Don’t get me wrong, sports are great. Showing up to practice and working as a team is an experience that nearly every person has had to endure, whether it be voluntarily or under the watchful eye of your parents who thought you might run if they didn't keep close tabs on you. These sports are undeniably great, but what about the individual sports that are often taken for granted? As someone who has taken a slew of dance and musical theater classes since the fourth grade, I never understood how people could not categorize dance as a sport. In my incredibly humble and unbiased opinion, dance is one of the most intense, grueling, and underrated recreational activities for people of all ages. Enrolling your son or daughter in dance classes is typically seen as "cute," and some kids won't even try because they think they'll look stupid.
In reality, dance encompasses some of the most difficult tasks your body can attempt to perform, but also reaps incredible reward. My favorite form of dance has always been tap. I connected with it at a young age, and even though it frustrated me to no end, I wound up becoming pretty good at it and stuck with it. I believe that tap is one of the most interesting forms of dance, and it has just as many, if not more, unique benefits than your average varsity sport
1. Its great exercise.
While tap may look silly to some, it is actually an excellent cardio workout. Pretty much every muscle in your body, all the way down to your toes, is engaged when tap dancing. Performing high intensity workouts over the span of an hour is a great way to get exercise in while still having a ton of fun.
2. Seriously, your calves will never look better.
My calves are my proudest achievement, tbh.
3. It boosts cognitive abilities.
Tap is a great form of dance for those with analytical minds. You're forced to listen to the music and pay attention to the counts, thinking of each step before they happen.
4. It sounds awesome.
The link above is of choreography by the fabulous Alex Jo Natale, one of my past dance teachers who is a rhythmical tap genius. When dancers have the ability to enunciate each sound with their taps, the result sounds truly awesome.
5. Everyone will think it's weird until they actually see you tap.
I always used to be embarrassed to tell people that I love to tap dance. It seems like a cheesy form of dance to a lot of people, but once they actually come to see a performance, they'll beg you for tickets to the next one every time.
6. You don’t need a partner.
One of my favorite things about dance is how versatile it is. Solos force you to really hone in on your technique, making sure every sound is in place. However, there is still the opportunity to learn to work as a team, matching sounds, timing and spacing with other dancers!
7. It rids the body and mind of stress.
Dancing is positively cathartic. Nothing feels better than getting out the day's stress by stomping your heels into the ground as hard as you can.
8. The accomplishment you feel when you nail a step or get all your sounds in is second to none.
I was one of the typical young dancers who was ridiculously hard on themselves. You're not going to get your grab-offs sounding perfect on the first try, but once you do get them down, there's no better feeling.
9. It's just fun.
Dancing is just fun, even for people who don't really know how. Tap dancing is an incredible way to let loose and relieve bundles of stress while enjoying yourself and the sounds you can make with your own two feet! If you have the opportunity, I seriously recommend dropping into a tap class just to see what its about. You might wind up like me and never stop moving your feet!
