Overview

Para 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 combi style, dancing with an able-bodied (standing) partner, or duo dance for two wheelchair users together, or single where a wheelchair user dances alone.

• Standard dances include waltz, tango, Viennese waltz, slow foxtrot and quickstep.
• Latin American dances include the samba, cha-cha-cha, rumba, paso doble and jive.
• Freestyle can include the standard dances (conventional) or any style for presentation (folk, hip hop, latin, standard, ballet, contemporary, street dance, salsa, Argentinean tango, cumbia, belly dance, etc.).

From 1998 the sport was governed by the International Paralympic Committee In 2024, governance of World Para Dance Sport was transferred to World Abilitysport.

The sport is not  yet part of the summer Paralympic Games sports programme. World Para Dance Sport  hope to make a successful bid for inclusion in the Brisbane 2032 Paralympic Games

In recent years the sport has benefited greatly from the screening of popular dance-based TV shows such as Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing with the Stars.

What equipment do I need to host a competition or compete?

The surface of the dance floor must be a minimum of 250 square meters with no side of the floor less than 10m in length, and 350 square meters for Championships.

Participants have the option of using electric wheelchairs if they need to. Check out the rules of Para dance sport for more information