Aquinas Dance Team

Three laps around the gym, minute long planks, crunches, sit-ups, and pushups in a matter of thirty minutes. As a dancer, experiencing and realizing the strength that needs to be present in order for an athlete to grow is vital. We go through long hours of choreography sessions, pain and strain on our bodies, and vigorous training. Many people will disagree on the status of if dance is a sport or not. Both Mary- Elizabeth Esquibel, in her article “Why Dance Will Always Be a Sport” and the infographic entitled “Is Dance a Sport?” attack this controversial dilemma. Even though these arguments use different formats, they use rhetoric similarly.

Facilitating cooperation from 2nd grade classes, students engage in Irish dances, the community ballet forlicko performed special dances to Mexican folk music and the Palo Verde College Choir rendered selections

dance, but also the athletic, military, political, mechanical, and industrial arts, as well as the "art

Purdue University’s own Boiler Bhangra dance team is one of the many distinct discourse communities on campus. The team was founded back in the spring of 2006, in an effort to share the unique culture and dance style of bhangra with the body of Purdue, as well as to compete on levels that range from local to national. The Boiler Bhangra team is a perfect example of Swales’ definition of a discourse community; that is, the team perfectly follows the requirements for a group to be considered a discourse community, as set by John Swales.

Some may argue that dance is an art and not a sport. Yet, it has the same characteristics as a sport does.

National Merit Scholars aligns with the school’s mission and state recognition for achievement by the Marching Band and Chorus shows the school has other activities they offer to the students to take a break from academics.

Being committed to competitive dance for 15 years has immensely impacted my life, as I have not only progressed technically and performance-wise, but I have been given numerous opportunities for self growth and development. Dancing has shaped me into a well-rounded, confident individual who is able to prioritize responsibilities, cooperate and collaborate with others, and exhibit strong leadership skills. Involvement in any extra curricular can aid one in developing a true passion, and through dance, I have been fortunate to find my passion.

Dance demands the same physical skills that are required in other sports. Flexibility, strength, and endurance are key characteristics that most dancers need to posses. As with other “athletes,” most dancers are not born with these abilities but must establish them through practice and repetitive training. Similar to traditional sports practices, dance rehearsals are extensive and require diligence, dedication, and patience from the dancers as they will have to repeat exercises and stretches to perfect their technique and stay on

Of all the values that dancing instilled within me, I believe I learned the greatest lesson when I forfeited my first love. In my mind, I rationalized that school’s importance outweighed my devotion to dance. In my eighth grade year, my studio encouraged me to join their dance company, while my school implemented an academic plan for me that met my educational needs, which included placing me in ninth grade honors courses. Faced with the truth of the difficulty of balancing schoolwork with a demanding practice schedule, I reluctantly withdrew from my dance

Mahatma Gandhi once stated that “A nations culture resides in the hearts and souls of its people” This holds evident in the European country of Spain. Spain is a country of long time tradition in which people work hard to continue on with a culture they created long ago. Spain is a very colorfully cultured country with many famous and important traditions one of which is, the art of flamenco dancing.

I joined the Pasion Latin Dance Team my freshman year and it was one of the best experiences I have had at Towson. When I attended the first meeting I expected to only see Hispanics, but that was not the case. Pasion consisted of people from different backgrounds and it welcomed each and every one of them. The board was patient when teaching steps because many of them had never been introduced to the dance styles. Not only did Pasion make time for dance, but it also made time to discuss its own culture, but also by discussion the current event issues surrounding the culture of the other individuals in the room. This environment did not just make as a team, but we became the Pasion family. The experience I had with Pasion exemplifies an inclusive

Dance is a unique sport because it combines the grit and sweat of sporting events, such as track and field, with the style and extravagance of a fashion show (D.Fowler, 2000).

Dancing is a historical tradition. Hip-hop dancing has been alive at social functions for centuries, and Popping and Break dancing are the old school days gone by. In recent years, Hip-hop dance has proved its long lasting presence in our lives. It is in our media, our music and day-to-day social functions. It isn't usually taught parent-to-child so people are seeking schools where they can learn. With Dance sport being considered as a medal sport in the next Olympics, more people will be exposed to Social and Hip-hop dance.

Dance has been apart of my life ever since I can remember. When I was young, before I officially started my dance training, I was always up on my feet and moving. No matter what hobby I took interest in (whether it was cheerleading, musical theatre, or jump rope), I would always find a way to choreograph little routines a show them to my friends and family. Even when my parents tried to put me in sports, I would do cartwheels and dance on the playing fields, completely oblivious to what was going on during the games. When I look back at how I started my dance training, I just smile and laugh because I was so naïve and unaware that it would become such a huge part of my life. In 5th grade I was put into my first dance class as a hobby. It happened because I watched the Disney Channel movie High School Musical and immediately fell in love with it. I showed the movie to my parents and told them, “This is what I want to do.” At the time I thought I excelled in both signing and acting and that all I needed were dance classes. So in 4th grade I was put into my first dance class and I began to scratch the surface of the basics of dance. What I didn’t know then is that dance would slowly but surely influence my entire life and

The first reason why teachers should integrate dance into education is that dance increases students’ attention and reaches students of different learning types. One study was done to determine whether lessons that incorporate movement were effective at generating student’s situational interest. They compared the outcomes of movement and non movement lessons in second and third grade reading and math classes. The teachers provided one week of lessons that included movement and one week of lessons that did not. Students were asked to use their bodies to illustrate specific concepts they were taught. At the end of the study, the teachers rated students’ interest levels, and they found that students were more excited by and engaged in the lessons that integrated movement than those that did not. Surprisingly, they also found that the dancing did not hinder the amount of content learned during the lesson (Lindt and Miller). Dance could be a