 Competitive
dance is a widespread activity
that requires dancers to perform dances in
any of the several permitted dance styles.
Acrobats
Ballet
Jazz
Hip-Hop
Lyrical
Modern
Tap
 Judges,
who are usually former professional
dancers or instructors, score each
performance in many categories.
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



Overall Effect
Communication of Dance
Choreography
Group Execution
Dance Techniques
 After
all competitors in each category have
performed and the judges have set their
rankings, medals are announced and awarded
to the winning groups or soloists.
This perspective views society as a constant struggle
for power and resources
Social Situation

Dance Competition
Ultimate Goal
 To win platinum in all categories you
compete in
Power Resources
 Technique
 Practice Time
 Confidence
 Instructor
 Team Work
Everyone has some kind of technique; whether or
not they decide to spend the time to practice
and improve the technique is up to each
individual dancer.
All of your competitors want to have better
technique than you so they can place higher in
the standings.
People are in competition for better technique so
they can end up on top. They take private
lessons, hire outside choreographers, and spend
hours and hours preparing for the competition
day.
The dancers that strive to improve their technique
and push themselves to the limit tend to win
their categories.
T
E
C
H
N
I
Q
U
E
The dancers who are outspoken and believe in
themselves and their skills no matter where they
may “rank” in others eyes have the confidence
needed to win.
All of your competitors want to have confidence in
order to perform the routine instead of just
dancing the steps.
People are in competition for confidence so they
can show the judges their showmanship.
Without confidence, there is the possibility of
forgetting the routine and the skills it takes to
perform the dance.
The dancers that portray confidence are the ones
that have the most fun and allow their emotion
for the dance come through.
C
O
N
F
I
D
E
N
C
E
 The
competition between all of the dancers
bring out a different side to people. Like all
competitions, everyone wants to win.
Confidence and technique are things that
allow people to one up someone else
allowing them to come out on top. Although
after the competition is over people go back
to their normal lives, there is always that
feeling of defeat when you see your
successful competitor at your next
competition.
This perspective views society as a machine whose
parts must be working together
Social Situation
 Dance
Competition
Structures
 Dancers
 Judges
 Sound Technicians
 Instructors
 “Dance Moms”
The dancers are the “main attraction” of the
dance competition. They provide the
entertainment and allow for all of the other
functions to have something to do.
Dancers give the sound technicians the music they
need played for their performance. Also the
dancers are what the judges are looking at when
they are scoring the competition.
D
A
N
C
E
R
S
LATENT: Dancers provide the entertainment for the
audience. Also they provide competition for the
other dancers competing against them.
MANIFEST: Side effects of a competitive dancer is
the cost. Costumes, lessons, and competition
fees are all side effects that are not intended by
the dancer.
DYSFUNCTION: Dancers at competitions can be
very emotional due to either not placing as high
as they wanted or just the stress of quick
changes and competing itself. This causes stress
to build up in the dressing rooms between other
dancers and “Dance Moms”.
D
A
N
C
E
R
S
Dance Moms are the behind the scene ring leaders.
They are the ones that are in the dressing rooms
waiting to help change the dancers in between
the dances. They are also the main support
system for the dancers. At competitions, they
are always there to cheer for the dancers during
each number.
D
A
N
C
E
The dance moms pay for all of the lessons and
costumes that are needed by the dancers to
compete. They also support the dancer and
provide them with extra points on the score
sheet for crowd interaction and communication
of dance to the audience.
M
O
M
LATENT: Dance moms are the support system and
financial providers for all aspects of the
competition
MANIFEST: Side effects of a dance mom is that
they unintentionally get in the way of the
dancers and do not realize that they are applying
more stress to the dancers than they already
have.
DYSFUNCTION: Dance moms, like the TV show, are
very confrontational to other dance moms. They
stick up for their child as much as possible and
cause conflict between other dance moms and
the dancers.
D
A
N
C
E
M
O
M
 Competitions
allow for many people to come
out and watch the dancers perform what
they have been working on for month. The
competition as a whole provides jobs for
many people, whether paid or unpaid (i.e.
judges, janitors, dance moms, vendors, etc).
 The
dancers and the dance moms learn to
adapt with each other over time. The moms
realize when they are really needed and
know when to back off. They start to see
when they are just getting in the way.
Competition brings out teamwork and
dependability in people.
This perspective views society as the sum of all personal
interactions based on the interpretation of meaning
Social Situation
 Dance
Competition
Symbols
 Trophy
 Soloist
 Stage Position
 Stage
 Style of Dance
A trophy symbolizes the hard work and dedication
that the dancer has made throughout the months
leading up to prepare for the competition. It
also shows which dancer was able to end up on
top over the rest.
The meaning of the trophy in the competition
world means the same as it would in any other
situation. Everyone wants the trophy to make
their efforts worth something and to be ranked
supreme over others.
People are congratulatory to the person who
receives the trophy yet strives to beat them the
next time they compete against one another.
There is some animosity between the dancers
that does not go away.
T
R
O
P
H
Y
Being a soloist symbolizes the skill and dedication
the instructor sees in a dancer. They are seen as
one of the best dancers in the company and the
instructors are willing to put that individual up
to compete with other soloists from different
companies.
The meaning of soloist is the same throughout
society like it would be in any other context.
There is one person on stage showing skill and
technique to the judges.
Others look at soloists as a role model. People
want to be seen by the instructor as someone
they are willing to put on stage alone and
represent the company. Everyone wants to have
their own solo in a competition.
S
O
L
O
I
S
T
Comparing a dance competition to what people think
a “real competitive sport” is.
When you compare a dance competition to a
competitive sport such as football, there are many
similarities between the three perspectives…
Comparing a dance competition to what people think
a “real competitive sport” is.
Conflict Theory:
The goal for both social situations is to win.
They have many of the same power resources such
as:





Technique
Practice Time
Instructor (Coach)
Confidence
Team Work
Comparing a dance competition to what people think
a “real competitive sport” is.
Conflict Theory:
When you compare the power resource of
technique, everything is the same. People want to
have the best technique and others want to top
who they perceive to be the best. For a football
player, you want to have the best technique to be
drafted first and play the most. This is similar to a
dancer because the dancer wants the best
technique to be on stage the most and be picked
for solos. Furthermore, both dancers and football
players need to have confidence to succeed in
their respective sports.
Comparing a dance competition to what people think
a “real competitive sport” is.
Functional Theory:
Like at a dance competition, there are many
of the same structures in a football game. You
have your players (dancers), your referees
(judges), announcers (sound technicians), coaches
(instructors), and fans (dance moms). All of the
structures from a dance competition have basically
the same obligations as their comparison in a
football game. Many of the latent, manifest, and
dysfunctions are the same. Your always going to
have fans getting in the way but they are there to
support you when you need it most. Costs of
playing football are very expensive and families
pay to start out until skills develop enough for
their child to go pro. Without all of the structures
working together in both sports, neither of them
would be able to function and be successful.
Comparing a dance competition to what people think
a “real competitive sport” is.
Symbolic Interaction:
Like the other two perspectives, many of
the same symbols represent the same things
between football and dancing. There are some
that cannot relate back and forth to one another
such as dance style. All of the other symbols
directly relate to each other. Being a football
“soloist” is like being the MVP. You help lead the
team and everyone wants to be like you. Your
“stage position” on the field puts you in your
prime position to help make the team successful.
Your stage in your field. You “dance” your heart
out and leave your heart on the field.
 Competitive
dancers and football players can
be seen as one in the same in many
situations. As shown in this presentation, a
competition has all of the same aspects as
what people see as a “normal” competitive
sport. With these comparisons, we can see
why people consider a dance competition a
competitive sport based on the similarities
between the two.
Brianna Hunt
Term Project
Tues. Thurs. 9:00
Dr. Durso-Finley