Dance vs Gymnastics

[amblan01]

I've always wanted to start dance. And I know it is harder to start gymnastics late than dance. My friend just got accepted onto the all american USA dance team! I've always loved to dance but never did it. I always did gymnastics or tumbling. Those were my sports. For anyone who does or did dance how do you think it compares with gymnastics?

 

[flipandtwist]

Completely different sports. There is more expression in dance. However, the experience an individual has in dance depends greatly on the style of dance. Ballet is more structured about control. Contemporary and lyrical is more about emotion. Jazz and musical theater is often considered more fun and upbeat. It also depends om whethr you are doing more solos where it will be more similar to gymnastics because the focus on you, or a drill team in high school where you are sharing the spotlight with 60 other girls. Very different thibgs.

Sent from my SGH-T679 using ChalkBucket mobile app

 

[Aussie_coach]

Dance and gymnastics do have many similar elements. Those who have done gymnastics will find they have an advantage in dance when it comes to flexibility, strength, leaps, jumps, turns, pointed toes and so on. Also your gymnastics tumbling skills can be very valuable in dance. Many dance teacher will put skills like cartwheels, handstands, rolls, walkovers, back handsprings, back tucks and aerials into their routines.

However, dance is like gymnastics in that it is much more difficult to excel if you do not start at an early age. There are many, many different styles of dance. Kids who dance are not like gymnasts they don't just do one style. They need to learn all the styles if they want to make it successfully as dancers. Main Styles include classical ballet,national, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop, tap, clogging, musical theatre and tumbling/acrobatics. If you want to dance seriously you will find they do as many hours of dance as gymnasts do.

At the competitive level dance is a lot more expensive than gymnastics too. You may have to may for each class individually and every routine needs a costume. Costumes range from $80-$400 each and expect to buy several every year. Every style needs a special pair of shoes which cost $50-$150.

 

[flipandtwist]

I agree there are similarities, but coming from gymnastics to dance they are truly comoletely different. Yes a dancer may do an aeriel in a routine, but the aim is not to do the hardest flips and tricks. Dancers do difficult turns, but unlike in gymnastics, the "skills" are usually not the focus of the routine/dance. Being a gymnast will help you when it comes to leaps and any acro tricks, but I found learning turns to be extremely difficult and hard to et used to as you turn the opposite way and reqires different bodycontrol as the floor is not a carpet.
In terms of how far you can go, there are maby dancers who start later and excel. It is easier for older girls to dance. Now a ballerina migjt not be able to become a professional starting at 16, but a jazz/kick line/ballroom member can. It's also not true that dancers have to do eveyrhing. Yes, doing many dance styles is beneficial, but it depends on what you want to do to be successful. A girl from my dance team dances primarily contemporary/jazz/lyrical which overlap in skills/types of turns with a little bit of hip hop and is currently working as a professional dancer in New York. My sister is a professional salsa dancer. No, their dancing won't pay the bills, but Iconsider them to be successful. My sister only started dancing her first year of college.
I don't mean to shoot down what you said, but there are different definitions of successful and many different paths a dancer can take.

Sent from my SGH-T679 using ChalkBucket mobile app

 

[GymSurvivor]

I'm a gymnast who does some acting as well. I'm put in with the dancers because I have danced before and pick it up pretty fast. And I do a lot of physical activity so I can keep up just fine.
But the one difference I have a hard time with is that most dancers train both legs, they can leap on both sides, turn with both legs etcc... And most tend to do things righty since that is the way dances are choreographed.
Verse as a gymnast, yes I do have all 3 splits down but I have left and middle over splits, my left leap is great, right is rough. Left turns I can do (although dancers also turn differently). So I've had to learn to manage right leaps and turns etcc.

 

[flipandtwist]

But the one difference I have a hard time with is that most dancers train both legs, they can leap on both sides, turn with both legs etcc... And most tend to do things righty since that is the way dances are choreographed.
Verse as a gymnast, yes I do have all 3 splits down but I have left and middle over splits, my left leap is great, right is rough. Left turns I can do (although dancers also turn differently). So I've had to learn to manage right leaps and turns etcc.

This is very true! Espexially important for girls who are more left-leg inclined, if you are in a group dance, the turns and leaps would more than likely be on the right leg.


Sent from my SGH-T679 using ChalkBucket mobile app

 

[GabbyNastiaShawn00]

I did dance for about 3.5 years..... it got boring so I decided to start gymnastics. I definitely like gymnastics better!

 

[Catharinna]

I was a dancer before I did gymnastics and I loved both. However I think if you did gym for a while before doing dance, dance may be a bit harder. In gymnastics you at used to being strong, and tight whereas depending on that kind of dance, you are more flowy and carefree. However this might not affect you though. It just depends.

 

[gymnasticswim4]

I've been looking for a place to rant about this and this is the best place i can find. I can't talk to my friends about this because they are both competitive dancers.
I did dance since i was four until last year. So i must have been pretty good right? No. I feel like in dance the only way to move up is to be one of the teacher favorites, and i never am, mostly because my body just isn't built for dance. It's (my body) built for the power of gymnastics. With gymnastics, you just have to get the skills, and move up. It's so simple that way. I find dance doesn't really have any simplicity in there, which I don't like. I have also had terrible experience with dance teachers, so that's another aspect that puts me off. People say with dance, you can express yourself more than you can with gymnastics, but most of the time, that's not true, because it's always the teacher who makes it up. I actually feel more confined in dance than I do in gymnastics. Yes, ballet has greatly helped me in my gymnastics, but would I want to take ballet again? Never.
I don't mean to put you off on dance, I just needed a place to tell my experience with dance, which isn't a good one.

 

[RisingGymnast]

I do both dance and gymnastics. I started dance when I was 13 (turning 14 during the year) and then that same year I started gymnastics.

I started in jazz which is I think it is a great class to begin in. You don't need to be as disciplined as you do in ballet, and it's enjoyable. Ballet is more serious, but is the foundation of dance and is a great class if you wanted to improve your technique and become a stronger dancer.

Is it like gymnastics? Yes and no. Yes because you use your flexibility, endurance, and strength. You use turns and leaps in your floor routine so if you were start a dance class, you would know these moves.

But as said above, you might only have your leaps and turns down on your strong leg. I also think that the mental toughness is different in dance. Of course when your thighs are burning, you're drenched in sweat, and despite your efforts you just can't get something right, it is like gymnastics. You have to be driven and have a passion for both but I see dance as a place to let go. You forget all about your troubles and you focus on the dancing. For me, gymnastics is my own set of troubles. I have to be tough on myself and I'm constantly thinking about my skills.

I think if you have the option of taking a dance class, you should. It's a beautiful sport and it makes you feel beautiful. I suggest starting in a fun class like jazz or maybe hip hop and then adding more classes on like ballet and tap. Dance isn't always easy, but it's worth it. It benefitted my gymnastics so I don't see why it wouldn't benefit yours too!