Sophia Hagerty, Isabelle Ranger & Malia Rogers
EMS Press
Traverse City East MS
1st Place
Division MS, News Writing
Informative Feature
Many people believe that dancers just prance around aimlessly in tutus. However, according to Dictionary.com, the definition of a sport is “Any athletic activity requiring skill or physical ability and often of a competitive nature” (Dictionary). This means that any activity requiring skill and having a competitive nature should be considered a sport. And dance is definitely a sport.
“[Dance] is a very challenging sport,” seventh grader Isabella Fochtman said. “It takes a lot of grueling effort.” Fochtman believes that dance should be considered a sport because it consists of the same qualities as any other sport, such as athletic ability and competitiveness. Dancers even compete, just like other athletes, earning points and trophies.
Fochtman goes to dance every day after school and works for at least three hours a day. This means 15 plus hours a week in practice, in addition to dance competitions, dance conventions, private lessons and extra rehearsals for nationals and/or the Europe tour.
“Dance is a very demanding sport and requires a lot of teamwork, training, and conditioning,” Fochtman said.
No one questions whether hockey is a sport. Eighth grader Shea Harmeson plays travel hockey. Every week, he spends between two and three hours practicing on the ice and another couple in conditioning
Harmeson said teamwork is what makes hockey a sport.
This sounds very similar to Fochtman’s statement.
Dance requires you to have the abilities to be an actor, dancer, musician, and an artist all one. In football, all you are thinking about is how to be a football player.
In dance, you not only have to think about what you’re doing, but how you look when you’re doing it. If for one second, one of those qualities do not show, your performance will not impress the audience nor any of your dance instructors.
Dance is undeniably a sport because it has a competitive nature, it requires athletic ability, and it requires skill. Dance is a workout and leaves you breathless and sweaty, just like any other athletic endeavor does. Hockey, football and, yes, dance are all sports and require athletic ability and hard work.
“I think it’s a sport, and I think it’s a very athletic sport and a beautiful thing that humans do,” Veronica Woods, a professional dance choreographer and teacher said. Woods was the winner of the 2016 national dance choreography award. She believes that a sport consists of, “teamwork, self confidence, dedication, determination, and self love.If you have those qualities,” she said, “you treat other people well and then everybody works better.”
“I think it is the hardest sport because it’s not just a sport,” Woods said. “It’s much, much more because it requires you to be an athlete and an artist as a whole. Football players and other so-called ‘sports athletes’ wouldn’t understand.”