Earlier this month, four dancers from Wisconsin competed in the World Para Dance Sport competition in Detroit.

Paradancing, sometimes called wheelchair dancing, is a competitive sport for athletes with physical disabilities of the lower limbs. It originated in the 1960s in Sweden, where the first competition was held in 1975. Since then, most international paradancing competitions have taken place in Europe.

This year the official World Championship was held in the USA for the first time.

“It was historic,” Martha Siravo said in an interview for WPR’s Wisconsin Today.

Siravo was one of four dancers representing Wisconsin at the event.

Siravo was introduced to paradance at the Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Brookfield after being named Ms. Wheelchair Wisconsin 2020. At the time, Brookfield had the only studio in Wisconsin fully equipped to offer dance classes for wheelchair users. Siravo wanted to change that.

“I realized there was a need to specifically support paradance in Wisconsin … and to provide a platform for the dancers who practice it there,” she said.

In 2022, Siravo founded Wheels & Heels, a Madison-based organization that provides resources and training to support the paradance community.

This year, one of Wheels & Heels’ goals was to raise funds to send dancers to compete in Detroit. This was accomplished with the support of two sponsors: Wispact, a nonprofit that manages foundations for people with disabilities, and Ki Mobility, a Stevens Point-based wheelchair manufacturer.

There are many different styles of para-competitive dance, including ballroom dances such as the waltz and foxtrot, Latin American dances such as the samba and cha-cha, and “freestyle” performances incorporating other genres such as ballet or hip hop.

In competitions, paradancers can compete in the “combo” style with a standing partner or in the “duo” style, where both partners are in wheelchairs.

A younger generation of para dancers

Eve Dahl is a high school junior and para dancer from Burlington who competed in the junior division at this year’s championships. She is currently ranked second in the world among para dancers in the junior division and sixth in the “combi” freestyle.

Like Siravo, Dahl began paradancing at the Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Brookfield.

“My parents heard about (the program), but they were like, ‘She’s only 9. She’s not going to want to dance with a boy,'” Dahl recalls, laughing. “But then I heard about it and thought, ‘Why didn’t you tell me about it?’ So I went to one of the classes and fell in love with it.”

In 2022, Dahl signed up for her first competition, thinking it would just be for fun.

“I really didn’t have high expectations,” she said, “so when I got a place, I was pretty surprised myself.”

At that time, a visiting coach also encouraged Dahl to compete abroad. For the past two years, she has taken part in paradancing competitions in Europe. Last year, she was the youngest competitor at the official World Championships in Italy.

This year, Dahl was excited to compete in the World Championships in her home country with other para dancers from Wisconsin and an even larger crowd cheering her on.

Looking to the future, Dahl said she plans to continue paradancing.

“One day I want to own my own studio,” she said. “I really hope I can make it my career and my life.”

Plea for Paradancing at the Paralympics

Although paradancing is an established sport that is becoming increasingly popular, it is not currently part of the Summer Paralympics.

After breakdancing was introduced at this year’s Olympic Games in Paris, Siravo is confident that paradancing will be added to the Games.

She also wants more attention to be given to the Paralympics, which usually take place two weeks after the Olympics and attract less international attention. The 2024 Paralympics will take place from August 28 to September 8.

“We see a lot of the Olympics. We don’t see so much of the Paralympics,” she said. “Why aren’t we included?”

Siravo is looking forward to introducing people to the art of para dance.

“Dance radiates beauty. That’s why I love it so much,” she said. “You can create this beautiful connection between someone without a disability and someone with a disability and you can find this beautiful space where the two meet and … complement each other.”