Passion. Dedication. Hard work. Commitment. All are characteristics of great athletes. In this case, these athletes are dancers.
While many may not consider dance a “sport” in the traditional sense, all of the dancers interviewed for this article show just as much, if not more, commitment and hard work to their chosen field as any other athlete.
The dictionary defines sport as: “An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively.” (American Heritage Dictionary)
Ali Nordgren, Wellness Director at the Black Hawk County YMCA, has been dancing since she was four years old and sees the physical benefits. Dancers build “muscle tone and coordination, reduce stress, improve strength and flexibility, strengthen bones, especially in the hips and legs. For many joining dance classes or groups, there are mental health benefits as well.”
Nordgren weighs in on the debate of sport versus art. “I don’t see how dance is not considered a sport. I don’t think many would argue that dance doesn’t require physical skill or ability. As for often being competitive by nature, for some it is extremely competitive while others may enjoy a more recreational setting just as many other well known sports like basketball, running, soccer, etc.”
Study Results
Adolescence (a ProQuest Education Journal) published study results showing the physical benefit of dance on female teenagers. The study was conducted with Alabama high school students. Sixteen adolescents in grades nine through 12 were selected to the dance team. The subjects practiced two to three hours a day four to five times a week during the summer, in addition to participating in a four-day dance camp. After the start of school, practices were one hour a day.
At the end of the experiment in October, the dancers were found to have significantly lower blood pressures, higher oxygen volumes and stronger bench press results than the control group and the pre-test numbers. (The Effects of Dance Team Participation on Female Adolescent Physical Fitness and Self-Concept, Blackman, LeAnn; Hunter, Gary; Hilyer, Jim; Harrison, Peg; Adolescence; Summer 1998; Vol. 23, No. 90; ProQuest Education Journals, pg. 437)
Local Dancers Show Commitment
Area high school dancers Ellie Tallakson, Niki Kapanka and Jaclyn Wangler all have been dancing since the age of three. Megan Chizek got a later start at age nine. The passion these young women have for their sport is evident in any conversation.
All of the dancers were influenced by different people. “My babysitters all danced with me when I was young,” said Tallakson, a senior at NU High. Kapanka’s mother was a dancer, and she got the rare opportunity to train with the same coach early in life. Wangler was enamored with the “pretty outfits the dancers wore” at the dance studio in Parkersburg. Her love of dance even permeated this spring’s disaster. “When the tornado sirens sounded, I grabbed a box of my ballet slippers and took them to the basement with us,” said the freshman from Aplington-Parkersburg.
All four girls practice with Attitudes by Amy studio in Waterloo an average of two to three hours a day.
“The first half hour of every practice is cardio, strength training and stretching,” said Tallakson. “It’s our job as dancers to make our performance look easy even though so much physical labor goes into it. I love exercise and moving my body. As dancers, our bodies are our instruments. We have to stay healthy, or we won’t be able to perform.”
All four dancers had experiences of their lifetimes this summer. Chizek spent a week in New York City with the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes and three weeks in Kansas City with the ballet. Wangler spent five weeks as an understudy with the Boston Ballet. Kapanka, a sophomore at NU High, studied with the Milwaukee Ballet and Tallakson trained with the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago.
“The best advice I learned was to always dance like you are performing, always take it seriously,” Kapanka said. “That way your performance always improves. It was incredible to watch performances, to be a part of a ballet company, then dance with the principals and have them teach us.”
All of the girls agree that dance is a strong combination of art and athletics.
“We definitely train as hard and as much as athletes,” Wangler said. “Dance requires just as much strength, time and endurance.”
A sophomore at Columbus High School, Chizek used to participate in traditional sports. “I was a point guard and would do pirouettes during practice. My coach gave me the ‘best dancer’ award on the team,” she laughed. She quit basketball and dedicated herself to dance. “Dance is better than athletics. We’re artists, but we work hard.”
The confidence exuded by these young women is just one more benefit of the hard work they put into their sport. All four of the dancers plan to major in dance or theater in college. All have goals to perform with a professional dance company in the future. Chizek said, “I am going to be a Rockette.”
Dancing with Spirit
Many of the same opinions and attitudes are expressed by the University of Northern Iowa Dance Team. This group of 14 young ladies has no coach, but is dedicated to the sport. They practice routines at least two and a half hours, three days a week with Tuesdays as a more traditional workout day (stretching, weight training, etc.), Friday workouts are with the band and performances take place on Saturdays during football season. The team also performs for basketball, wrestling and volleyball events.
Their season begins in June with try outs and practices. All team members attend a nation-wide camp in August for four days of intense routines. Attendance at the camp is mandatory for teams to be eligible to compete at nationals in January. The season ends in April with just a few short weeks of down time.
All of the dancers consider themselves athletes. Sierra Vanderhelm, a senior who has been a dance team member for four years, said, “We have just as many sore muscles, work just as hard and condition ourselves as much as the athletes we support.”
Amanda Miller agrees. “We all know what we do and how hard we work. It takes a different kind of endurance—flexibility and strength are important. Our main goal is to make our routines look easy.”
Just like the student-athletes at UNI, dance team members take their roles as ambassadors very seriously. Senior Trista Powers explained. “Our main priority and only reason we exist is to support our student-athletes. National competition is second.” Vanderhelm agreed. “When we put on the UNI dance uniform, we know who and what we represent and how we want to be perceived.”
Despite having no coach, the team has enjoyed great success in national competitions, placing fifth two years ago and eighth nationally last year.
In addition to practices and performances, the team raises all of the financial support for uniforms, travel and competition at nationals. They currently are raising funds toward their goal of $10,000 to be able to compete in January at nationals. Anyone interested in contributing can send donations to the UNI Dance Team, NW Upper Dome, Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0314.
The benefits of working together on this team are long lasting. “It’s not so much the dance skills I’ll take with me, but the leadership, teamwork, working together without a coach, handling confrontation, problem solving skills,” Powers said. In addition, she said the most rewarding part is, “The joy in the faces in the audience.” Jessica Fuller agreed. “It’s showing who we are and what we’ve worked so hard for.”
That’s as much as any athlete can ask.
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