Every four years nations of the world come together for friendly competition in hopes of winning gold for their country. With the stakes so high, the games be serious and outright intense. Plagued with concerns over readiness, safety and rocked by scandal, these games were nothing short of dramatic. As the first Olympics ever to be held in South America, these games were extra special and were history in the making. Despite their being hundreds of games with thousands of athletes, to the surprise of many, dance is still not an official sport recognized by the Olympic committee. Although it may not be an official sport, it is still very much represented.
From the elaborate opening and closing ceremonies, to the elements of dance displayed by powerful gymnasts, synchronized swimmers and even other athletes who’s celebration dances filled the crowds with excitement as they dances along with them.
I attended a beach volleyball match where I along with the rest of the crowd was up on my feet dancing along to the cheesy sound bites played each time a team blocked, scored or won. This happened so often, that we were probably on our feet as much as we were sitting.
A group of half time dancers even came out to do their hip hop routines sprinkled with Brazilian flavor every half or or so, and were accompanied on occasion by a live band who were also performing their own dance routines while they played their instruments.
Everywhere you went, there was dancing in and outside of events, and especially in the streets, until all hours of the night. In spite of the torrential rain storms, unusual chilly weather at times, and Regardless of which teams won or lost, a constant feeling of excitement, unity and celebration remained, which were all expressed through dance.
What were some of your favorite dance moments or shows of celebration during the games?
