Play is frequently considered the basis of sport, and sport and dance are usually considered separate entities with little relationship to one another. In this paper a model is presented for conceptualizing sport and dance as a common phenomenon separate from the domains of psychology, sociology, history, biology, and geography. Performance is viewed as the basis of this shared relationship. Support is offered from the literature for viewing sport and dance as the performance of skill. Skill in an activity is considered a generic trait of sport and dance with levels of skill or ability a hierarchical, unique, and essential characteristic of the model. The levels within the model are beginner, intermediate, and advanced performance as we traditionally label our courses. Existentialism is offered as the philosophy underlying sport and dance. The purpose of the model is to propose that sport and dance be considered as a discrete domain with a body of knowledge upon which a theory of performance might be constructed. The paper is concluded by offering a common definition of sport and dance.