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The student news site of Colonia High School

The Declaration

The student news site of Colonia High School

The Declaration

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5 reasons dance is undoubtedly a sport

Senior+dancer+Jacqueline+Poznanski+preforms+the+sugar+plum+fairy+in+the+Nutcracker.+
Photo Credit: Photo via Jackie Poznanski
Senior dancer Jacqueline Poznanski preforms the sugar plum fairy in the Nutcracker.

For years society has found ways to neglect dance as a sport. However, it is true that dance requires the same amount of hard work and dedication as any other sport.

Stamina and Training

Dancers endure an immense amount of training in order to qualify as versatile dancers. They spend hours at their studios preparing for performances, competitions, videos, and galas. Most of these performers must have the proper endurance and stamina to keep up with these dances which are normally about 5 – 8 minutes long. Furthermore, getting these dances performance-ready requires perfection and constant improvement.

Competitions and Professional Dancing

While people compare dance to an activity or hobby, dancers compete on teams for roles during auditions. The dancing industry is strenuous and takes a toll on the athlete’s body mentally and physically just as any other sport would. This industry is year-round, so unlike many other sports teams, where they have an off-season to recoup and relax. Dancers are always on the go and find themselves training all throughout the year in order to guarantee opportunity and growth.

Sacrifice, Patience, and Perseverance

Like all professional athletes, dancers need years of study and practice to achieve their fullest potential. This process takes determination, drive, perseverance, and hard work. When dancers lose or don’t book a job, they have to work hard so they produce better results in the future. When dancers get hurt, they have to be patient and take care of their bodies correctly so they can recover more quickly.

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Emphasizes Strength and Flexibility

Dancers must condition and train their bodies so they can perform different sets of techniques and choreography. They must have strength for jumps, kicks, leaps, and turns. While they also need speed and flexibility in order to execute the choreography properly. This amount of training and specific abilities help support the reasoning of why dance should be a sport.

Musicality and Memory

A huge part of dancing requires musicality and extensive memory. Dancers must learn choreography in time slots that are usually timed. This means dancers must be able to remember and be able to perform specific chores within only a short period of time. This skill takes years of perfection and practice in order to master.

According to Steezy, they suggest using chunking, ” a memorization technique where you learn something in separate sections, then group the sections together at the end. We use chunking to remember things like phone numbers, addresses, and even song lyrics.”

Another aspect that ultimately sets dancers apart from other athletes is that dancers are able to correlate their moves to music and detect dynamics that bring the art alive. Being able to sit in the “pocket” of a song requires repetitive practice and proper musicality. Musicality is very important to dancers because it adds the ‘wow factor’ to their performance and engages their audience.

Artist + Athlete = Dancer

The physical and mental aspect of being a dancer is undeniable. The fact that they are constantly overlooked is extremely rude and disrespectful. Dancers/performers are also artists that create works of art for universal communication and interpretation. Dance brings people together while entertaining the audience. Furthermore, there is no valid reason as to why dancers are not athletes and why dance is not a sport. Dancers clearly inhibit all the qualities of an athlete and endure all the hardships as a sports team do. All in all, respect dancers for what they do and how much work they put in for your entertainment.

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About the Contributor
Jacqueline (Jackie) Poznanski is a 17-year-old senior at Colonia High School. Poznanski has lived in Colonia all her life. She attended Lynn Crest Elementary School, graduated from Colonia Middle School, and now attends Colonia High School. She is grateful for all the memories and friendships Colonia has provided her throughout her childhood and high school years thus far. Poznanski enjoys many things, such as reading books, watching movies, dancing, and hanging out with friends and family. But most importantly she loves to dance, she has been dancing for about twelve years and continues to dance at the Center for Dance Education in Clark, NJ. The studio she attends has helped her grow a love for dance so much that she aspires to continue her dance education through a college. In addition, she pushes herself to be a straight-A student and continues to expand her academic ability every day. When she is not dancing or at school, she enjoys spending time with her brother and sister or going to the beach with friends and family. Poznanski is excited to continue her journey as a member of The Colonia Declaration Newspaper and hopes to inform her school and community on current events and news. 

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The student news site of Colonia High School
5 reasons dance is undoubtedly a sport