Para Dance helps me ‘forget everything and just dance’

“Being able to move to music and forget everything and just dance is something that’s very much a big part of it for me.”

17-year-old Hannah has been wheelchair dancing for several years, after beginning a class as part of her Duke of Edinburgh award.

“Being in a group of other teen girls who are also wheelchair users is really lovely because sometimes that can be quite hard to find elsewhere,” she says.

Hannah is one of several members of an inclusive dance class in west Oxfordshire, which gives people of all abilities the opportunity to train in para dance.

Whilst Hannah and two other members of the class are wheelchair users, the sessions focus on giving children and young people with disabilities the opportunity to socialise with their non-disabled peers.

Lizzie Large, who founded West Oxfordshire Wheelchair Dance (WOWD) nine years ago, says the sessions quickly became popular.

“It brought out a family,” she says. “People that had no opportunity to go out… or no purpose in life suddenly became part of this community with like-minded people”.

Miss Large says the benefits of dance for both physical and mental health are well-known.

“For people that have more limiting conditions, just having that opportunity to… explore how their body can move in a different way [is important]”.

Another member, Nathan, reached the semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent in 2023. “It’s fun,” he says. “I really enjoy it and it makes me happy”.

Last month saw the inaugural Para Dance IPC and World Ability Sports Para Dance Championships take place in Stevenage.

Competitors from Oxfordshire won 3 gold medals, 2 silver and third and sixth place finishes.

Previously governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), para dance fell under organisation WorldAbility Sport last year.

Although recognised as a paralympic sport it was not selected as an event in the 2024 Paralympic Games.

Miss Large says the growth of the para dance means she hopes that will change in the future.

“That would be an amazing opportunity. Things are looking really exciting the future – so fingers crossed we’ll get there”.