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Wheelchair dancesport

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Wheelchair Dance
Senang Hati-Diah Larasati-Wheelchair Dance
Highest governing bodyWorld Abilitysport
First played1968 Sweden
Characteristics
ContactYes
Team membersSingle competitors, doubles, or teams
Mixed-sexYes
TypeIndoor
EquipmentWheelchair
VenueDance hall
Presence
Country or regionWorldwide

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 (WDSF).[1]

Sport

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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.[1]

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 (IPC). 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.[2]

In 2021, the IPC began the process of transferring the governance of its self-governed sports to third-parties.[3][4] In January 2024, the IPC transferred governance of the sport to World Abilitysport (formerly IWAS).[5]

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.[6]

Classification

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  • Combi: dancing with an able-bodied (standing) 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:[7]

  • LWD 1: 14 points or less
  • LWD 2: more than 14 points

World Para Dance Sport Championships

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Edition Year Host City Country Events
1 1998 Nagano  Japan
2 2000 Oslo  Norway
3 2002 Warsaw  Poland
4 2004 Tokyo  Japan
5 2006 Arnhem  Netherlands
6 2008 Minsk  Belarus
7 2010 Hannover  Germany
8 2013 Tokyo  Japan
9 2015 Rome  Italy
10 2017 Malle  Belgium

European Para Dance Sport Championships

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Edition Year Host City Country Events
1 1991 Munich  Germany
2 1993 Oslo  Norway
3 1995 Duisburg  Germany
4 1997 Härnösand  Sweden
5 1999 Athens  Greece
6 2001 Arnhem  Netherlands
7 2003 Minsk  Belarus
9 2007 Warsaw  Poland
10 2009 Tel Aviv  Israel
11 2014 Łomianki  Poland
12 2016 Kosice  Slovakia

Asian Para Dance Sport Championships

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Edition Year Host City Country Events
1 2016 New Taipei City  Chinese Taipei

Social

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Wheelchair dancing is a popular social and recreational activity, with participants in over 40 countries.[8] 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.[9]

Courses

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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.[10]

See also

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wheelchair dance.

References

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  1. ^ a b "About the Sport". IPC Wheelchair Dance Sport. International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
  2. ^ "The IPC to rebrand the 10 sports it acts as International Federation for" (Press release). International Paralympic Committee. 30 November 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  3. ^ "IPC seeking entities interested in taking over Para athletics and Para swimming". www.insidethegames.biz. 20 July 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  4. ^ "IPC to cease acting as international federation for 10 sports by end of 2026". www.insidethegames.biz. 11 December 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  5. ^ "FAQ in relation to the transfer of Para dance sport to World Abilitysport". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  6. ^ "Paris 2024: IPC announces sports programme". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  7. ^ Classification
  8. ^ Rogers, Avery (12 November 2001). "Wheelchair Dancing". ExploreDance.com. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
  9. ^ Goldberg, Kenny (21 June 2011). "Wheelchair Dancing Is on a Roll". KPBS. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
  10. ^ Buck, Crystal (29 January 2008). "UD to offer nation's first wheelchair dance course". UDaily. University of Delaware. Retrieved 30 October 2011. Includes a picture of a dancing couple.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
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