By Ansley Vanover

Speed, power, concentration, endurance, balance, discipline, physical demand. Believe it or not, these are all characteristics of not only sports but dance as well.  When asked if dance is a sport, many dancers would agree that yes, dancing is a sport (if not beyond one). Others may reply that no, dancing is an art. I am here to argue that dance is, indeed, a sport. In fact, dancing goes far beyond athleticism.

I have been a dancer since age two. Around the age of five, I began picking up tennis, baseball, soccer, and swimming. Between all of my sports and being the younger sister of a dedicated baseball player, I have been around sports my whole life. It was not until age 9 when dance became my passion, and I dropped most sports so I could devote all of my time towards dancing. For me, dance was not just a hobby or a fun thing to do during the week. I spent about eight hours a week at the studio. When I got older, I did competition team, which involved practices during the week and competitions on the weekend. It was at that point when I realized dance is very similar to the sports I had participated in and been around all my life.

Dancers are athletes in a special way. Serious dancers must watch their nutrition, stay fit, follow certain routines, and practice, practice, practice. We are goal oriented; just like athletes, we want to perform at our top level. When we perform, we want it perfect. We are hard on ourselves because we know they can always do better. On dance teams, we rely on each other and must work as a team to be successful. While dancers and athletes share all of these things in common, dancers take it a step further: we must look glamorous while doing it.

In the studio, however, things are not so glamorous; in fact, there is a lot of sweat and pain involved.  Just as athletes must be open to criticism from their teammates and coach, dancers are expected to listen to criticism and apply it to their dancing. Demands such as “Point your toes! Straighten your legs! Elongate your neck! Round your elbows! Pull your stomach in! Relax your face! Look like you’re having FUN!” are common. While having to perfect technique, such as pointing toes, and remember multiple dance routines (sometimes of different styles), dancers must also perform with their face: smile, look sad, look angry, etc. Since practice makes perfect, dancers must practice the technique, steps, and personality at all times so that once it’s time to perform or compete, they are ready to go.

At performances and competitions, dancers have a disadvantage to athletes. During games, athletes can hear their coach scream plays and corrections from the sidelines, take time-outs, be swapped out for a different player, and most importantly, not worry about how they look while doing it. Dancers, however, do not have it as easy. Once they are out on stage, they must hope that all of their practices pay off at that very moment. Dance instructors cannot call out in the middle of the dance, “Fix your lines!” No one can be swapped out for another dancer in the middle of the piece. There are no time-outs. The team must make the dance look effortless while praying that their costume straps do not break and that their peripheral vision is enough to stay in sync and in line. Dance is definitely not as easy as it looks.

Out of 60 sports, researchers have concluded that the “toughest sport” is ballet! In hopes to improve flexibility and grace, famous athletes such as Lynn Swann (Pittsburgh Steelers in the 70’s and 80’s) and Herschel Walker (Dallas Cowboys running back) have practiced ballet and yoga regularly. “Dancing with the Stars” TV show has featured former wide receiver Jerry Rice, former running back Emmett Smith, boxing champion Laila Ali, and Olympic speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno, to name a few.  At first, they struggled with the steps and performance aspect, but they found their athleticism to be a major help in dancing since dancers must be physically fit. Emmett Smith, who won “Dancing with the Stars” season 3, inspired many men to pick up dancing after seeing someone as manly as Emmett enjoy and succeed in dance.

Dance and sports share many qualities. So why isn’t dance considered a sport? At Ponte Vedra High School, the dance team was denied a Varsity letter and funding from the Booster Club because the state of Florida refuses to call it a sport. Audiences may think dance looks easy, which it should- that is part of a dancer’s job. However, dancers go through all the pain and practice that most athletes go through (52% of dancers suffer a chronic injury by age 18).

In addition to all of a dancer’s hard work and physical strain, they must go beyond athleticism and remember to express themselves, and that is where the art aspect comes in. So the question remains, is dance a sport or an art? I guess it depends on whom you ask.

In the ever popular world of athletic apparel, it is perfectly normal to see the names of teams, schools or mascots written across the backside of cheer shorts. In the cheerleading community, it is not unusual to even see these names printed on the backs of bloomers. So why did a high school team in California get suspended by administration for their surprise conclusion to a cheer routine that spelled out the school mascot on the backs of their bloomers?

The location of the letters I-N-D-I-A-N-S on the behinds of Ripon Valley High’s bloomers created a media whirlwind in the Sacramento suburb. The vice principal suspended the team, with mixed reviews, for two days after seeing the unapproved ending. He felt that the move was too suggestive and that it went against school board policy. Although many cheerleaders agreed that it perhaps wasn’t appropriate, many felt the punishment did not fit the crime. Other students and parents felt that the VP made the right decision. Was it poor judgment on the part of the cheerleaders? Sure. Did it warrant a suspension that will now be included on the college application process? I don’t think so. I would hate to think that a college admission would be contingent over the ill-fated placement of the letter “I” on the backside of someone’s bloomers.

This is a rather mundane incident amongst the several that I have seen or heard about on the news. Several years ago, Texas lawmakers attempted to pass a bill that reduced funding to schools who displayed sexually suggestive cheer routines. The San Jose State University Dance Team appeared in the national spotlight after getting suspended for the remainder of the year after performing a routine that was deemed inappropriate. Hip thrusting and “horizontal dance moves” on the floor are unfortunately all too common in all ages of cheer. Many cheer and dance teams are inspired by music videos and incorporate the exact choreography from the video directly into the cheer routine. As a former dance coach, I remember girls coming to practice with Justin Timberlake’s “Sexy Back” video choreography perfected down to the eight-count. I am guilty of watching NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye” at least 50 times to copy the boy band moves (although not suggestive I might add.) However, I also recall my mother pulling me from my fourth grade jazz class after our teacher wanted to use the slightly suggestive song “Mercedes Boy” for our recital. Although brutally embarrassing then, I now applaud her decision to not include her daughter in a somewhat evocative routine.

What is the feeling in the cheer community regarding these routines? Am I showing my age when I say that I am saddened that girls feel the need to be “cool” by continuing to test the limits of suggestive dancing? Do we need stricter rules and definitions of dance moves to clearly spell out what is and is not appropriate? Or do I need to Ti-Vo the latest Ciara or Huey video and practice my “Pop, lock and drop it?