Wheelchair DanceSport


Wheelchair DanceSport is a partner dance competition and Dancesport where at least one of the dancers is in a wheelchair.

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. Since 1998, Wheelchair Dance Sport is governed by the International Paralympic Wheelchair Dance Sport Committee, although it is not part of the paralympic program. The sport incorporates the rules of the World DanceSport Federation.

Championships

athletes are placed into one of two classes:
EditionYearHost CityCountryEvents
11998Nagano
22000Oslo
32002Warsaw
42004Tokyo
52006Arnhem
62008Minsk
72010Hannover
82013Tokyo
92015Rome
102017Malle

European Para DanceSport Championships

EditionYearHost CityCountryEvents
11991Munich
21993Oslo
31995Duisburg
41997Härnösand
51999Athens
62001Arnhem
72003Minsk
92007Warsaw
102009Tel Aviv
112014Łomianki
122016Kosice

Asian Para DanceSport Championships

EditionYearHost CityCountryEvents
12016New Taipei City

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.