Hi my name is cathryn im in grade 11 and i have to do a report on 'Should Ballroom Dancing Be A Olympic Sport'

If anyone could answer any of the following questions it would be greatly appreciated

What makes a sport a sport?




Do you believe ballroom dancing is a sport or an art?




Should ballroom dancing be an Olympic sport?




If ballroom Dancing was in the Olympics would it at value in terms of participation and media coverage?

Does ballroom dancing show a direct emphasis on youth and development?

How long does it take to master a dance?

Do you believe a dancer trains as hard as any other athletes?

What does a week of training look like for a dancer?

Hi Cathryn,
Here's my two-cents worth.

"What makes a sport a sport?"
-- To me, a sport is an activity involving some form of physical exertion which is moderated or governed by rules specific to that activity, and often exercised competitively.

"Sport or Art?"
-- I think they're both. Ballroom dancing is primarily performance art in that it deals with artistic movement, much as ballet, kung-fu, tae kwan do, or any dance or martial art. However, it is also a sport when it is undertaken as a competitive activity (these days under the name DanceSport) much like ice dancing or Judo.

"Ballroom Dancing as an Olympic Sport?"
-- I am rather ambivalent on this point. There are many pluses and minuses to both--and too lengthy to go through here.

"Value add as an Olympic sport?"
-- Any sport could always benefit from media exposure. Ballroom dancing could gain more in terms of prestige and recognition if included in the Olympics. The other side of that question is, "is ballroom dancing ready for prime time?" It could get some media coverage but not much--initially. Whether it would be enough to merit the effort for inclusion into the games so we get more exposure for dancesport remains to be seen. It needs to capture the fancy of the viewing public and be presented in a way that changes their existing perceptions. It would then gain a strong following beyond the existing afficionados.

"How long does it take to master a dance?"
-- Mastery is a life-long undertaking in almost any discipline. To meet baseline at the National level (Open Championship level), I would say eight (8) to ten years. At the International level, perhaps thirteen or more of intense dedicated training.

"Dancer trains as hard as any other athlete? "
-- Yes. I hit the gym five times a week for endurance and strength training. I practice two to six hours per day four to six times a week depending on my work schedule. And compared to top dancers, that is hardly enough.

I hope this helps.

Hi there guys i am a latin-ballroom instructor from south africa..

just a couple of answers....

the pros on average do about 5 to 8 hours of dancing a day...

so its like a full time job..

World champs bryan and carmen have been dancing since the age of 7 or 8 and 16 respectivly so it does take a long time to master dancing.... i do believe that dancing is a sport because of the compettative nature of it... here in south africa it is the 2nd fastest growing sport... Dancing further more shows a direct emphasis on the development of youth due to the fact that it instills a lot of courage and self confidence in the youth.... it takes alot to get up and dance in front of people... so i hope this helped you a bit... if not it was worth the try...

Just a couple of comments about the popularity of Ballroom Dancing. Recently in the UK Two and a Half million people took the trouble to send in a phone vote for a Professional with Celebrity Competition. See Dance News Uk. At this present time there are 2,800 entries for the German Championships being held in Suttgart starting on the 17th of this month, which is today. They expect to top the 3,000 mark according to their web-site. Practise. A 20 minute brisk walk to the studio. 10 Rumba's 10 Cha's 10 Sambas, 10 Paso and 10 Jives. A further 5 Rumba's to warm down, and then a slow jog home. This is six days a week.A Japanese couple were interviewed, their style of dancing is Modern . They trained 7 days a week for 7 hours a day.
Depending on which country the competition is being held, they could fill a Ice Hockey stadium, something like 10,000 people if it was held in Germany.

Hi! I'm also in high school (9th grade.)I've been ballroom dancing for well over a year and I believe that what makes it a sport is how physically active it is ,and among many other things, is how your competing against other couples at your level to win a title, whether that title is 1st in the nation or the winner of rising star in American Smooth... so on and so forth. In football a team is competing against another team to win, just like dancing. Football also calls for intense training and focus, just like dancing. The whole goal of football is to win, or just to have fun trying, just like dancing.Yet football is accepted around the nation and the world as a sport, and ballroom dancing rises conflicts of whether it is a sport or not. I believe that ballroom dancing is both a sport and an art. It combines the physical activeness and many other qualities of a sport. However, it has the grace, poise, and beauty of an art. It's mainly in how you look at it. I think that ballroom dancing should totally be an olympic sport. Skating is much like dancing and its an Olympic sport. And I just saw a commercial the other day that POKER is trying to become and Olympic sport! POKER!!!! All that it is is a bunch of people giving eachother mean "poker faces" and taking their money. It's entertaining to watch but poker (in my opinion) should NOT be an olympic sport. I believe that many people would love watching ballroom dancing on the media and stuff. Whenever somone finds out I'm a dancer they always tell me how much they love seeing old competitions that are aired on PBS. And if it were on the Olympics it would also encourage many other people to start dancing. I dont understand what you mean by a direct "emphasis" on youth. But, seeing as I am a teenager that dances, I see many examples of how it helps teenagers and younger children. It teaches us manners and grace. Helps us keep physically fit (it gives us GREAT posture!!), and provides us with something to look forward to. Ex. being a teacher or maybe even one day national champion. It gives us a hobby and lets us get to know all types of people along the way. It teaches us culture and etiquette. It's extremely helpful to all people that dance but most of all the youth. It's a great way to start a good life for yourself. The question of how long it takes to master a dance just depends on how advaced the dancers are that are learning it, how difficult the dance is, and how often they practice. I believe that dancers train as hard or even harder than other athletes. And once more, the week of training just depends on the couple and the routine. Sorry my reply is SOOOOOO long, but I have answered all your questions, and hopefully have helped you with your report. This is all my opinion so if you find any of it insulting (like the poker remark) than I am very very sorry. I hope that this helps and if u need anything else just email me, saleenstar1312@yahoo.com. Goodluck and hope u ace ur report!