In honor of the espnW article discussing if Misty Copeland should be considered in the GOAT conversation, here is a throwback to a February article.
What is a sport? Football? Yes, of course, it is. Basketball? Hockey? Soccer? Gymnastics? Skiing? Yes, yes and yes. They are all considered sports. But dance? Maybe, it could be some could argue. Well, dance is most definitely a sport.
According to Webster, a sport is defined as “an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature.” Well, dance can definitely be competitive look at dance squads, ballroom dance competitions as well as b-boy competitions. So, that takes care of one area in the definition of sport.
But is dance athletic? Does it require skill and physical prowess? How many people can do a grand jeté or grand écart en l’air? Without years of practice, I do not know any. But then, again, I don’t know any who can do a bronco, pike or a C jump that cheerleaders and gymnasts do either outside of that have not practiced in those areas. So, yes, dance takes physical prowess and it is a given that it takes skill. Yes, a given . . . any form of artistic expression takes skill.
Just because dance is a sport does not mean it isn’t an artistic expression. It shares that commonality with gymnastics, figure skating, synchronized swimming and cheerleading of which all 4 are sports. There is a beauty to dance as well as an expression of hardness at times based upon the dancer’s portrayal of feelings. Those feelings can reveal the very physical prowess of a dancer especially if the dancer is holding or performing a very difficult position like a freeze (Breaking), en pointe (Ballet), Enrosque (Argentine Tango) or lifts (Salsa, Swing).
And as a sport, dancing is a great way to cross-train for another sport especially if it requires endurance, power, flexibility and/or agility. Lynn Schwann, Herschel Walker, Eddie George and Steve McLendon–all former NFL players–have been known to take ballet to improve their on the field performances. In 2013, McLendon told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “It keeps you injury-free — your ankles, keeps your feet strong, your toes strong; you get away from knee injuries. . . . It’s harder than anything else I do.”
Source: Baltimore Sun