Last Updated on July 17, 2023
Is dance a sport or an art? Well, dance and sports may seem like two completely different worlds, but it doesn’t take much time to understand how relevant they are.
There’s no doubt since dance is now a recognized sport in the Olympics (or partially) since DanceSports is happening. Dancing involves lots of physical and mental activities that are required just like in other traditional sports.
If you’re a baseball player or athlete of any other sport, this is probably the time to get these fun activities to be part of your training session. Why?
You’ll learn which fundamental sports features are common in dancing and how these activities can scientifically boost your current baseball skills. Let’s dive in.
Is Dance a Sport or an Art?
Dance, in its essence, is an art form that utilizes movement to express emotions, narratives, and ideas.
However, it’s essential to recognize that dance does also have athletic characteristics. It demands tremendous physical prowess, strength, agility, and endurance just like any mainstream sport, including baseball.
Read below to learn more about the sports traits of dance:
Physical Demands of Dance
Whether it’s the 15th-century ballet or 70s African dance (which inspired today’s hip-hop), dance requires physically demanding activities that push the human body to its limits.
You can talk to any dancers, they’ll tell their daily stories of undergoing rigorous training, engaging in strenuous workouts, and practicing for hours on end.
They need to develop exceptional flexibility, coordination, balance, and muscular strength. To achieve the perfect execution of intricate movements, leaps, spins, and lifts, they do a hell lot of work to make themselves fit.
And it’s needless to mention, in this regard, dance shares many similarities with traditional sports.
Competitive Aspects of Dance
In the last two decades, dance has been recognized as a sport in various competitive events. Some consider it as a part of the event, and some events are solely for dance sports.
To give you a brief example, these competitions involve various categories, including solo, duet, and group performances, where participants are evaluated based on technique, musicality, creativity, and overall presentation.
Nowadays, televised dance competitions and reality shows have gained immense popularity, bringing dance into the mainstream.
These platforms have introduced some of the outcast, yet talented dancers to us. The competitive nature of these shows, combined with the personal stories and journeys of the dancers, creates a captivating viewing experience.
Even when watching from the TV, you would be able to connect to their stories, struggles, and the intensity of the competition. It just feels like watching your favorite sports.
Training and Discipline in Dance
To excel in dance, athletes must follow a rigorous training regime akin to that of traditional sports. This is like any national sports athlete.
They go through extensive practice sessions, maintain a strict diet and nutrition plan, and prioritize their physical and mental well-being.
So, in dance, dancers have to undergo the similar disciplines you see in regular sports. Won’t you still not consider dance a sport?
How Dance Can Help Improve Your Baseball Skills?
At first glance, dance and baseball seem like unrelated disciplines. But truly speaking, they have things that complement each other and enhance a player’s performance. If you’re active in dance, you can improve your body control, coordination, rhythm, and balance. Let’s learn more about these.
Body Awareness and Coordination: Mastering the Movements
Dance helps unlock the body’s fluidity and precision. It takes body awareness to new heights.
Baseball players can tap into this enhanced body control, executing precise movements on the field with finesse.
For instance, from fielding ground balls to making pinpoint throws and swinging the bat with surgical precision, dance can help you improve the coordination of motion.
Agility and Footwork: Quickness on the Field
To be a better baseball player, you need lightning-fast agility and footwork, whether it’s stealing bases, chasing down fly balls, or executing lightning-quick pivots during a double play.
Dance routines, especially those infused with complex footwork, turbocharge a player’s agility, and overall quickness.
The precise footwork patterns and rapid changes of direction in dance help you achieve fast reactions and deliver sensational footwork prowess on the baseball field.
Flexibility and Range of Motion: Enhancing Performance
It’s not rare that baseball players thrive on flexibility and supreme range of motion. These are the keys to perfect swings, smooth throws, and flawless fielding.
And the common dance training introduces stretching exercises and dynamic movements that enhance flexibility, and elongate muscles, which overall enrich your motion ability.
Rhythm and Timing: A Key to Hitting and Pitching
If you’ve already read my guide on becoming a better hitter, you’ve already learned how important it’s to get control of timing and rhythm. The same goes for pitchers.
In dance, having a good sense of rhythm is also necessary. To boost this skill, all sorts of dances are blended with required training.
If you’re regularly dancing off-ground, your sense of timing and rhythm both as a pitcher and batter will be improved.
With these exercises, a hitter can make the perfect swing that’s required for hitting home runs or any secure scores.
Furthermore, dance empowers pitchers, honing their delivery rhythm, rendering their pitches deceptive, and tormenting batters who struggle to connect.
Focus and Concentration: Mental Game Mastery
Ever thought about how dancers continue to give a flawless performance on the stage without a second of delay? Pretty amazing right?
With so many activities, dancers can win this level of perfection because of their focus and concentration throughout the practice session.
And after 15+ years of experience in this sport, one thing is pretty much clear to me that baseball is as much a game of the mind as it’s of the body.
With a routine dance habit, you can bring the same ability to your baseball field. It’ll help you understand the game, state, other players, opponent’s next possible strategies, etc. In a nutshell, this blend can open a door of possibilities.
Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation: A Strong Foundation
I’m sure you’ve heard about Prince Fielder if you’re deep into baseball. Well, this guy had to back off earlier than typical baseball players’ retirement age due to a severe neck injury. What can be worse than this for a player?
Though baseball training and exercise are helpful in this regard, they don’t give a robust fitness safeguard. It’s because baseball as a sport requires power (at least for batters and pitchers.) That’s why many baseball players are fat.
Dance can be a life and career saver here. Because of the nature of dance learning or practicing, you’ve to go through various exercises to improve body alignment, injury prevention, and rehabilitation.
You can integrate dance-inspired exercises and techniques into baseball training. It’ll help you construct an unshakable foundation that minimizes the risk of injuries.
MLB Players Who Participated in “Dancing with the Stars”
“Dancing with the Stars” became a massive hit just after the launch. The goal of this reality show is to bring athletes from all corners to flaunt their dancing skills in front of the world.
Just like other sports, even Major League Baseball (MLB) players have swapped their cleats for the glamor of the ballroom. Let’s check out their sneak peek below.
David Ross – Season 24
The former MLB catcher is renowned for his leadership and championship pedigree. He flared on Season 24 of Dancing with the Stars with talented choreographer Lindsay Arnold.
Despite entering the competition without any prior dance experience, Ross left everyone amazed with his hooks. He clinched the runner-up position. After watching his steps, it made me skeptical whether he used to practice dance from his early days.
Check out all of their dance performances in this video.
Johnny Damon – Season 4
From Boston Red Sox to New York Yankees – no one can deny Jonny’s contribution as an outfielder. He took center stage in Season 4 teamed up with the phenomenal dancer Emma Slater.
Luba Mushtuk, Damon showcased his agility and elegance on the dance floor, leaving the audience in awe of his rhythm. Unfortunately, they couldn’t proceed to the next round.
Check out their dance performance in this video.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do the Olympics consider dance a sport?
Dance isn’t currently considered an official sport in the Olympic Games. But there’s a recognized form of competitive dance known as DanceSport. It has its own international federation, the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF), which is a part of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The WDSF has been actively campaigning for DanceSport’s inclusion in future Olympic Games. However, the decision to include dance as an Olympic sport ultimately rests with the IOC.
Why is DanceSport a sport?
If you watch a few rounds of DanceSport, you’ll find it’s a blend of the physicality and athleticism of dance with the competitive aspect of traditional sports.
In DanceSport competitions, couples perform choreographed routines that require precise footwork, intricate patterns, and synchronized movements. Thus, dancers must possess strength, agility, endurance, and flexibility to execute these routines successfully.
On the other hand, there’s a judging criterion that emphasizes technical proficiency, physical fitness, and artistic expression, similar to other sports you see in the Olympics.
Who is the owner of Savannah Bananas?
The owner of the Savannah Bananas is Jesse Cole. He’s an entrepreneur and the founder of Fans First Entertainment, the organization that owns and operates the Savannah Bananas.
MLB players who are good at dancing?
Bryce Harper, Javier Báez, Mookie Betts, Francisco Lindor, Ronald Acuña Jr. – all of them often showed their dancing skills on the ground to achieve their skills or team victory. They are definitely good at dancing.
Wrapping Up
Even if you argue whether is dance a sport or not, dance shares significant similarities with traditional sports like baseball and it’s proven. Both dance and baseball require physicality, skill, dedication, and teamwork.
I think baseball players should acknowledge the athletic aspects of dance and break stereotypes. Everyone should appreciate it as a legitimate sport.
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Hello everyone. My name is Jason Butler, and I live in California, America. I was a professional AAA Minor League Baseball player. I lost my chance of playing MLB for injury issues, but I did not lose my love for baseball. I attended the coaching training program and am now working as a coach in a small school in San Diego.
I always love to share my experience and knowledge if that can help you. Play baseball, and stay fit.