I was about as nonathletic a child as it's possible to be, and I discovered in college that I had a real talent for ballroom dancing. I danced competitively for about fifteen years, and became New England and Eastern US amateur champion in my division (American smooth). It is definitely hard, hard work, but I found it to have a lot of the advantages of team sports, but with a much smaller "team."
The downside is that the ballroom world can be very image-conscious, and it's hard to succeed without the "right" kind of body at the top levels. But you can go a long way before you hit that ceiling, even if it applies.
Oh... dancing is fabulous exercise
Your post reminded me of my short lived ballet phase (I took it as an adult, for fun). I enjoyed it and I can't recall now why I stopped - I think I got too busy. Anyway, I remember being amazed at how quickly I got toned. Dancing is not as easy as it looks, that's for sure - it's definitely exercise. It's the perfect combination of sport and art
