Dance is considered a sport for some people, and some don't. This research is about the physical and mental benefits of dance. According to the Oxford Dictionaries, dance is, “A series of steps and movements that match the speed and rhythm of a piece of music (2014 Oxford University Press). This research paper will be referring to dance mostly as a sport instead of an art. This essay briefly explains what dance is, and different forms of dance. This essay explains what dance does to benefit you mentally and physically, going into detail of diseases and problems you could prevent or cure with dance.
A ballet dancer’s general intention when performing any piece is to convey a message to the audience. A message is relayed through the dancer’s strategic facial expressions and body movements. Each movement has a purpose in articulating the dancer’s energy, and confidence within themselves to express the emotions and inspire the audience (Lucas). A dancer’s energy and
Individuals can experience release, whether from worldly cares or from physical tension, through the marvelous art form of ballet. Hence ballet, in its many aspects, has much to offer individuals and can be seen reflecting to many Western ideals through this art. Most people often find ballet just appealing to the eye and are just seen watching it be performed. Have you ever wondered what influenced ballet and where it came from? Ballet is reflective of Western ideals in many ways whether it is culturally, politically and aesthetically. Not only is ballet used to appeal to the eye and experience release from worldly cares, but also to demonstrate some sort of history and reflect Western ideology.
As Jackie Joyner Kersee once said, “The rewards are going to come, but my happiness is just loving the sport and having fun performing” (“Sports Quotes,” 2013). Sports play a major role in entertainment all across the world. Sports can range from driving in NASCAR to playing in the NBA (Careers in Pro Sports, 1999). Sports usually involve teamwork and is fun for everyone. Although sports are supposed to be fun, there is natural competition. Being a feminine art, dance is considered to be just about anything other than a sport. Dancers are trained to the height of their ability, just like other athletes in other sports. Even though the dancer might not perform with their whole dance studio on stage at the same time, the dancers are all apart of the same team. Dancing is not an easy sport to participate in, so if you are looking for a sport that does not require practice then you might want to look into a different sport. There are hour-long practices, healthy diets, and several routines to remember. Normally, if someone is convinced that dance is not a sport, they have not fully engaged or experienced dance. In order to better understand dance, it is important to understand the history of dance, the competition of dance, and the comparison of dance to other sports.
In watching a professional ballet one doesn’t realize how much work is put into making the production come to life. Both the dancers and the choreographers put every ounce of energy and emotion into telling their story. It takes years for a ballerina to train for the labor that goes into becoming professional, however just weeks to learn a full-length ballet. Dancers can sometimes be put through months of sore muscles in order to train. Often ballet dancers are told to loose weight in order to look their part, or are only given a few minutes for break after hours of vigorous training. In the end it is all worth it though. When I checked out Reaching for Dreams: A Ballet from Rehearsal to Opening Night, by Susan Kuklin out of the library I expected to read another boring drawn out diary. Amazingly this book was difficult for me to put down because I became so enthralled by the process of putting on a ballet.
After a while at being at the academy, Li got to know his teachers and they saw a lot of potential in Li’s ballet skills. They told him a lot of legends and stories that made Li want to practice and work hard at ballet and become better at it. “Sit down, I want to tell you a story”. Li trained hard, day and night, getting advice from teachers and students on how to improve, “I worked hard and listened to what they said”. Li pushed through injuries just so he could get better at ballet in hopes to get his name out there but most importantly making his family proud. “My rapid improvement surprised my teachers and classmates”. Therefore, by improving on his ballet it shows that Li has a lot of determination in getting better at ballet every day and he is getting more independent in this whole process of training and
It will allow me to be a manager and better my leadership skills. I will learn how to manage a big group of people, which is something that can be applied to many various careers. I will learn the best way to be a teacher and to stay calm and focused when things get difficult or crazy. All of these skills are not only applicable to the dance world, but to life in general.
Ballet is a beautiful and romantic type of performance art. It originated in the Italian court systems in the 15th century (Jonas). Since its origination, ballet has undergone many changes and gained worldwide recognition. Filled with elaborate costumes, cheering audiences, lights, weightless movements and beauty; ballet is admired by many. On the magical stage ballerinas can become whoever they wan to be, and perform in a world of fantasy. For these reasons, children, especially little girls, all over the world dream of becoming ballerinas when they grow up. However, becoming a professional ballerina is an extremely difficult accomplishment, in which few will achieve (Kelso 1). The world of ballet may seem to be filled with glitz and glamor but, behind the curtain there is an entirely different story. There are extreme demands and pressures put on these young dancers to be very thin and nearly perfect. Some of which include body and weight demands, competition, and social pressures. These constant pressures can lead to a negative body-image and even debilitating eating disorders (Price and Pettijohn).
The typical idea of a dancer is that they are tall, slender, full of energy, and lucky because they dance with all of the “stars”. Much of this is true, however, what many people do not think of are the many hardships that a dancer goes through in order to achieve their high status in the dance world. It takes much hard work and determination along with good direction to become a dancer. However, nothing good comes without a price. Dancers often times have many pressures put on them which can lead to physical and emotional damages. These damages occur through the pressures from the media, parents, teammates, and the stereotype that society has placed on dancers.
From personal experience growing up as a dancer and spending six hours a day in the studio I know first hand how much the instructor can make a difference in the class. The dance teachers play a vital role in the environment and attitude towards their dancer’s bodies. Dance instructors should be taking their role very seriously in how the effect their dancers. The environment in which the instructors create can have a direct effect on the way their dancers view their
Dancers are suffering: How the clothing that is worn in class psychologically effects dancers The current expectation of a dancer is set at a high bar with a foundation of standards established years ago. Of these demanding requirements, the ballet world has a significant involvement of rules when partaking in this art form that can be detrimental to the mental health of a dancer. This is a problem that is overlooked by most ballet studios because of the usefulness of traditional ballet attire and that needs to be corrected because, if left uncorrected, dancers will continue to fall into an unhealthy mental state.
By perceiving the relative positioning of their body placement, a dancer’s sense of spatial awareness sharpens, allowing the brain to process at a faster rate (Brown and Parsons 3). Efficient Memory Dance “helps develop new neural connections” namely in places affecting long-term memory (Edwards 2). Dementia, a disease characterized by memory loss, is greatly reduced by dancing due to the stimulation of the brain from mental exertion (Edwards 2). Marking, the process of dancing but not doing the motions full out, allows dancers “to memorize and repeat moves with greater fluidity” (Beris 2).
Moreover, the attire ballerina’ must wear adds to the “skinny” issue. Because of the tight clothing, it can expose the dancer to any imperfect areas of their body, evoking girls to stress and encourage them to achieve a small figure. Seeing others thinner than she, could also prompt a dancer to lose a few pounds to look as tiny as the other girls in the room. As each one does this, the room of dancers becomes very small. Anorexia seems like the best way to become the smallest dancer in the class. Similarly, when practicing, ballet dancers often have to work with a male partner. Together, they will work as one and have to execute moves gracefully and flawlessly. A dancer has to be conscious that a man has to be able to carry her for extended lifts and holds. Knowing she can dance better with a smaller weight, persuades a dancer that she must stay thin at all costs. Not only does a ballet performer have to worry about her weight when she has a partner, but it also influence her movement
Diana showed great determination by following what she believed in. She had a passion for ballet throughout her entire life. When she was at boarding school, she would sneak down to an empty corridor at night and practice for hours on end. Even though she grew too tall to accomplish her dreams of becoming a professional ballerina, she kept dancing throughout her adult years (Morton 125).
There are many positive effects being a dancer can have on your life, one of the positive effects is that dance can improve your physical and mental properties. One way dance can be used to improve physically or mentally is dance therapy. The official definition for dance therapy is, “the therapeutic use of movement to improve the mental and physical well-being of a person.” (“Dance Therapy” Line 1) There have been a few scientific studies done on the effects of dance therapy on people that are considered “healthy” and people with serious illnesses. The effects of dance therapy physically are for exercise purposes, it can improve your coordination and how you move and also decrease the amount of tension and stress you have in your body and mind. The effects of dance therapy emotionally are, to increase self- confidence and also interaction with other people. Some of the scientific studies have claimed that dance therapy can also strengthen the immune system and help to prevent diseases. (“Dance Therapy” 7-12) Sometimes dance therapy can be used to help people recover that are suffering from certain illnesses. One of the experi...