Wheelchair dancesport


Wheelchair dancesport, also known as Para dance sport, is a form of competitive dancesport where at least one of the dancers is in a wheelchair. The sport corporates the rules of the World DanceSport Federation.

Sport

Wheelchair couple dances are for two wheelchair users or for one wheelchair user with a "standing" partner and include standard dances such as waltz, tango, Viennese waltz, slow foxtrot and quickstep and Latin American dances such as samba, cha-cha-cha, rumba, paso doble and jive. There are also formation dances for four, six or eight dancers.
Wheelchair dancing started in Sweden in 1968, originally for recreation or rehabilitation, with the first competition held in 1975. The first international competition was also held in Sweden, in 1977. Several regional and international competitions followed and the first World Championship was held in Japan in 1998. From 1998 to 2024, Wheelchair dancesport was governed by World Para Dance Sport, a subcommittee of the International Paralympic Committee. As part of the rebranding of the IPC's governing subcommittees as World Para Sports, the IPC began to refer to the sport as "Para dance sport" in 2016. The rebranding was also part of an effort to "further grow participation in the sport beyond wheelchair users", such as governing dancesport events involving competitors with prosthetics.
In 2021, the IPC began the process of transferring the governance of its self-governed sports to third-parties. In January 2024, the IPC transferred governance of the sport to World Abilitysport.
Para dance sport was considered for inclusion in the 2024 Summer Paralympics, but the IPC did not select it for consideration, and ultimately chose against adding any new sports.

Classification

  • Combi: dancing with an able-bodied partner
  • Duo: dance for two wheelchair users together
  • Formation: dances for four, six or eight couples dancing in formation
Athletes are placed into one of two classes:

European Para Dance Sport Championships

Asian Para Dance Sport Championships

Social

Wheelchair dancing is a popular social and recreational activity, with participants in over 40 countries. The physical benefits of wheelchair dancing include the maintenance of physical balance, flexibility, range of motion, coordination and improved respiratory control. The psychological effects of ballroom dancing are social interaction and the development of relationships. For social dancers, it is an opportunity to engage in a fun and a friendly event with others. For competitors, it assists in the development of fair play, sportsmanship and communication skills. Wheelchair dancing is an activity that integrates the wheelchair user and able-bodied person.

Courses

In February, 2008 the University of Delaware Collegiate DanceWheels Program was created to instruct students in wheelchair dancing. This is the first accredited course of its kind in the United States. The program was developed in conjunction with the American DanceWheels Foundation through a grant from the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.