Persuasive Essay: Why Competitive Dance Should Be A Sport?

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There are kids and students, even from a young age, who are told by their parents that they have to play a sport. These parents find it important that their kids be involved in some type of physical activity, and it is. So a little girl thinks taking a dance class would be interesting and that she would be able to please her parents by this choice of sport. But when she comes to tell them what sport she would like to take up, they tell her dance is not a sport. Even after explaining to them that if someone is good enough they can compete, which is just like any other sport, this little girl’s dream of being a competitive dancer is crushed by her parents jaded view of what is considered a sport. The word “sport” is defined in the dictionary …show more content…

Yes, there are many other sports where there are solo competitions like boxing and golf but there is always a support systems for the competitors in these sports. There are also ways for dancers to compete alone by performing a solo at a competition. And there is always a team to back up these solo dancers. It was estimated that there was over five million competitive dance teams in the United States in 2002 and that number has only grown since then (Brady, 1). Being part of a team is an important aspect of a sport, especially for competitive dancers. Many feel like their dance studio is a second home and that their team is like a second family. “The studio was your home. Your team was your family,” said Alexa Palermo from the Odyssey, who was also a former dancer (Palermo, 1). Being part of a team means a lot to a competitive dancer and it is what helps them through the hard times of their dance careers. Many dancers feel like it is their passion in life, but say that competitive dance would not have been the same without their team (Palmero, 4). Many sports teams across the country feel this same way and are a better team because of it. Being part of a team is what makes competitive dance a sport just like any other sport in the United …show more content…

The words “competitive dance” alone say it all. The whole purpose of dancing at competitions is to compete against other dance teams in order to try and win an award. Without the competition aspect, dance should not be considered a sport. Yes, it is a physical activity that involves a lot of strength and time that needs to be dedicated to it. But without the competitive aspect, it would not be a sport. To be a sport, a team has to compete against another team for the enjoyment and entertainment of others (Sport, 1). This is the goal of any competitive dancer or dance team. For something to be a sport, it specifically needs to be in a competition setting as well as have the purpose behind it of entertaining. People do not go to a football or basketball game to sit there and watch two teams just play an equal and fair game with no activity and no winner. If all games and performances in the sports realm were like this there would be no one there to watch them because they would not be entertaining. With competitive dance, there is always two or more teams or dancers going up against each other to get the win. And a major reason why dancers compete is to entertain, because they love the satisfaction of the crowd being pleased by their performance. “I dance because it feels good. Also, applause,” said Helen Phelan, a freelance dancer

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