work being put in every day by dancers. 

While most think of just the product being put on stage many do not realize all of this work put in behind the scenes.

The thinking behind the majority of the “dance is not a sport” stigma is that it is not a “typical” sport dynamic, ergo it is not a sport, it is an art form.

However, two things can be true at once. 

According to Is dance a sport or an art? – California Learning Resource Network, “Dance is a means of expressing emotions, telling stories, and conveying themes, which are hallmarks of artistic expression.” 

Different types of genres have been incorporated over the years such as ballet, tap, jazz, musical theatre, acro, contemporary, lyrical, hip hop, open and more to exemplify the ever-growing diversity of the dance community. 

Even combinations of these styles have been added; acro jazz, lyrical ballet, tap open. There are endless possibilities to which style one can choose to compete in. 

I have done dance since I was in 8th grade. Growing up in this lifestyle, I thought it would be an afterschool activity that would help me balance myself out from work. 

The competitions, practice and private lessons accumulated until dance was my whole life and I loved every second of it.

Many dancers are in the studio 3-4 days a week not including weekends and spend 8-10 hours a week practicing.

This doesn’t even include if you are competing on a high school dance team. Dancing is a full time job, on top of school, work and family responsibilities. 

Whether you agree or disagree that dance is a sport, there is no argument that it takes years of training, intense work ethic, strong mentality and artistic versatility to be a dancer.