As a dancer, who spends a lot of time at her studio, I can confidently say that, in my opinion, dance is NOT a sport. At least not in the same way that football is a sport.

I feel, before jumping into the globally argued topic, that it is important to define what a sport is. As per the Cambridge Dictionary, a sport is “a game, competition, or activity needing physical effort and skill that is played or done according to rules, for enjoyment and/or as a job.” 

Now, this seemingly contradicts my first sentence because it is an activity, and thus skill, needing physical effort while also having the ability to be done for enjoyment and/or as a job. Though, unless we are talking about competitive dancing, it is not usually a competition or game.

Dance, while it typically follows certain styles, utilizes creative freedom. Each dance will be specific to the choreographer. So if someone wants to add a jazz element to their lyrical dance, they can. 

I think that is the biggest difference between regular sports and dance. Let’s take football, for example. There are specific rules to play by and whoever wins, wins. For a dance competition, it is heavily based on what the judge felt the dance brought. While there is a technical element, a dance number could lose at one competition but win the other — even if the same opponents are competing — due to the judges’ opinions.

If it’s not considered a full sport, then what is dance?

I did some research on the internet and came to the conclusion that while there is competition involved in dance, that is typically not the main motivation. In fact, dance generally is inspired by art and by meaning. 

Naturally, in its own population of dancers, the category we place dance in is still argued. Some feel that the amount of effort and energy put into it is that of a sport, and this should not be discredited. Others are more firm in their opinion though that dance is indeed an art. 

I read on Minneapolis Institute of Art that in ancient Greece, centuries ago, sport and art were used in parallel to create harmony. Rob Bedeaux, author of that article, explained how Greek militaries went as far to use music in order to improve coordination. 

This brings me to think about our modern Olympics. We have categories such as gymnastics, figure skating, artistic swimming, etc. Seemingly artistic activities are indeed sport-like. With their effort and competition, it is undoubtable. 

So while I don’t consider dance to be plainly a sport, I consider it to be an artistic sport. It mixes the elements of sports with the elements of art. Blending together to create perfect harmony.