Taipei to host international Para dance sport course in October

台北將於10月舉辦國際Para舞蹈運動課程

Para dance sport provides an arena for disabled athletes to dance competitively


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan has recently been selected to host the first official introductory course for international Para dance sport to be held in Asia.

Para dance, which provides an arena for disabled athletes to dance competitively, is looking for participants and coaches from across Asia, for the introductory course in Taipei, which will be held Oct. 3-4 in cooperation with the Chinese Taipei Wheelchair Dance Sport Association.

Para dance is a dance competition established in association with the World DanceSport Federation and governed by the International Paralympic Committee.

The competition debuted in Taiwan in 2016 with the inaugural regional championships, which showcased 50 dancers from five different countries.

The history of wheelchair dancing goes back to the late 1960s, according to the Paralympic.org website. The current framework for competitions was adopted in 1998 under the name IPC Wheelchair Dance Sport.

Since then the sport has continued to attract attention and develop. In 2016, the name of the sport was changed to Para dance sport.

Speaking about the planned October course World Para Dance Sport Manager Camila Rodrigues says the organization hopes participants from new countries will join. "It is the first step to encourage more nations to compete in events, enrich the cultural diversity and increase the standard of Para dance in the region.”

For those that are interested, dances can be choreographed for single dancers, or groups doing formation dances.

Couple routines permit one able bodied partner with one wheel chair user, or two wheel chair users dancing together.

The deadline for application to participate in the introductory course is Sept. 4 with 20 slots available. For more information visit the Paralympic.org website.

(Image from Paralympic.org)