Abstract
Is dance a sport? Is dance an art? Can dance be categorized as both? The controversy surrounding dance’s categorization has been an ongoing debate since the early 1970s. With no definite conclusion to this debate, dancers do not have a clear designation as either artists and/or athletes. As such, unresolved challenges remain in the perceived value and significance of dance, particularly in postsecondary contexts. The inconclusive nature of this debate has significant implications for competitive dancers in postsecondary, as their experiences as student-athletes and opportunities for participation in sport contexts are largely impacted by conceptualizations of dance by various stakeholders in university athletics. Taking this into account, this research examines perceptions surrounding dance as a sport, art, or combination of both in universities across Ontario. Competitive dancers, dance coaches, and athletic department staff in postsecondary participated in online surveys and interviews to share their individual beliefs, knowledge, and understandings about competitive dance and the ways dancers can occupy spaces as artists and athletes. Perceptions of dance from each group of key informants proved to be dependent on a range of factors within universities and across individual participants. Most participants stated they viewed dance as both an art and a sport but demonstrated tension in how dancers occupied spaces as legitimate athletes within postsecondary institutions. While participants indicated openness to the idea of dance as a sport and dancers as athletes, the ways in which this would be actually attainable at the university-level is hindered by various institutional and systemic barriers.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Sporting Cultures and Identities
KEYWORDS
Sport-As-Art, Student Athlete, Competitive Dance, Sports Participation, College Sports
