Wisconsin Para Dancers Make History at World Competition

By Camila Cruz, age 17

Four talented dancers from Wisconsin made history in early 2024 by competing at the World Para Dance Sport competition in Detroit, marking the first time the event has been held in the United States.

Para dancing, also referred to as wheelchair dancing, allows athletes with disabilities in their lower limbs to participate in competitive dance. The sport started in Sweden in the 1960s and has since grown into an international sport with competitions normally held in Europe. The 2024 World Para Dance Sport championship was a significant milestone for the sport in North America.

One notable Wisconsin representative was Martha Siravo, the founder of Madison-based Wheels & Heels, Inc. This organization is dedicated to supporting para dancers in the Badger state. Siravo was introduced to para dancing after being crowned Ms. Wheelchair Wisconsin in 2020. She founded Wheels & Heels, Inc. in 2022 to provide resources and training for para dancers of all ages and abilities.

This year, Siravo’s organization accomplished its goal of securing funding to send dancers to Detroit with the help of two sponsors: Wispact, a nonprofit managing trusts for people with disabilities, and Ki Mobility, a wheelchair manufacturer.

One of the other competitors from Wisconsin was Eve Dahl, a high school junior from Burlington, who competed in the junior division. Dahl ranked second internationally in the junior category and sixth in the "combi" freestyle, which is where a standing partner and a partner in a wheelchair dance together.

"I didn’t go into my first competition with big expectations," she said, recounting her para-dancing debut in 2022.

Encouraged by a visiting head coach, she soon started competing in European events and, at just 16 years old, became the youngest competitor at the world championship in Italy in 2023.

Dahl was excited to compete in her home country this year.

“It felt special to be there with my teammates from Wisconsin and to have more people cheering for me,” she said.

Her success in the sport has inspired her to make para dance her life’s focus. She dreams of opening her own dance studio.

The popularity of para dance is growing. Competitions like the World Para Dance Sport championship highlight the inclusivity of the sport. This inclusivity is one of the main focuses of Wheels & Heels, Inc., as expressed in their mission statement:

“Our Mission is to increase disability diversity in dance. We want to revolutionize the dance community and inspire more individuals with disabilities to be part of the Arts or to pursue competition through Para Dance Sport.”

“Dance projects beauty,” Siravo said. It also promotes unity between “someone who does not have a disability and someone who does have a disability, and you get to find this beautiful space where the two meet and … complement each other.”

Siravo is hopeful that para dance will one day be included in the Summer Paralympics, especially after the addition of breakdancing in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

As para dancing continues to grow in popularity, both in the U.S. and abroad, the dedication and achievements of these Wisconsin dancers work as a reminder that dance is for everyone.

[Sources: Wisconsin Public Radio; Wheels & Heels, Inc]