Photo courtesy of Kamran Malik.
Ansleigh Lewis, a dancer with the University of Tampa Spartan Scarlets, showcases the strength and precision required in collegiate dance, which is an often-overlooked form of athleticism.
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By Ebony Hanna
TAMPA, Fla. — To an outside audience, a dance performance often looks effortless, with synchronized movement and seamless transitions set to music. Yet, behind the stage lights and polished routines is a training process that demands lots of discipline.
At the University of Tampa, dancers train for hours at a time. They learn how to balance academics with rigorous rehearsal schedules that require strength, coordination, and mental focus. Despite this, dance is still frequently overlooked, as people often view it as strictly entertainment rather than a competition.
The reality, however, is that collegiate dance requires many of the same athletic demands found in other sports such as cardiovascular endurance, precision, and the ability to perform under pressure.
For UTampa Spartan Scarlet dancer Ansleigh Lewis, those demands are built into every rehearsal.
A typical practice lasts several hours and begins with conditioning, before moving into technical work and practicing their routine. The process is repetitive and physically intense, requiring dancers to execute movements with consistency and control.
This level of training challenges the common misconception that dance is primarily aesthetic rather than athletic.
“I think people don’t understand how disciplined you have to be and how hard dance actually is,” Lewis said. “Dancers make dance look easy, but in reality, it’s very hard physically and mentally.”
The demands of collegiate dance also raise larger questions about how the discipline is classified and recognized.
“I think most people don’t consider it a sport, and college dance is 100 percent a sport,” Lewis said. “It’s basically equivalent to sprinting, but you also have to turn, jump, and perform with control and grace at the same time.”
Beyond physical expectations, dancers at UTampa also navigate limited resources while maintaining competitive performance standards.
“We get little to no funding from the school, and it’s so hard to find practice spaces and class schedules,” Lewis said. “But our hard work truly pays off.”
Lewis pointed to the team’s competitive success, noting that they have performed alongside top Division I programs at nationals.
“We placed second and third at nationals and ranked among top programs in the country,” she added.
College dance became a turning point for Lewis. After initially feeling like stepping away from dance after high school, college gave her a renewed sense of purpose.
“In college, I had a second chance to meet friends for life and find my passion again,” Lewis said.
Her experience reflects a broader reality within the UTampa dance program and the level of athleticism it requires.
According to UTampa dance coach Lindsey Goldaper, the physical demands of the program are often underestimated from an outside perspective.
“The athleticism required is extremely high,” Goldaper said. “Our dancers train 2–3 times per week, building strength, endurance, flexibility, and control while also delivering performance quality. It’s physically comparable to many traditional sports, with the added demand of precision and artistry.”
She added that dancers are often overlooked as athletes because audiences tend to focus on performance rather than the preparation behind it.
“What looks effortless is the result of hours of preparation, repetition, and discipline both in and outside of practice,” said Goldaper.
Beyond training and competition, performance itself is one of the most meaningful parts of the experience.
“Dancing can be so nerve-racking but so rewarding to be able to show off what you love, your gift to people,” Lewis said. “It’s taught me to keep pushing, be persistent, and even when you get rejected, you keep going.”
While the audience sees the final routine, what they don’t see is the work that makes every movement possible.