Dance Sport
Wheelchair dance is a vibrant and expressive adaptive art form that allows dancers with mobility impairments to participate fully in ballroom, Latin, contemporary, and freestyle dance styles.
Performed individually, in pairs (with one or two wheelchair users), or in groups, wheelchair dance combines athletic movement with musical interpretation, rhythm, and creativity. Using manoeuvrable dance wheelchairs designed for smooth turns and fluid motion, dancers showcase grace, coordination, and artistry on the floor.
In South Africa and around the world, wheelchair dance offers a welcoming community where participants can build confidence, improve fitness, and experience the joy of movement through inclusive performance and competition.
What Assistance are you looking for?
1. About Wheelchair Dance Sport
2. South African Dance Sport
3. Dance Sport Classification
4. History of Disability Dance
About Wheelchair Dance Sport
Wheelchair Dance Sport is a partner dance sport, where at least one of the dancers are in a wheelchair. Wheelchair couple dances are for two wheelchair users or for one wheelchair user with a “standing” partner.
It includes standard dances such as waltz, tango, Viennese waltz, slow foxtrot, quickstep and Latin American dances such as samba, cha-cha-cha, rumba, Paso double and jive.
There are also formation dances for four, six or eight dancers.
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
2. South African Dance Sport
In South Africa, Wheelchair Dance was first introduced in 1996 by Corrie van Hugten from Holland and saw the formation of a body called South African Dance Association for Learners with Special Educational Needs (SADALSEN). The association represented all schools of the people living with disabilities.
In September 1998 The South African Dance Foundation (SADF) was registered under the pretext of “DanceSport South Africa” (DSSA).
The Company took over the responsibilities of administering, developing and promoting Dance as an art-form and sport in South Africa.
In 2000 FEDANSA resigned as a member from the company and the DSSA became the sole member of the company. Later they became SADF and took full ownership of the company, with the nine Provincial Branches becoming the shareholders of the company.
The main purpose of the company is to defend the interests of ALL Dancers and to ensure that there is a viable Dance Industry in the country inclusive of all amateur and professional dancers and to ensure that ALL South African Dancers, black, white and disabled enjoy equal opportunities in the development and promotion of dance.
Their aims are to also create a sound and safe technique for the Disabled and Wheelchair dancers while understanding their disabilities and need to allow freedom of expression and musical interpretation and to educate teachers.
The sport is active in most provinces. The national convenor for Wheelchair Dance Sport is Glady Bullock.
Wheelchair Dancers include those with a variety of mobility impairments, The Semi Blind, Blind, and Hard of Hearing.
3. Dance Sport Classification
Classification systems have been put into place to ensure that all competitors have an equal opportunity to compete.
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:
LWD 1: 14 points or less
LWD 2: more than 14 points
4. History of Disability Dance
Disability Dance and more in particular the wheelchair dancing started in Sweden in 1968, originally for recreation or rehabilitation.
The first competition was 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 is governed by the International Paralympics Wheelchair Dance Sport Committee (IPWDSC), although it is not part of the Paralympics program.
In South Africa, Wheelchair Dance was first introduced in 1996 by Corrie van Hugten from Holland and saw the formation of a body called South African Dance Association for Learners with Special Educational Needs (SADALSEN). The association represented all schools of the people living with disabilities.
Since 1998, Wheelchair Dance Sport is governed by the International Paralympics Wheelchair Dance Sport Committee (IPWDSC), although it is not part of the Paralympics program. The sport incorporates the rules of the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF).