The History of Wheelchair Competitions and its Organizations

The history of wheelchair dancing had been traced all the way back to 1987.

Wheelchair dancing in Malta took hold and became popular around 1999 and gained recognition when the Malta Wheelchair Dance Association (MWDA) was set up in 2001 to help support and mainstream the sport. The MWDA organizes the Malta Open Dance Spectacular, held at the University Sports Hall in Msida, and is the second largest BBC televised wheelchair Dancesport event in the world.

This type of dance for non-standing dancers has become more popular every year and has sparked other new wheelchair dance organizations around the world as well.

The benefits of wheelchair dancing is exponential. The smiles on the faces of the dancers says it all. It makes them happy and is a doorway to artistically express their feelings through body language just like the dancers that are able to stand. These dancers follow the same syllabus as the standing dancers and are judged by proper arm placement, presentation and musicality.

The social interactions that dancers experience while dancing helps them gain confidence and make new friends that hold the same interests. Dancing requires strength, coordination, timing and flexibility, all of which will improve when you dance on a regularly basis.

If you are interested in dancing or know someone that might be, call your local dance studio to inquire about getting started.

Wheelchair Dance Organizations

Wheelchair Dancesport Associations around the world



IPC Wheelchair Dancesport	ipc-wheelchairdancesport.org	Germany
Paralympic Movement	paralympic.org	Germany
Malta Wheelchair Dance Accociation	www.maltawda.com	Malta
Rolstoel Dansen	rolstoeldansen.nl	Netherlands
UK Wheelchair Dancesport	ukwheelchairdancesport.com	UK
Wheelchair Dancesport USA	wheelchairdancesportusa.org	USA
US Wheelchair Dancing	www.uswheelchairdancing.com	USA
American DanceWheels Foundation	americandancewheels.com	USA