Dance: Sport or Art?
Is dance a sport or art? Acrobatics or Creativity? Spectacle or Culture?
This is definitely one of those age old questions. I see a lot of young dancers participating in dance competitions that blurs the line between dance as both sport and art. Dance is a physical activity and dancers cross-train like athletes so it sometimes feels like a sport. When a young dancer chooses to dance instead of a sport while their peers participate sports, it can feel like a competition to pit one activity versus another. Movement is always a good idea for everyone whether it’s dancing or sports.
In my personal opinion, dance is an art form because dance can communicate what words cannot. F rom storytelling to themes to showcasing human relationships to conveying emotions - the breadth of dance in so many different styles can do all this. Artistry of dance is what connects people whether they are the spectator or the participant. This is why I love dance.
Artistic sports like figure skating, artistic roller skating, gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, artistic swimming are all beautiful sports but they are still sports when there’s competitions involved. Technical marks are judged on execution and given points for how well each of the elements are executed. The artistic marks are more subjective but usually it’s judged on execution, personal taste, musicality, and sometimes controversial marks due to politics and favoritism. I participate in figure skating because it is a beautiful sport, feels like flying, and the closest sport to dance. It feels amazing to challenge myself with difficult skills on the ice. The ice feels different than a dance studio and very technical but with repetition, correct form, and patience, the skills get easier - just like dance. But that’s where the similarities end. In competition, you feel judged, compared, and then scored. There are technical elements you have to perform and in practices, this is what you focus on. The artistry aspect only comes in when you have program with music. If you’re lucky, you choose a music that really resonates and speaks to you in a way that makes you want to move to it. I like choreographing my own programs because it's the artistry that attracts me to this sport. The programs makes the sport come alive. The direction of artistic sports in the elite level tends to become spectacles because of the high level of technical abilities and acrobatics displays. Once in a while though, there are true artist athletes on the ice that somehow are able to be combine the technical elements and artistry on the ice. This is also the reason why sometimes the spectators get into heated arguments about the validity of figure skating as a sport.
@alainedances Getting to see my favorite short program & one of my favorite skaters at the Olympics was just a dream. I’ve watched this girl grow up into the most beautiful skater that showcases how much she loves flying across the ice! @frigouscigous I love that feeling of flying on the ice (and snow) too!#figureskatingolympics #alysaliu #milanocortina2026 #winterolympics ♬ original sound - alaine83
Dance competitions. I didn’t grow up competing in dance competitions so just take my opinions with a grain of salt and enlighten me. From my observations, dance competitions are just opportunities for young dance students to showcase their skills as they develop and additional opportunities to perform in front of their peers. There is absolutely nothing wrong with competitions. The bigger competitions also bring in guest teachers, successful dancers in the industry, and judges that also sit on audition panels for dance companies, broadway shows, and prestigious conservatories. The exposure for these developing dancers is priceless. The external motivation for these dancers and their families also make the endless hours of training and rehearsals worthwhile and tangible.
I did grow up performing in loads of dance recitals and those memories were priceless. I loved performing and still love it today. Performing on stage makes me feel alive, the rush of endorphins and adrenaline is like nothing else in the world. I remember that when I was a child, I would always try to perform in front of people including singing Chinese songs on the Karaoke machine after watching my grandma sing at family parties. The costumes, the stage lights, the butterflies in my stomach, and the rehearsals leading up to the performance makes the whole experience priceless. Dance is technical in all the forms: ballet, modern, jazz, tap, flamenco, hip hop, contemporary, and even improvisation. The technique are the tools that the body can use to create art. This is what I tell my dance students all the time. Practice the technique, practice the choreography, but really dance from the heart and take up space. We dance because we love it, we dance because it makes us feel alive, we dance because it feels good, we dance because the body wants to move, we dance because we just want to dance. That is art.
Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion.
Martha Graham
