Amid the bustle of video replay, NIL talk and middle-school recruiting, the GHSA quietly passed an interesting if not mildly amusing bylaw last week that will keep competitive dancers from showing too much.
The new bylaw reads: “Fabric must cover the skin from the bra line to the knees in front and in back.’’
Sanctioned by the GHSA in 2021, dance is among the fastest-growing Georgia high school sports.
It is contested with dance routines of up to two minutes in any of four styles - hip hop, jazz, high kick and pom. Performances may feature between seven to 20 dancers. It’s one of the GHSA’s rare co-ed sports.
Uniforms or costumes vary widely to fit the spirit and theme of a performance.
GHSA competitive dance coordinator Penny Pitts Mitchell explained that an existing NFHS rule says the midriff must be covered with mesh or some kind of material, but there’s no national rule covering thighs.
Pitts Mitchell explained the GHSA’s new stance.
“High school athletes need to wear tights under uniforms that have no legs (or under those) similar to a swimsuit to ensure their bottoms are covered in case the uniform rides up during performances,’' she said. “And yes, there were some instances during performances this year that prompted this rule.”
Pants, shorts or nude body liners also would suffice as long as thighs or midriffs aren’t bare.
There were 70 GHSA teams this past season, up from 57 in 2022 and 41 in 2021. The GHSA’s four 2023 champions were Stilwell Arts, Starr’s Mill, McIntosh and Peachtree Ridge.
Pitts Mitchell said the growing sport just needed a little tweaking.
“It’s nothing intentional from the athletes,’' Pitts Mitchell said, “but with today’s social media and cell phones and readily available cameras, sometimes we just need to protect our high school athletes from themselves.’'
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