Make DanceSport an Olympic Sport
Make DanceSport an Olympic Sport
The Issue
Imagine yourself standing on a podium. All around you, there is cheering and applause. Someone walks towards you with a shiny gold medal and a bouquet of flowers in their hands. A voice on the speakers says, “And the Olympic gold medal for DanceSport goes to. . .” but wait. That can’t happen because Ballroom Dancing (a.k.a. DanceSport) is not a part of the Olympics. Well, why is that? Ballroom dancing is an extremely challenging and impressive sport with a large number of fans. However, despite having many more fans than wrestling - which at one point was almost dropped from the Olympics - DanceSport has still not been added to the Olympics.
Some people refuse to even acknowledge the fact that Ballroom dancing is a sport at all! As a sport, Ballroom dancing is better known as DanceSport. DanceSport competitions are worldwide and extremely popular, and the dancers competing have taken years out of their lives training and improving their technique and style. Like all sports, DanceSport takes years of dedication and practice. It takes intense practice sessions that are extremely physically challenging. The dancers are all very, very talented, and the amount of energy spent is extremely high. In fact, the average heart rate for male dancers in Standard was 170 bpm and 168 bpm in Latin American. Females elicited 179 bpm and 177 bpm respectively (1). Comparing the energy expenditure for ballroom dancing has been proven to be equally demanding as basketball and cross-country running (2).
One of the best things about DanceSport is that it is very adaptable when it comes to a place to perform. DanceSport can be done in most any venue. The required size of the venue varies by country, but the size is always pretty reasonable. All you need is a large area with a standard hardwood floor and enough seating all around for fans and watchers. This is quite convenient, and should not be extremely difficult to find. In fact, some sports have been discontinued from the Olympics merely for the fact that the venue or playing field was too hard to find near enough or large enough to work. This would not be a problem for DanceSport.
Finally, DanceSport has a HUGE number of fans! In fact, in the World Games of 2009 in Kaohsiung’s 13,000 people venue and in 2013 in Kali’s 18,000 person venue both venues sold out completely on both days of the competition (3). In fact, because of this large number of fans, it was voted by the IOC to drop wrestling (which, by the way, was one of the sports dating all the way back to Ancient Greece). The number of fans for DanceSport outnumbered the number of wrestling fans by so much, wrestling was considered to be “flat” or, in other words, dying. One of the biggest reasons DanceSport has so many fans is because of how creative it is. Though dancers do have to learn and stick to certain styles of dance such as International Standard, International Latin, American Smooth, and American Rhythm. However, the dancers have the freedom to choreograph any kind of routine as long as it sticks to the correct rhythm and style. Because of this, DanceSport can interest many different people and likes.
Some people believe that DanceSport should not be included in the Olympics. Many people question whether it should actually be considered a sport. They believe that it should remain (or return to being) solely a performance art. Another thing that is often questioned is if it can be fairly judged. However, that isn’t a problem! DanceSport has already officially been proclaimed a sport. While we still appreciate ballroom dancing being a performed art, many other people agree and emphasize the fact the DanceSport is, in fact, a sport. As for DanceSport being judged fairly, DanceSport is judged using the Judging System 2.0. This system is very similar to that of the International Skating Union, which is accepted by the IOC. The dancers are judged in four different areas. These areas are Technical Quality (TQ), Movement to Music (MM), Partnering Skill (PS), and Choreography and Presentation (CP). The judges all give a score from 1-10 (half scores are permitted) in every category (4). The scores are then averaged, and the final score is the dancer’s score. The system is very fair and pretty easy to understand.
Yet, in the end, DanceSport has still not been made a sport despite the years of hard work and effort the dancers have put in. Despite the fact that it has a huge margin of fans, and despite the fact that it is adaptable, interesting and unique. Dancers who do DanceSport deserve a chance to dance in the Olympics and show the world their talents. Help give DanceSport dancers the chance to stand on the podium and receive the gold medal they deserve!
Sources:
1: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1478556/
2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancesport
3:https://www.dancecompreview.com/will-dancesport-be-in-the-2020-olympic-games-10-reasons-to-consider/
4:https://www.dancecompreview.com/will-new-judging-system-change-way-dance/
87
The Issue
Imagine yourself standing on a podium. All around you, there is cheering and applause. Someone walks towards you with a shiny gold medal and a bouquet of flowers in their hands. A voice on the speakers says, “And the Olympic gold medal for DanceSport goes to. . .” but wait. That can’t happen because Ballroom Dancing (a.k.a. DanceSport) is not a part of the Olympics. Well, why is that? Ballroom dancing is an extremely challenging and impressive sport with a large number of fans. However, despite having many more fans than wrestling - which at one point was almost dropped from the Olympics - DanceSport has still not been added to the Olympics.
Some people refuse to even acknowledge the fact that Ballroom dancing is a sport at all! As a sport, Ballroom dancing is better known as DanceSport. DanceSport competitions are worldwide and extremely popular, and the dancers competing have taken years out of their lives training and improving their technique and style. Like all sports, DanceSport takes years of dedication and practice. It takes intense practice sessions that are extremely physically challenging. The dancers are all very, very talented, and the amount of energy spent is extremely high. In fact, the average heart rate for male dancers in Standard was 170 bpm and 168 bpm in Latin American. Females elicited 179 bpm and 177 bpm respectively (1). Comparing the energy expenditure for ballroom dancing has been proven to be equally demanding as basketball and cross-country running (2).
One of the best things about DanceSport is that it is very adaptable when it comes to a place to perform. DanceSport can be done in most any venue. The required size of the venue varies by country, but the size is always pretty reasonable. All you need is a large area with a standard hardwood floor and enough seating all around for fans and watchers. This is quite convenient, and should not be extremely difficult to find. In fact, some sports have been discontinued from the Olympics merely for the fact that the venue or playing field was too hard to find near enough or large enough to work. This would not be a problem for DanceSport.
Finally, DanceSport has a HUGE number of fans! In fact, in the World Games of 2009 in Kaohsiung’s 13,000 people venue and in 2013 in Kali’s 18,000 person venue both venues sold out completely on both days of the competition (3). In fact, because of this large number of fans, it was voted by the IOC to drop wrestling (which, by the way, was one of the sports dating all the way back to Ancient Greece). The number of fans for DanceSport outnumbered the number of wrestling fans by so much, wrestling was considered to be “flat” or, in other words, dying. One of the biggest reasons DanceSport has so many fans is because of how creative it is. Though dancers do have to learn and stick to certain styles of dance such as International Standard, International Latin, American Smooth, and American Rhythm. However, the dancers have the freedom to choreograph any kind of routine as long as it sticks to the correct rhythm and style. Because of this, DanceSport can interest many different people and likes.
Some people believe that DanceSport should not be included in the Olympics. Many people question whether it should actually be considered a sport. They believe that it should remain (or return to being) solely a performance art. Another thing that is often questioned is if it can be fairly judged. However, that isn’t a problem! DanceSport has already officially been proclaimed a sport. While we still appreciate ballroom dancing being a performed art, many other people agree and emphasize the fact the DanceSport is, in fact, a sport. As for DanceSport being judged fairly, DanceSport is judged using the Judging System 2.0. This system is very similar to that of the International Skating Union, which is accepted by the IOC. The dancers are judged in four different areas. These areas are Technical Quality (TQ), Movement to Music (MM), Partnering Skill (PS), and Choreography and Presentation (CP). The judges all give a score from 1-10 (half scores are permitted) in every category (4). The scores are then averaged, and the final score is the dancer’s score. The system is very fair and pretty easy to understand.
Yet, in the end, DanceSport has still not been made a sport despite the years of hard work and effort the dancers have put in. Despite the fact that it has a huge margin of fans, and despite the fact that it is adaptable, interesting and unique. Dancers who do DanceSport deserve a chance to dance in the Olympics and show the world their talents. Help give DanceSport dancers the chance to stand on the podium and receive the gold medal they deserve!
Sources:
1: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1478556/
2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancesport
3:https://www.dancecompreview.com/will-dancesport-be-in-the-2020-olympic-games-10-reasons-to-consider/
4:https://www.dancecompreview.com/will-new-judging-system-change-way-dance/
87
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Petition created on March 12, 2020