Every four years, as the world tunes in to witness incredible feats of athleticism and artistry at the Olympics, a recurring question echoes within the dance community and beyond:
Why isn’t dance recognized as an official Olympic sport?
This question isn’t confined to dancers alone. Many viewers, captivated by the balletic grace and dynamic movements of gymnasts like Simone Biles during her floor routines, ponder the very same thing. If gymnastics incorporates dance, why isn’t dance itself on the Olympic program?
So, what are the historical and practical reasons behind dance’s absence from the Olympic Games, and what does the future hold for Olympic Dancing?
The Scoring Conundrum: Subjectivity vs. Objectivity in Dance
The announcement that Breakdancing, now officially termed “Breaking,” would debut at the 2024 Paris Olympics was met with widespread excitement. It seemed like a significant step forward for dance, finally opening doors to the world’s most prestigious sporting arena.
However, this groundbreaking inclusion immediately sparked a crucial debate: how would Olympic-level Breaking be fairly and consistently scored?
Breaking, while undeniably athletic and demanding, is more than just technical prowess. It’s deeply rooted in personal style, improvisational flair, audience engagement, and the vibrant culture of battle competitions. This inherent subjectivity raises concerns about judging, reminiscent of the often-contentious scoring in televised dance competitions like Dancing with the Stars. Can the nuanced artistry of dance be objectively quantified in the Olympic arena?
Gymnastics and Dance: A Tale of Two Scoring Systems
Critics of dance’s Olympic exclusion often point to gymnastics, particularly women’s artistic gymnastics, as a counter-example. Gymnastics routines, especially on floor and beam, are heavily infused with dance elements.
As someone with a background in gymnastics as both an athlete and coach, I can attest to the fundamental role of dance in gymnastics training. Long before gymnasts learn to cartwheel or handstand, they are immersed in ballet basics – mastering foot positions, executing Grande Battements, and practicing Pirouettes.
Ballerina doing a pirouette
But why this emphasis on dance in a sport seemingly focused on strength and acrobatics? The answer lies in the core principles of gymnastics performance.
1. Body Control and Precision: The Ballet Foundation
Gymnastics, especially tumbling, demands exceptional body control. Maintaining perfect spinal alignment is crucial for safety and execution. Ballet training provides the foundational muscle control and body awareness necessary for both graceful movement and powerful tumbling. The precision and discipline instilled through ballet translate directly to the control required for complex gymnastic skills.
2. Rhythm, Recovery, and Routine Composition
Tumbling passes in gymnastics are physically and mentally taxing. The “dance” sections interspersed between these passes are not merely decorative additions to lengthen routines. They serve a vital purpose: providing gymnasts with brief moments for breath, mental recovery, and building momentum for the next powerful sequence.
Imagine a gymnast standing poised at the corner of the floor, taking a deep breath before a tumbling run. In those seconds, they are mentally rehearsing, calculating trajectory, and preparing their body for the intense physical exertion ahead. The dance elements offer crucial psychological and physiological breathing space within a high-pressure routine.
However, while gymnastics routines incorporate “dance moves,” these movements often lack the expressive, emotive qualities of pure dance. Consider the contrasting approaches:
Observe Simone Biles’ dynamic movement in her Tokyo 2020 floor routine:
Or Suni Lee’s artistry in this floor performance:
Now, compare this to dedicated dance choreography:
While gymnasts possess the athleticism and discipline to excel in dance (as demonstrated by Simone Biles on Dancing with the Stars and Gabby Douglas’s win on The Masked Dancer), their “dance” within gymnastics is judged differently. In gymnastics competitions, dance movements are evaluated for technical correctness and execution within a structured scoring system. Simone Biles’ arm flourishes are not judged on their emotional impact or artistic “vibe,” but rather on whether they adhere to pre-defined criteria, such as precise finger placement.
This emphasis on “correctness” and technical execution, while essential for gymnastics, represents only a fraction of what dance truly embodies. Scoring dance solely through a gymnastics-style rubric risks sacrificing the subjective beauty, emotional depth, and artistic expression that lie at the heart of dance as an art form.
Interested in understanding the connection between dancers and music? Explore: The Basics of Dance Musicality
The Future of Olympic-Level Dance: Breaking Barriers and Building Bridges
Dance competitions flourish at national and international levels, encompassing diverse styles and passionate communities. Historically, these competitions operated independently, without a unified drive to establish a universally standardized scoring system applicable across different dance genres.
This decentralized landscape led to style-specific judging criteria. Dancers often remark, “That performance looks like a Hip Hop International set,” recognizing the influence of particular competition organizations on choreographic approaches and judging preferences.
However, the inclusion of Breaking in the Olympics is catalyzing change. It provides a crucial opportunity to develop and refine a standardized judging framework – one that acknowledges both technical skill and artistic merit, celebrating dance in its multifaceted glory.
Examine this video showcasing the judging methodology employed at the 2018 Youth Olympics for Breaking:
As the video illustrates, a balanced approach to judging is paramount. It emphasizes three core elements: technique, artistry/musicality, and athleticism. This balanced system aims to minimize bias and maximize authenticity in evaluating Breaking battles. No single element – style alone, musicality alone, or athleticism alone – can guarantee victory.
Judges are carefully selected to represent this balanced perspective, with some prioritizing technical precision while others emphasize storytelling and emotional impact. While inherent subjectivity can never be entirely eliminated, the rigorous selection process and balanced judging criteria seek to mitigate bias to a level comparable to other subjective Olympic sports like Artistic Swimming or Rhythmic Gymnastics.
Ultimately, the Olympics transcend mere athletic competition. They serve as a global cultural mirror, a quadrennial spectacle showcasing human potential in movement and expression. The Olympics celebrate not just how humans move, but how human movement can move us emotionally and inspire us culturally.
As dance tentatively steps onto the Olympic stage, Paris 2024 represents a pivotal moment. It is an opportunity to demonstrate the viability of a balanced scoring system, not only for Breaking but potentially for a broader spectrum of dance styles aspiring to Olympic recognition.
In the meantime, dancers worldwide will continue to pursue their passion, compete with dedication, and enrich the global cultural landscape, whether or not they are formally recognized as Olympians.
