Wheelchair Dancing
Wheelchair Dancing is a little known competitive sport in which one or all of the participants of a team perform dance routines while riding in a wheelchair. It originated in Sweden in 1968 as a recreational activity and a form of rehabilitation, and its popularity led the way for a competitive sport to be developed within a decade. Today, Wheelchair Dancing is practiced in over 40 countries around the world.
In competitions, three different types of events are conducted, which are, Combi - a pair with one in wheelchair and a standing partner, Duo - a pair with both dancers in wheelchairs, and Formation - an event in which four, six, or eight pairs of dancers perform a formation.
wheelchair dancers on a stamp from Lithuania The teams are required to perform two types of dances, a standard dance like tango, waltz, Viennese waltz, quickstep and slow foxtrot, and a Latin American dance like cha-cha-cha, samba, paso doble, rumba and jive.
Participants are classified into two categories based on the level of disabilities, which are named as LWD 1 and LWD 2.
The highest level competition for the sport is the World Championship event that is held every two years. There is also an European Championship conducted for the sport bi-annually.
Similar Sports
- Dancesport — Dancesport is the competitive form of Ballroom and Latin Dancing, in which contestants perform dances before judges.
- Wheelchair Tennis — a version of lawn tennis for those who have lower body disabilities.
- Wheelchair Curling — a variation of curling in which athletes with a disability affecting their lower limbs use a wheelchair to play the sport.
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