I’ve been a dancer for a long, long time, and it’s taught me quite a few things about myself and dance in general:

1. I express myself best through bodily movement,
2. My general flexibility and strength from dance has aided me in many physical situations,
3. Dancing is a sport! No question about that; and
4. Dance takes mental and physical ability, and it uses your brain in a unique way.

I started dancing when I was three or four years old with my pre-school. I remember my first performance very vividly: I was on a stage with 15 other girls, we were tap-dancing and we were all dressed as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. Back then, I was awful, but it’s always heart-warming to watch over that scratchy video. It shows where my passion for dance was fostered. Ever since then, I have been dancing on and off in and out of local studios, at my high school, and at my college. I’ve taken classes in Tap, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Broadway, Contemporary, Bollywood and Ballet. The fact that there are so many different genres and ways to move one’s body is one of my favorite things about dance!

To me, dancing is the most freeing way to move through the world, and it is great for everyone due to its benefits in living a healthier life. It helps with flexibility, which will come in handy when one becomes older and more feeble. It builds strength throughout the whole body. For example, ballerinas may seem small and petite, but they are mighty when it comes to strength due to their training in constantly lifting their limbs above their heads. Because dancing only requires body weight, it can build up strength in every part of the body over time.

I don’t care what people say, but dancing takes so much courage, and it is a sport, no question. Sure, dance may not necessarily involve competition against another team--unless one is a competitive dancer of course, but like any other sport, it requires physical exertion and the willingness to participate. When it comes to honing one's ability in sports performance (or any skill for that matter), practice makes perfect, and dance is no exception. One must practice a lot to be great, but even though some people may be better dancers than you, most to all of the dance communities I’ve been involved with do not discriminate. We don’t see dancers “sitting on the bench” during “timeouts” and replacing other participants when needed. Rather, we see everyone having a great time together moving their bodies in unison.

One illusion about dance is that it looks easy when performed, but it actually takes an enormous amount of mental and physical strength as well as music adaptivity to be executed well. My boyfriend, an athlete in track, is taking a Hip Hop class here at Bates this semester, and he has told me how difficult but fun he has found it. As a beginner, he has never moved his body, or frankly, used his brain in the way a dancer has before! Being a thrower on the track team, he focuses so much on how to improve his execution in discus, hammer and shot. He’s been training for years, however, once he let his body move in a looser, more funky way in Hip Hop, he began to struggle, but also had a great time doing it! He has a newfound respect for dance because it takes a lot of physical coordination to be done well. Dance also becomes difficult if one isn't musically adept. Dancing is obviously about bodily movement, but the majority is about musicality and observation. When following a teacher, one must carefully and meticulously watch, then execute. After that, another layer is added: music, and if one cannot hear the beat, dance becomes way more complex.

In conclusion, I believe that attending a dance class or participating in dance in any type of way is great for anyone. It is an easy way to get one’s body moving, it can help unwind, and in general, it’s a wonderful way to improve one’s dance skills! So when you pass a poster offering dance classes in your community, or have been thinking about attending a class for a while, I highly encourage you to do this. You won’t regret it.