As Jackie Joyner Kersee once said, “The rewards are going to come, but my happiness is just loving the sport and having fun performing” (“Sports Quotes,” 2013). Sports play a major role in entertainment all across the world. Sports can range from driving in NASCAR to playing in the NBA (Careers in Pro Sports, 1999). Sports usually involve teamwork and is fun for everyone. Although sports are supposed to be fun, there is natural competition. Being a feminine art, dance is considered to be just about anything other than a sport. Dancers are trained to the height of their ability, just like other athletes in other sports. Even though the dancer might not perform with their whole dance studio on stage at the same time, the dancers are all apart of the same team. Dancing is not an easy sport to participate in, so if you are looking for a sport that does not require practice then you might want to look into a different sport. There are hour-long practices, healthy diets, and several routines to remember. Normally, if someone is convinced that dance is not a sport, they have not fully engaged or experienced dance. In order to better understand dance, it is important to understand the history of dance, the competition of dance, and the comparison of dance to other sports.
History of Dance
In ancient times, dance was understood as a completely different concept. Dancing in ancient Egypt was a spiritual event (“History of Dance,” n.d.). Being a spiritual event, dancing before a god was an important thing to do when practicing rituals because it shows a great amount of respect. Egyptian priest and priestesses would tell stories of gods through dance. Like all dances, there is some type of music that the dancer dances to. The Egyptians woul...
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...tion website: http://www.danceeducation.net/Pages/Important%20Information%20On%20Choosing%20A%20Dance%20School.html
History of dance. (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2013, from History World website: http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/plaintexthistories.asp?historyid=ab82
Performance & Stage. (n.d.). Retrieved May 3, 2013, from Dance Quotes website: http://www.dance-quotes.net/performance-&-stage-quotes.html
Preventing dance injuries. (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2013, from Stop Sports Injuries website: http://www.stopsportsinjuries.org/dance-injury-prevention.aspx
Recognizing dance excellence in the competition world. (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2013, from Federation of Dance Competition website: http://www.fdcdance.org/
Sport quotes. (2013, April 30). Retrieved April 30, 2013, from UNT: University of North Texas website: http://sportpsych.unt.edu/resources/athletes/31
The typical idea of a dancer is that they are tall, slender, full of energy, and lucky because they dance with all of the “stars”. Much of this is true, however, what many people do not think of are the many hardships that a dancer goes through in order to achieve their high status in the dance world. It takes much hard work and determination along with good direction to become a dancer. However, nothing good comes without a price. Dancers often times have many pressures put on them which can lead to physical and emotional damages. These damages occur through the pressures from the media, parents, teammates, and the stereotype that society has placed on dancers.
By universal definition, "sport" is listed as "an activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively." Football, basketball, baseball, soccer and other primary activities have always been concretely defined as sports in society. However, one of the most physically demanding activities is constantly forgotten when it comes to the realm of sports- dance. Dance requires a tremendous amount of training and creates an aura of competition in which people compete to be the best, win, and take home the trophy- just like in traditionally accepted sports. These sports, however, do not possess an element of psychological health threats that some competitive dancers unfortunately must account for due to the emphasis placed on physical appearance.
A leader would sing while surrounded by a circle of. dancers who would sing back in reply (“The History”1). For century’s Irish dancing had been a peasant dance done in the villages to celebrate community gatherings and family events. Until the seventeenth century, when Queen Elizabeth I received a letter from Sir Henry Sydney describing the beautiful dance he saw (“The History”1). The Queen invited dancers to perform to her court. This created a new drive for people to start dancing, and in the early eighteenth century formed the Irish dancing we know
Jonas, Gerald. Dancing: The Pleasure, Power, and Art of Movement. New York: Abrams, 1992. Print.
... social dance. Many people in today’s society enjoy social; dancing. Chapter eleven dance concert, properly planning and establishing a dance concert is of the utmost importance. The partnership with the lighting designer usually takes priority over all other factors. One of the most important issues concerning customers has to do with mobility. The dancer must be able to move comfortably in the costume. The task of producing a dance concert is an overwhelming and tiring one. Chapter twelve dance in education and career in dance, many dance educators present the argument that teaching and learning dance as an art form is obviously absent from the American student education. There has always been and always will be people who have a love, desire, and passion to instruct and learn the art of dance, will ensure an important place for dance in higher education.
Alvin Ailey, a dancer born in 1931, founded what is known today as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Born in Texas, Ailey faced intense racism and discrimination growing up. As a result he strove to created a multi-racial company where dancers were judged upon ability and not their race or background. This was groundbreaking since at the time racism led to limited opportunities for African American dancers. At 22 Ailey joined the Horton dance company where he would eventually become the artistic director after Horton’s passing. Ailey founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1958. Popularizing modern dance, Ailey became known throughout the world as he traveled internationally with his dance company. Emphasizing the theatricality of dance, Ailey utilized intricate costumes, stunning lighting displays and makeup in his performances. The style of Ailey’s choreography incorporates aligned ballet legs with a more loose, “modern” torso. Ailey choreographed 79 pieces for the company before his death in December of 1989, one of the most acclaimed being Revelations. Revelations was created by Ailey in 1960 and brought fame to the company. The highly acclaimed piece is still preformed today by the company’s dancers. Ailey died of AIDS in 1989 after choreographing countless pieces for his own company and others such as the American Ballet Theater.
Even though other dancers may disagree that dancing shouldn’t have to be fun, the journey to achieve fame is the only mentality to reach self-betterment for some people. Dance is a sport and some believe that we should treat it how most competitive sports are like. Similar to the competitive world of sports, many athletes train and practice to strive for one goal and that is to capture the gold medal. The only way a person can get better is if an individual goes through the thick and thin direction and having an attitude of becoming the best. On the other hand, those who choose dance as their career depend on the occupation financially. Professional dancers are constantly reminded that performing arts is also a business that dancers make a
Dancing is a form of art that allows many children to express themselves through body motion while developing many skills. Children throughout the world have been dancing since the day they began walking. When a child to take their first steps and puts together the simplest combination of movements, that would be considered as dancing. Music also plays a major role in the development of children understanding dance, because it is can be used as an accompaniment, and can help children get a better feel for the rhythm in dances. Over the past century educators have come to the conclusion that dance serves as a form of art, and should be taught in public schools and colleges to help the growth in children of all ages both physically, mentally, and academically.
Although, dance requires some natural skill it also requires dedication. Natural ability and talent will only get dancers so far. Dancers must work hard and persevere. Dancers give years of their lives plus their sweat, tears and sometimes blood to have the honor and pleasure of performing on stage. Dance takes dedication, commitment and passion from the dancer. The only one who can stop you from reaching your dance goals is you! Practice, persistence and determination pay off. Dancers that dedicate themselves countless hours every day, week, and month to become more confident and have more toned dedication and skill. So clearly, there is a question in people's minds about whether dance is a sport or an art. The dance community consists of many different factions and styles. You can dance at a club for fun, as a hobby, as a serious passion, or you can dance as a career. To be able to dance well, one needs to have flexibility, strength, stamina, endurance, and a love for what they do. I can see why people think that dance is not a sport. I know we make it look easy, but as many people don’t know, it’s really quite difficult. When you really take a look and see how many things football and dance have in common, you will see that dance truly is a sport. Dancers work just as hard as any football player in the United States. To conclude my thoughts my favorite quote in the world, “If dance were any
Firstly, engaging in a dancer’s career develops aerobic power, muscular strength, balance, flexibility and bone and joint integrity (Koutedakis & Jamurtas, 2004) physical elements of strength within a discipline that centers on aesthetic values glorifying the body; the body being the valued medium of manifestation. Consequently, it seems reasonable to suggest that the body, meaning it’s physicality, could be one of the key factors in the formation of a dancer’s identity. Although I do not intend to separate my work into chapters as such, there will be three themes that reoccur and these will be three components of dancer identity, with physicality being one of them. If possible I will avoid using the three components as chapters because I feel their topics overlap each other and cannot always exist alone in the matter I choose to discuss. It also seems that if I chose to form chapters the specificity of the focus into the professional dancer’s career transition to retirement may be endanger of becoming faded in
does our society fail to respect dance as a sport? Dancing as a career requires an incredible
There is something beautiful about dance, but there is something more beautiful about dancing with others. When a group of 13 girls and 1 boy can come together from 14 different ways of life and move together as one, then a dance team become more than just a dance team. This was not something that happened over night, it took time, effort and about 7 conversations with our coaches about our values. Without all of those components this team would have never became the successful, fighting, dream team that we became.
Why are proteins so important? What should I eat as a pre-class snack? How can I become more flexible? These are just a few questions I will answer as you read on. Being a healthy dancer who makes good decisions is the key to becoming a successful dancer. The state of health you are in will affect your overall performance, so taking care of yourself is vital for a good outcome. Sometimes dancers push themselves too far trying to meet their goals faster, but if you are patient and work hard, the results will be stunning.
Dance has been a natural movement form since the beginning of time. The origin of dance is unknown, just as the knowledge of the benefits of dance are unknown to many in our society. Many people do not enjoy to dance and also do not fully understand the positive benefits that come from dancing. Researchers such as Edwards, Duberg, and many more have found countless mental and emotional benefits of dance that originate from movement patterns, brain connections, and even expressions of emotion. Many are aware of the physical benefits of dance but beyond the physical benefits of dance, there are also hidden emotional and mental benefits that come from a dance session as well.
To many, dance is only an art. In reality, dance is much more. It 's an art, a sport, a way to express one’s self, a way to exercise, a way to get feelings out. Since the beginning of time, humans have used different types of dance to express themselves. There are many advantages to dancing, however there are also some disadvantages. Dance is one of the most physically and cognitively demanding sports.