jumping jacks 30 push-ups and a 30
second plank sounds like a normal sport
right rich your hand if what you think
I’m talking about is a sport so all of
you basically what you want to know what
we did next Grandpop moss and pointe
work I’m talking about ballet now raise
your hand if what you think I’m talking
about is a sport less what happened i
sealed it all work I still did push-ups
and jumping jacks and splits against the
wall just like normal schools okay
thinking you don’t do splits against the
wall but so we all need to start
considering dance is a sport waiting
it’s not kind of a sport it isn’t
counted as a sports credit and when it’s
not counted as sports credit in schools
it over works dancers what I mean by
overworking dancers is we essentially
have to take two sports credit for it to
count for school it also doesn’t give us
enough time to relax or do homework I
know what you’re thinking we don’t have
to take dance but that takes and read
dance entirely this is so important to
our culture in our history it
you can completely lose that another
reason that people don’t see it as a
score is because we look through
graceful doing it what you don’t see are
the muscles and the time that goes into
looking pretty I Darryl you football
players out there till a graceful
scoring a touchdown but dance is a huge
time commitment it is a and I take off
ly eight and a half hours a week and
that’s the minimum for my age it’s hard
to start when you are in high school and
yet to become a career it’s even hard to
start when you’re 13 and for it to
become a career I started when I was
Taylor and it’s a huge part of a big
passion line which is Broadway I can be
a little dramatic at times but I’m the
only person in my whole dance class that
it counts as a sport now I hope I know
you’re thinking dance is a sport but the
definition confirms it an activity
involving physical exertion or skin
which an individual or team competes
gets others or for entertainment let’s
check out the list physical exertion oh
yeah skill in dupage competes against
others yeah or for entertainment we’ve
got both would you go tell misty
Copeland that la isn’t a sport okay
maybe some of you don’t know who misty
Copeland is such species the first
african american ballet dancer to be
accepted into the American Ballet School
and to have a lead role as the Firebird
in the Phoenix in the Firebird it’s a
huge deal in the valley
and she injured a bone in her back it
did not go to the doctor because she had
rehearsal injuries are so common in
ballet I sprained my ankle a total of
five or six times and have had more
bruises and blisters and calluses than I
can count so now raise your hand if what
you think I’m talking about is a sport
great it looks like a convince tool so
what I want you guys to do is whether
you’re a student a teacher a parent or
principle is to push for valet to be
counted as for any schools and whether
you’re a teacher cited a parent or
principal I guarantee it will make
dancers life much easier and better
thank you [Applause]