Dance and cheerleading are often seen as pure entertainment, but only a few people know the hard work and dedication that goes into these sports.
Dance is a form of art through movement. Dancers use patterned, rhythmic body movements, accompanied by music to tell and create a story. Cheerleading is a team activity which combines dance, acrobatics and spirited chants in order to galvanize the crowd at sporting events.
Both sports compete in competitions, perform at games, cultivate their given atmosphere and both can be competed professionally.
Many people do not view dance and cheer as a “real sport” because through most people’s eyes they are just yelling, clapping, and dancing around, while in reality dance and cheer can be very demanding, both physically and mentally.
“I think it’s just as demanding as other sports, because we’ve practiced just as long and we go to the same competitions,” senior cheerleader Morgan Babbitt said. “Our seasons last from May to May, all year long, with practice three to four times per week.”
On average most sports seasons last three to six months while dance and cheer are all year long with training during what’s considered their “offseason.”
Training all year long to perfect their craft is a dedication like no other. Someone who is not familiar with dancing or cheerleading could view it as easy not knowing it takes years to perfect something as “simple” as one move.
“To learn a basic dance move it could take at least five years,” senior dancer Kendall Fedak said.
The sports dance and cheer are popularly known as entertainment or something to do for fun, but in reality it is incredibly time consuming and physically demanding. Perfecting just one skill in either dance or cheer can take years, and it takes a different kind of mentality to dedicate yourself to something so specific and precise.
“You don’t see the time and effort we put into it, and if you’ve ever tried it you never truly know how difficult it is and physically and mentally demanding it is,” senior cheerleader Lily Campbell said.
Like many sports, dance and cheer takes hard work and dedication but the difference is the longer seasons and outside, personal hours put in to perfect a move that may still not grant the athlete the movement or role they hoped for. Dance and cheer are a craft. They uplift spirits and work to adequately represent their school.
