Suppose you compare the athleticism it takes to be a successful athlete with what it takes to be a successful dancer. In that case, you’ll find both require agility and stamina that other professional areas don’t. The performance and beauty of ballet might make witnessing it different than seeing a football game, but that doesn’t detract from the dedication required to do a good job.
In most, if not all, K-12 schools, the physical education requirement is fulfilled by day classes or after-school practice for seasonal sports. When the season is on for seasonal athletes, you’ll see them go hard at practice, track their diets and weight, and put effort into playing a good game. This intensity wanes for most athletes in the off-season, but practicing routines is necessary for dancers to pull off a stunning performance at the end of the year. Suppose we base who deserves funding on the duration of intensity and practice. In that case, dancers deserve more than athletes, but thinking that way promotes unhealthy competition when there’s room for both categories to get the support they deserve.
Dance is a mixture of athletics and the arts. Proper technique requires training, and successful performances require planning, strategy, talent, and more. By that standard, we could argue that winning a football game takes as much artistic skill as dancing a beautiful show does. It takes years of preparation and dedication, plus constant skill tuning, to do a good job in both.
With adequate funding for uniforms, proper equipment, spaces to practice, and professional teachers for different styles, dance programs could attract more students than students who want to be professionals. We could see more students interested in the craft getting their daily steps in without a second thought. Dance increases confidence and teamwork as everyone must work together to pull off a stunning group dance.
There’s no shortage of reasons for dance to be supported the way sports are, and with proper funding, dance programs can surprise the public with the good they can bring to students and schools.
