Growing up as a dancer, I always heard the phrase, “dance is not a sport.” I would always get offended because I worked so hard and there was no way in my mind that it was not a sport.

After dancing for the first time in a few months, this past weekend I decided that dance is most definitely a sport, and people must learn to agree.    

I didn’t realize what kind of shape I was in when I was dancing five days a week, six or seven hours a day. I would even go to the gym on my off days to “get in shape.” Now with school, and it being hard to make time to take dance classes, I will go to the gym a few times a week. I thought I was in pretty good shape until I went to class this weekend.    

First of all, we had to be in prime shape to be able to fit into our itty-bitty costumes: not only fit in them, but look fabulous in them. We would be constantly dieting, always eating healthy and working out on the sides of dance classes weekly. Being active was just a regular part of our lives.     

A normal dance day was getting to the studio straight from school, and usually starting with an hour and a half of ballet.  After that would be another half an hour of pointe class. Now pointe, for those of you that aren’t dancers, is like ballet on steroids. It takes everything you do on flat to a new level. On pointe, you are literally standing, with all of your weight, on the tops of your toes, on a piece of wood.  We would then take a ballroom class, followed by conditioning — which is far harder than anything I ever do at the gym — and a combination class which would really take it out of us. Some days we would take hip-hop, jazz funk, contemporary, etc. The best thing for a dancer is to be well rounded, and be able to be good at every style.  

Other “sports” are competitive, expensive, include travel, a team, a coach and a goal to strive for. Dance embodies all of these qualities, and probably even exceeds those of other sports.    

You are required to be competitive with not only your team members, but with yourself as well. You have to strive to be better every single time that you step into the classroom. The fees of dance... just ask my parents; they’ll give you every dirty detail. You travel all over the place to get training from the best teachers, learn from other amazing dancers and compete to show what you’ve been training for. You are only as good as your weakest dancer, and in that sense, every single person has to train hard all year to be able to win at competitions. The ultimate goal is to be the best you can be.    

There is so much emotion and passion that goes into dance.  You have to tap into your feelings and apply that to your dancing every single time. It’s not only dancing, but acting, and gaining the ability to make an audience believe what you’re trying to portray. You have to tell a story with your body which is far more difficult than any “sport” I’ve been a part of or seen.

Dance is not only about being a part of a team and doing your best, kicking a ball around and winning. Dance is the greatest blessing to be able to convey your feelings through movement.  It is the most surreal experience and I am always reminded of it. It is not only a sport, but more of a difficult one than most athletes could participate in.