When you hear the word dance, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Some people think of ballet, hip-hop, and yes even prom. But what do I think? When I hear the word “dance” I think of a sport. A sport that requires flexibility, perseverance, and hard work. Now you might be thinking “Great, she’s going to try to get me to join some kind of “dance studio” . “Dance? Really, you think it’s a sport? Come on ,be serious.” But that’s not what I’m trying to do get you to think.

When you hear the word sport, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Some people think of Monday night football, Olympics, basketball and baseball. These are the usual things that come to mind. But what do I think? Yes, I think of all of those things to, but I really think of dancing.

According to Wikipedia, dance is an “art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting.” Gymnastics, figure skating, and synchronized swimming are sports that incorporate dance. So therefore, dance is a sport.

Think of it this way, dance is not just a girl sport. If dance takes flexibility then you have to use it in every sport that could ever possibly be made. For example, in football, one of the biggest sports in the country played by guys, you have to be flexible to run fast enough to catch the ball and to jump high enough to get over the fallen players. Professional football players use the art of ballet to help with executing a perfect kick. Another sport is soccer, played by both guys and girls. In soccer you have to have the flexibility to kick the ball down the field, make it in the goal and maneuver the ball. Those are just two simple examples.

Dance can be recreational, competition, acrobatic, and lyrical. These are just four examples out of many different reasons to dance. Dance is ballet, tap, jazz, and pointe. It is also the cha-cha, fox-trot, jitterbug, limbo, two-step, and many more styles.

After reading what you have so far, are you convinced that dance is a sport? That dance is involved in so many people’s lives all over the world? You should be. Albert Einstein once said that “dancers are athletes of God“. To me that says a lot about how people mistake dance for something that you do only in your spare time. But to me, my sisters, and my fellow dancers it is so much more then that. Dance to us is a separate life where we can express ourselves without caring what other people think.


Dance is a passion that we long for. Dance is a competition where we strive to do our best, give 110% each time, and to show people what we have. That is what dance means to me. It is what I live for.