Wheelchair Dances.. more
Posted on April 24th, 2010 by Sergey Muretov
History
Practiced for recreational and rehabilitation purposes, Wheelchair Dancing originated in Sweden in 1968. Els-Britt Larsson, a wheelchair user herself who worked for the Swedish Handicap-Federation, was one of the pioneers of this fascinating sport.
Very soon news of dancing in a wheelchair was spread and it became a very popular activity, especially in Sweden.
In 1975, the very first competition was organized in Västeras, Sweden, with a total of 30 couples taking part. Spectators were fascinated and inspired by the sport and very soon competitions started to be organized all over the world.
In 1977, the first international competition in Wheelchair Dance Sport took place in Sweden. After several regional and international competitions, the first World Championships were organized in Japan in 1998. The same year, Wheelchair Dance Sport became a Sport under the Governance and Management Authority of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), but is not part of the Paralympic Program today.
Munich, Germany, organized the first Rock’n Roll European
Championship in 1984, for wheelchair dancers. In 1985, the first unofficial
European Championships in Latin and Standard were organized in the Netherlands.
At the 2006 IPC Wheelchair Dance Sport World Championships, which took place in
Papendal, the Netherlands, duo-dance was presented for the first time in two
Standard and three Latin dances.
Sport Equipment
Dance Floor: The surface of the dance floor must be a minimum of 200 square meters, with no side of the floor less than 10m in length.
Wheelchair: Participants in Wheelchair dance sport have the option of using electric wheelchairs if they need.
Competition Description
Competition in Wheelchair Dance Sport is defined by dances and forms.
Dances:
Standard dances include the waltz, tango, Viennese waltz, slow foxtrot, and quickstep.
Latin-American dances include the samba, cha-cha-cha, rumba, paso doble, and jive.
Forms:
Combi dance - a wheelchair user dances with an able-bodied partner.
Duo dance - two wheelchair-users dance together.
Group dance - wheelchair users only or together with able-bodied partners.
Single dance - a wheelchair user dances alone.
Classification
General Information
Athletes with a physical disability that affect the lower limbs are eligible to participate in Wheelchair Dance Sport. The impairment must be obvious and must make ordinary walking and dancing impossible. Examples of minimum disability include amputation through the ankle, limited muscle strength in both legs, ankylosis of the ankle or knee joint, spasticity or limited co-ordination, or leg shortening of at least 7cm.
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 function - 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.
From these tests, athletes are placed into one of two classes:
•LWD 1: 14 points or less
•LWD 2: more than 14 points.
Complete Classification
1.General Principal
1. The classification is a functional classification, which can be adapted to any category.
2. Five criteria are tested to evaluate the function of upper limb and trunk control using a point system. The point limit depends on the category (see point 4 above).
2. Testing Procedure
1. The athlete has to be tested on a hard floor under competition conditions (in competition wheelchair e.g. straps, supports).
2. The function is assessed for each side of the body with
* 2 points for full function,
* 1 point for reduced function,
* 0 point for no function.
* Maximum points are 20.
3. The five criteria are:
1. Wheel Control: the ability to accelerate and stop the wheel by one or the other hand;
2. Push Function: by pushing in hand contact with the partner with one or the other arm the movement of the wheelchair can be controlled;
3. Pull Function: by pulling in hand contact with the partner with one or the other arm the movement of the wheelchair can be controlled;
4. Full Arm Function: the athlete must be able to perform a controlled movement of the free arm reaching full extension of the joints and full co-ordination;
5. Trunk Rotation: hands in the neck, the athlete must be able to fully rotate the trunk without losing balance.
3. Classes
1. The classes for Wheelchair Dance Sport Competitions in the section Standard Dances and the section Latin American Dances are:
LWD 1: 14 points or less
LWD 2: more than 14 points.
4. Classification Card
All disabled competitors must present an IPC Medical Classification card prior to competition. After two international classifications the class can be permanent.
5. Permanent Classification
•Basis is a disability, which is not likely to improve.
•"Permanent" can only be given by two (2) different international classifiers from different countries.
•Athletes showing their permanent classification by a valid classification card do not have to be tested before the competition.
6. Classification Procedure
1. Official IPC Competitions
For the IPC Competitions the classifiers can be selected from the official classifier list by the organiser.
The team of classifiers has to consist of minimum one classifier trainer and one international classifier and one national classifier. Minimum one of them has to be a medical doctor.
The proposed team has to be approved by the Classification Committee.
2. Regional Championships approved by the IPC-WDSC
At least one international classifier from the official list has to lead the classification. Minimum of one medical doctor has to be present.
3. Organising Principles
•Sufficient time has to be provided by the organiser, at least two (2) hours before the warm up dancing. The room must be big enough and have a hard floor to test dancing.
•Only one classifier who is the primarily responsible classifier signs the classification. #
•The team leader of the classified athletes can protest the classification within one hour after classification (see also general protest regulation of IPC).
•The team of other nations can protest within a half-hour after the competition by their team leader.
•The protest classification should be done within one hour after protest.
•The protest classification has to be done by a different team. They have to hear the athlete's explanations as well as the first classifiers opinion.
•The times can be prolonged for special reasons in agreement with the involved persons.
Our Chance Dance Centre open for wheelchair dance - firstly in Canada. ("Dancing is dancing, whether you are standing or sitting, rhythm and music are from inside the body and the mind.").
Come, enjoy our relaxed, personal atmosphere where learning to
ballroom dance is fun and easy.