Is dance a sport?

     Yikes, this is the first post that could actually spark some heat. Luckily, my blog isn't popular so hopefully I won't have anybody attacking me, but I feel the need to address the question that is rampid amongst this generation: is dance a sport?
     So just to give some background, I have done dance before, and I loved it. Last year was actually my first year of not doing it and I miss it sometimes. I can tell you from personal experience it can be very painful, exhausting stuff. There's no doubt. What you put in is what you get out. It takes dedication (like anything else you consider worthy of your time) and hard work. Here is my argue, however, and please don't hate me. I believe dancers are athletes. I believe that dancing is athletic. However, I do not believe that dancing is a sport.
     Just hear me out on this one. Disregarding even the perforamces that dancing displays, let's focus on the competitve dance competitions and the dance teams. The scoring of the competitions and each team and individual is subjective to the opinion of the judge. You can do the exact same routine over and over again for different judges and have a different score every time. You could compare this to a play that a sport team has (like football or basketball) however the outcome of the play on a football or basketball is not determind by a judge, but by a set of rules determined by a referee, and the score is determined by whether the team is able to complete the task that is given (scoring a touchdown or making a basket), not just the opinion of someone.
     Of course, technique comes into play. Obviously judges will watch for technique like pointing your toes and facial expressions (forgive me, I'm trying to keep this as simple as possible, and I'm aware there are many other things that they look for while judging) as referees will look for fouls and other mistakes made by the players on a sports team. However, there is no set rule for what is okay. I feel this is best demonstrated by giving an example.
    Say you accidentally look to the left instead of the right in the middle of your dance performance, while everyone else you're dancing with is looking right. You just so happen to be in the front and in the middle, and you've already had a solo within the performance, so the audiance doesn't think it's a mistake, but rather another simple but powerful solo. The judge may think the same thing, and you won't get docked for it. Let's apply this same situation to basketball. Say you move your pivot foot when you pick up your dribble and the ref sees it. The mistake is universal, and you will be penalized if noticed. (479)