Art of the Jumpsplit

Dance as an Art? Or Sport?

Dance is in fact an art form. The movement one does with their body is unique, stylized, and beautiful to watch. There are dozens of categories of dance to name a few ballet, hip-hop, tap, jazz and modern.

Being a dancer all my life I have learned and perfected the techniques of many of these styles and more. Yet being involved with dance team brings up two different styles of dance that are both visually stunning and incredibly athletic.

Kickline and Pom are two types of dance that are unknown by many, but growing rapidly in the dance team world. Kickline, much like the Radio City Rockettes, involves dancers linked in a formation of a chorus line and perform kick combinations in unison. Flexibility and precision is necessary for this type of dance as the ‘wow-factor’ is less of technique often, but the visual appeal. Strength not only in legs, but core, head, back, and arms are essential in making the dance appear strong and in sync.

Pom is a highly athletic and intense type of dance that involved a dance team or drill squad. Using pom-poms like cheerleaders, these dancers use the poms to their advantage along with choreography, endurance, technique, and music to create a visual performance. Along with powerful leaps and jumps, strong arm motions are used to make ‘pictures’ with the dancers.

Although these types of dance may not be conventional, they are part of my daily routine. I have grown to love these types of dances because they are unique. It shows that dance is more than just an art, but rather a sport.