Para DanceSport

Introduction

Para (Wheelchair) Dance Sport is an extremely elegant, graceful and stylish sport which involves athletes with a physical impairment that affects the lower limbs. Participants can compete as singles, duos or formations.
Para Dance Sport was developed in Sweden in 1968 for recreational and rehabilitation purposes. The first para dance sport competition was held in Vasteras, Sweden with 30 couples in 1975 and two years later the first international competition was held. The first World Championships took place in Japan in 1998. Today the sport is widely practiced in 30 countries.
*All images © to the Ukrainian National Para Dance Sport Team*

How to Compete

Participants can compete combi style, dancing with an able bodied (standing) partner, or duo dance for two wheelchair users together. Group dance involves wheelchair users only or together with able-bodied partners whereas single dance sees a wheelchair user dance alone.

Dancers compete on a dance floor that is a minimum of 250 square meters and have the option of using electric wheelchairs.

Dancers compete in either Standard Ballroom dances (Waltz, Tango, Viennese Waltz, Slow Foxtrot and Quickstep) or Latin American dances (Samba, Cha-Cha-Cha, Rumba, Paso Doble and Jive). Recently, Freestyle and Show Dances have also been included (Folk, Hip Hop, Standard, Ballet, Street, Salsa, Argentine Tango, Cumbia, Belly Dance etc.)

International Rulebook

Who can participate in Para Dance Sport

Impairment Type

Para Dance Sport involves athletes with a physical impairment that affects the lower limbs.
The Eligible Impairment Types and Minimum Disability Criteria for Para Dance Sport are as follows:

  
    Minimum Disability Criteria
    Example
  
    Hypertonia, Ataxia or Athetosis
    Medical condition resulting from damage of central nervous system presenting spasticity and/or discoordination involving at minimum one lower limb with Grade 2 on the Modified Ashworth Scale
  
    Impaired Muscle Power
    Loss of at least 10 muscle strength points across both lower limbs in hip flexors, hip extensors, hip adductors, hip abductors, knee flexors, knee extensors, ankle dorsi- and plantar flexors, according to the Daniels and Worthingham Scale (Max. Score of 80) 
  
    Impaired Passive Range of Movement
    Limitation of movement in the knee with an extension defect of at least 30 degrees or ankle ankyloses.
  
    Limb Deficiency
    Amputation through the ankle (Symes Amputation) or dysmelia resulting in the absence. 
  
    Leg Length Difference
    Leg length difference of at least seven (7) centimetres.

Classification

To ensure competition is fair and equal Para Dance Sport has a classification which ensures that winning is determined by skill, fitness, power, endurance, tactical ability and mental focus, the same factors that account for success in sport for able bodied athletes.

For athletes who are eligible to participate in Para Dance Sport there are two classes – LWD 1 and LWD 2.

More information about classification can be found here.

How Do I Get Classified?

Athletes are classified according to their functional abilities, based on sport specific tests, which include:

Wheel control – ability to accelerate and stop the wheel by either hand
Push function – ability to control wheelchair movement while pushing and while in hand contact with the dance partner
Pull function – ability to control wheelchair movement while pulling and while in hand contact with the dance partner
Full arm rotation – ability to perform a controlled movement of the free arm reaching full extension of the joints and full co-ordination
Trunk rotation – ability to fully rotate the trunk without losing balance

These five criteria are tested on a hard floor under competition conditions using a points system whereby 2 points is awarded for full function, 1 point for reduced function and 0 points for no function. A maximum of 20 points can be awarded. Athletes with 14 points of less are classed as LWD1 and athletes with more than 14 points fall into the LWD2 class.