Athleticism is defined by Merriam -Webster as “athletic ability: the combination of qualities (such as speed, strength, and agility) that are characteristic of an athlete.”

Everyone agrees that ballet is an art form. Creativity, beauty, personal expression, and musicality all play a part in the rhythmic movements that make up a dance . Hair, makeup, and costumes are accoutrements that bring artistic interpretation to a performance. Ballerinas, with their supreme control and grace, seem to move without effort. They are so convincing that the audience is able to overlook the athleticism that underlies even the most basic changes in position.

Rarely is ballet referred to as a sport. But consider the physical feats the human body requires in a practice or performance. When you examine what it takes–strength, endurance, speed, flexibility, agility, balance, and mental persuasion–to pull it off, it becomes readily apparent that ballet is both an art form and an athletic endeavor. The daily hours of training, the years of learning new skills and fine-tuning older skills push the limits of physical abilities. And then the dancer executes moves so automatically that she can interpret the music in addition. This process then sculpts the body itself into an art form. Ballet is the epitome of artistic athleticism.

Both artistic and athletic performance require discipline. Here we have a young ballerina who sacrifices a large portion of her time to pursue her love of ballet. In doing so, she satisfies human needs for beauty, artistic appreciation, and athletic pursuits. Undoubtedly it leaves her both physically and mentally exhausted–and fulfilled.