Athlete Eligibility and Classification
Athletes with physical disabilities 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 coordination, or leg shortening of at least 7cm. Normal upper body function is expected.
Athletes are classified into either the LWD 1 (14 points or less) or LWD 2 (more than 14 points) classes based upon their performances on these tests:
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 coordination.
Trunk rotation. Ability to fully rotate the trunk without losing balance.
Events
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 a nondisabled partner.
Duo dance - two wheelchair users dance together.
Group dance - wheelchair users only or together with nondisabled partners dance in formations or free performances.
Single dance - a wheelchair user dances alone.
Playing Area
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.
Rules
Wheelchair dance sport is governed by International Dance Sport Federation (IDSF) rules as modified by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). The IDSF rules can be accessed at http://www.idsf.net, and the IPC rules can be accessed at http://www.paralympic.org. These rules specify the dance forms, duration and tempo of the music, number of couples that may occupy the dance floor, and costumes. Several rounds of competition are conducted (e.g., first round, second round, semi-final, and final), with the number of rounds determined by the number of competitors. IPC rules specify enough rounds that each couple has the opportunity to dance twice. Performances are evaluated by five to seven judges.
Equipment
Dancers' costumes are regulated by IDSF rules. As of this writing (January 2002), there are no IPC rules regarding wheelchair design.
Foxtrot
Waltz
Tango
Viennese Waltz
Quickstep
Rumba
Cha Cha
Eastern Swing
West Coast Swing
Samba
Mambo
Salsa
Merengue
Paso Doble
Bolero
Jive
Hustle
Theatre Arts
Country / Western
Wheelchair Dancesport
Most dance descriptions originate @ Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
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