Dance is prohibited by many factors from gaining acceptance in mainstream Australian sporting culture. A main factor is the fact that spectatorship is low. Without spectatorship it is nearly impossible for a sport to grow in Australia. Australians want to watch exciting sports where competitors are putting their lives on the line and getting injured. This reflects Australian society today, Aussies are very masculine, in the sense that they love the blood and guts, the love car racing because of the sounds that the cars make etc.
             When spectators go out to watch a sport they go to enjoy it, to have fun. Dance does not have the same qualities that other sports have. Football is exciting because, it is intense, competitive and unpredictable. There are goals that can be scored any time throughout the 90 minutes, some can be fantastic goals, and there are skilful moves that a player can perform. Cricket has wickets, spectacular catches, sixes and fours, all keep the spectators on the edge of their seats. Dance has none of this, it isn't very competitive, intense, and it is very predictable. The dancers have set dances to perform, and it is only when they make a mistake that it is unpredictable, which doesn't happen very often. There isn't any surprise goals or sixes. Dance maybe exciting for dancers but not spectators, because it is missing the key ingredient to an exciting sport, which is surprise.
             Dance has a powerful capacity to reflect our social and cultural values and our search for identity. Back in the 17th century through to the 20th Century dance was a highly participated hobby, at dinners and events, everyone got up and danced. Chivalry was a main reason why people danced. The man was expected to dance with a woman, just because it was the right thing to do, but whoever said chivalry was dead is right, especially in Australia. Women still like to dance, but men think it is a feminine activity, and in Australia...