[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by Jessica.

Well, it's a sport then

I suppose my thinking would be, even though there are competitions probably the ultimate aim is to get into big productions, like winning the competitions would help you to achieve that aim - where as with sports like football, tennis and that sort of thing, the competitions and winning them are the end goal?

[Livia]

I don't think ballet can be classed as a sport simply because you can compete in competitions. I mean, The Turner Prize... that's a competition, but I wouldn't call painting or sculpting a sport.

But ask 100 people, get 100 different answers!

[Twosugars]

Rhythmic gymnastics is not million miles away from ballet and artistic merits are considered.
Suppose it could be turned into a sport but why?
Then again in ancient olympics

Artistic expression was a major part of the games. Sculptors, poets, painters and other artisans would come to the games to display their works in what became an artistic competition.

wikipedia

[Nicky91]

Originally Posted by Twosugars

Rhythmic gymnastics is not million miles away from ballet and artistic merits are considered.
Suppose it could be turned into a sport but why?
Then again in ancient olympics
wikipedia

figure skating also few ballet techniques i guess, like pirouettes

[Crimson Dynamo]

I remember working with a lad who was not that long married and one Monday
we were all talking on the sales floor about the weekend and football
#ladsladslads i someone said to Si "oi Si you went out with yor missus on
sat-day, where did you go?" and Si said "the...ballet...". Literally there
was a moments lull and then he got ruined
He was genuinely known as Rudolf after that day. true story

[Livia]

I'm not convinced that Arts & Humanities sits well with Phys Ed. And while ballet is very inclusive, you can take ballet classes anywhere at any age to keep fit, football clubs have in the past employed ballet dancers for classes to help players improve their stamina, balance and fitness... but I think it's a very different kind of performance ballet dancers produce, from the performance of a track athlete or a gymnast. Just my take on it of course.

[Dogeatdog]

Nah I also agree and say it is more of an art like any other form of dancing than a sport, well for me personally anyways.

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by Livia

I don't think ballet can be classed as a sport simply because you can compete in competitions. I mean, The Turner Prize... that's a competition, but I wouldn't call painting or sculpting a sport.

But ask 100 people, get 100 different answers!

You can though, there are Ballet Competitions and I know there's definitely Irish dancing competitions, my niece enters the all irelands and worlds in that, it's highly competitive. I think I might be changing my mind on it actually

[Twosugars]

I mean chess is classed as sport

Those definitions seem pretty arbitrary
But why change it if it ain't broke?

[MTVN]

Originally Posted by Niamh.

You can though, there are Ballet Competitions and I know there's definitely Irish dancing competitions, my niece enters the all irelands and worlds in that, it's highly competitive. I think I might be changing my mind on it actually

Think Livia was saying that just because there are competitions it doesn't automatically make it a sport though

[Nicky91]

Originally Posted by Twosugars

I mean chess is classed as sport

Those definitions seem pretty arbitrary
But why change it if it ain't broke?

imagine chess being a official sport event at olympic games

which i cannot see happening since no one would tune in for that

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by MTVN

Think Livia was saying that just because there are competitions it doesn't automatically make it a sport though

Oh yeah i misread her post .....apologies

[Ammi]

...dance in general, including ballet would be incorporated into the PE curriculum at many schools...so I guess it would be a crossover for both, as it’s an art form but it’s also physical education based...there are county ballet events and workshops for school children and they all come under the umbrella of Sport/PE...

[MTVN]

This article is sort of what I was thinking when I said some ballet dancers wouldn't want it to be considered a sport:

Before I begin, I must preface this by mentioning the fact that ballet is competitive. Ballerinas are extremely competitive with each other and the ballet world has a hint of a cutthroat culture. However, ballerinas are competitive with each other in the same way artists, musicians and actors are. Ballet itself is not a competitive sport; it is an art.

For years, the debate of art versus sport has angered ballerinas and has taken away the focus of the true artistry of dance. Yes, it cannot be ignored that ballet is an exceptionally physical performance art. According to a 1975 study done of 61 physical activities conducted by Dr. James A. Nicholas in the Journal of Sports Medicine, ballet ranked number one as the most physically and mentally demanding. The physical aspects of ballet are unnatural: turnout of the hips and dancing on your toes in pointe shoes are huge strains on the body. But, when attending a ballet performance, an audience member will never be able to see the strain on the body because of the ballerina’s ability to convey emotion, passion, and artistry. People attend ballets to see grace and beauty, not to see ballerinas struggle with the physical intensity of dance.
...

The true “wow!” factor of ballet comes from the entire performance as a whole. There is never a singular step that defines a ballet; it is the entire production that leaves audiences astounded and amazed. The purpose of ballets, especially the classical ones, is to tell the audience a story. Everything from the intricate set designs to the elegant costumes, to even the make-up, is crucial to a ballet’s tale and overall impression on the audience. So many artistic elements are combined to make a ballet performance what it is, and the dancers’ passion and emotion are the final touch to the show.

If dancers moved robotically and only performed tricks, ballets would never effectively tell a story and invite audiences into a two-hour world of enchantment and fantasy. Just because ballet is a performance art does not mean we should only pay attention to the steps and physicality, ultimately making it a sport. For it is the emotion and creativity in each dancer that ultimately makes ballet what it is: an art.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/balle...a-sp_b_4718929

[Crimson Dynamo]

i am sure the people who go and see ballet would be horrified to think they were watching sport

[Nicky91]

Originally Posted by LeatherTrumpet

i am sure the people who go and see ballet would be horrified to think they were watching sport

tbf, it might look easy on the eye, but it is hard work i guess to get everything that precise, perfect

[Crimson Dynamo]

Originally Posted by Nicky91

tbf, it might look easy on the eye, but it is hard work i guess to get everything that precise, perfect

so is driving a tank

[Oliver_W]

No more than tap or waltz.

[Livia]

Originally Posted by LeatherTrumpet

i am sure the people who go and see ballet would be horrified to think they were watching sport

I've been to West Ham and I've been to Saddler's Wells. There was no similarity whatsoever.

[Marsh.]

Originally Posted by Shaun

I don't see how you could compete in it, so no.

I know dancing has competitions and everything but I'm relatively sure ballet does not and is instead performed in theatre as an art, rather than a sport. I'm not sure I'd call ballroom/street dance 'sport' either, just... exercise? The scoring system in competitions is mostly based on artistic expression than physical athleticism.

But you could say the points in football aren't based on athleticism but who gets the ball in a net?

[Marsh.]

Originally Posted by Cal.

Of course it looks pissing hard

Cal in PE when the teacher tells her to go pick up the ball.

[Shaun]

Originally Posted by Marsh.

But you could say the points in football aren't based on athleticism but who gets the ball in a net?

The points in football alone are indication that it's a competitive sport, lol, it doesn't matter how those are earned. "Point-based" games are easier to define as sports because there are clear guidelines in how the game is played and, more importantly, won.

Whilst there are indeed ballet competitions... there are also baking, sewing, singing and design competitions. Ballet, whilst more physical and demanding than those other examples, is still a little more hard to define when it comes to "who wins?" Racing has times, ball games have goals/tries/runs, pub games have points, athletics has heights/distances/times... but I suppose ballet is more like diving in the sense that only someone paying close attention can tell what the best score for a performance would be. In that sense it's still a sport, since diving is one but I would imagine there are 100x the complexities in a ballet performance than there are in a single dive.

[Shaun]

Suppose it'd be closest compared to figure skating?

[Marsh.]

Originally Posted by Shaun

The points in football alone are indication that it's a competitive sport, lol, it doesn't matter how those are earned. "Point-based" games are easier to define as sports because there are clear guidelines in how the game is played and, more importantly, won.

Whilst there are indeed ballet competitions... there are also baking, sewing, singing and design competitions. Ballet, whilst more physical and demanding than those other examples, is still a little more hard to define when it comes to "who wins?" Racing has times, ball games have goals/tries/runs, pub games have points, athletics has heights/distances/times... but I suppose ballet is more like diving in the sense that only someone paying close attention can tell what the best score for a performance would be. In that sense it's still a sport, since diving is one but I would imagine there are 100x the complexities in a ballet performance than there are in a single dive.

Would ballet not have points to win though like ballroom dancing competitions? Where they look for specific technique/stamina?

Niamh?

[Denver]

More of a sport then bloody motor racing