About the Sport
Elegance, style and rhythm lead to a winning dance routine. Wheelchair Dance Sport involves athletes with a physical disability that affects the lower limbs. Wheelchair dancers may participate in "combi"-style dancing with an able-bodied (standing) partner or duo-dance for two wheelchair users together. Standard dances include the waltz, tango, Viennese waltz, slow foxtrot and quickstep. Latin-American dances include the samba, cha-cha-cha, rumba, paso doble and jive. There are also Formation dances for four, six or eight couples dancing in formation. In 1998, Wheelchair Dance Sport became an IPC Championship Sport, but is not part of the Paralympic programme today. It is governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and co-ordinated by the IPC Wheelchair Dance Sport Technical Committee, which incorporates the rules of the International Dance Sport Federation (IDSF). In 2008, Wheelchair Dance Sport is widely practiced by athletes in 22 countries.
Competition Description
Competition in Wheelchair Dance Sport is defined by dances and forms.
Dances:
Standard dances include the waltz, tango, Viennese waltz, slow foxtrot, and quickstep.
Latin-American dances include the samba, cha-cha-cha, rumba, paso doble, and jive.
Forms:
Combi dance - a wheelchair user dances with an able-bodied partner.
Duo dance - two wheelchair-users dance together.
Group dance - wheelchair users only or together with able-bodied partners.
Single dance - a wheelchair user dances alone.
History
Practiced for recreational and rehabilitation purposes, Wheelchair Dancing originated in Sweden in 1968. Els-Britt Larsson, a wheelchair user herself who worked for the Swedish Handicap-Federation, was one of the pioneers of this fascinating sport.
Very soon news of dancing in a wheelchair was spread and it became a very popular activity, especially in Sweden. In 1975, the very first competition was organized in Vˆ§steras, Sweden, with a total of 30 couples taking part. Spectators were fascinated and inspired by the sport and very soon competitions started to be organized all over the world.
In 1977, the first international competition in Wheelchair Dance Sport took place in Sweden. After several regional and international competitions, the first World Championships were organized in Japan in 1998. The same year, Wheelchair Dance Sport became a Sport under the Governance and Management Authority of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), but is not part of the Paralympic Program today.
Munich, Germany, organized the first Rock’Äôn Roll European Championship in 1984, for wheelchair dancers. In 1985, the first unofficial European Championships in Latin and Standard were organized in the Netherlands. At the 2006 IPC Wheelchair Dance Sport World Championships, which took place in Papendal, the Netherlands, duo-dance was presented for the first time in two Standard and three Latin dances.
The 2008 IPC Wheelchair Dance Sport World Championships will be organized in Minsk, Belarus in October 2008.
Sport Equipment
Dance Floor: The surface of the dance floor must be a minimum of 200 square meters, with no side of the floor less than 10m in length.
Wheelchair: Participants in Wheelchair dance sport have the option of using electric wheelchairs if they need.
For more detailed information, please visit the official website at
