Summer Festival Results

We would like to say a huge well done to everyone involved!

Thank you very much to Claire Tracey & Emma Millward for organising such a great event supported by our Head Adjudicator Martin Bird. Thanks also to our Judges Louise Sampson and Tracy Norris.

Inclusive dance just got more accessible: Para Dance UK hosts first online competition

The scores are in! Tonight, Para Dance UK hosted the Results Event for Summer Festival, its first online, inclusive Para Dance Sport competition.

Summer Festival is Para Dance UK’s search for this summer’s most exciting inclusive dance athletes. Unofficial and non-qualifying, the Festival was open to members of Para Dance UK, but it did not follow IPC (International Paralympic Committee) rules. It was instead a fun opportunity for amateurs to get back on the dance floor and stretch those muscles that have gotten stiff over lockdown.

A total of 25 Para Dance UK member athletes sent in 42 videos of themselves dancing at home, creating 19 events for the judges to score. The dancers have spanned all ages and four dance styles, and all have impressed the judges with their creativity and imagination. For the first time, Para Dance UK celebrated having Open categories for standing and manual wheelchair athletes, so more athletes could join in and be scored too.

The judges have picked the winners for Waltz, Samba, Freestyle, and Slow Freestyle. Have a look at the documents on this page for all event placements, to watch the 42 video entries and find the Slow/Freestyle scores. The five athletes who entered Waltz and Samba can email services@paradance.org.uk if they’d like their feedback comments from the judges.

Katie Goodwin, National Representative for Para Dance UK, says “I’m very much a people-person so I do miss competing and seeing people in person, but there’s still lots we can do under the current circumstances. At the moment more people can actually access inclusive dance because a lot of events are online, so that’s a positive.”

If you missed the Results Event live on Facebook, you can watch it here: https://vimeo.com/573033553

Para Dance UK is committed to making dance inclusive to everyone, especially through the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. As the situation continues, the safe participation of disabled people in recreational sports remains essential. Hosting the Summer Festival online means that more dancers than ever can take part — irrespective of geographic location, a need to “shield”, or health conditions. Para Dance UK’s Summer Festival has accessibility at its heart.