Three wheelchair ballroom dancers compete on Team USA in international competition

On Aug. 10 and 11, three wheelchair ballroom dancers from the Madison area traveled to Michigan to compete in the United States' first sanctioned World Para Dance Sport wheelchair ballroom dance competition on Aug. 10 and 11.

The Dearborn 2024 Para Dance Sport USA Open created an opportunity for wheelchair users to compete, with about 80 dancers from over 20 countries participating in the competition.

Dancers performed individually, in pairs or in a team, with choreography that incorporated elements of hip-hop, Latin style dances and rumba. Competition judges score routines based on synchronization, timing, choreography and expression.

Madisonian and founder of Wheels & Heels (an organization working to provide adaptive dance instruction for individuals with disabilities) Martha Siravo made her international debut in the competition. Her solo routine was set to "VIVIR ASI ES MORIR DE AMOR" by Nathy Peluso, an emotionally charged song that challenged Siravo as a dancer.

"I don't speak Spanish so I had to interpret and understand what my expression needed to be during the routine and it made me connect with it in a unique way," Siravo says.

In addition to rehearsing her solo at home and in the studio, Siravo also performed it at several community performances. While Siravo came into the competition as a strong competitor with polished routines, she knew there was still more to learn about international competition.

"I came in knowing I have a lot to learn about how judging works at a competition," Siravo says. "It's one thing to be an artist and dance, but competition is also looking at different skill sets."

Siravo was awarded 6th in Women’s Freestyle — a category that includes standard forms of dance like the waltz or the tango in addition to other styles such as ballet, hip hop and contemporary — for her solo routine. She also placed 4th in her Combi Standard routine alongside partner Illia Sorokin, a professional instructor at Fred Astaire Dance Studios Madison-West.

Additionally, Danielle Skupas from Madison and Rachel Vanderbloemen from Cross Plains showcased their skills in the non-sanctioned portion of the competition.

Siravo and Skupas’ solo routines were sponsored by Arts For All Wisconsin with a collaboration with professional choreographers from Barrio Dance and Madison Ballet. With the help of Wheels & Heels, all three dancers were able to find sponsors to help with overhead costs including competition fees, travel and lodging as well as connecting the dancers with professional dancers to compete in the Combi routines.

Siravo, Skupas and Vanderbloemen were three of 19 dancers who represented Team USA at the competition.

“Being part of Team USA is historic,” Siravo says. “Whenever competitions are held overseas, you might see one of two athletes from the U.S. This competition was the first of it’s kind and brought us together as athletes."

Siravo says it was nice to be able to attend the competition as a team and to be recognized at an international level.

"We weren’t competing against each other as much as we were competing with each other," Siravo says.

Competition videos from the Dearborn 2024 Para Dance Sport USA Open can be viewed here .

Anna Kleiber is an editorial intern at Madison Magazine.

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