Para Dance Sport action returns to Tokyo after 10 years

 Tokyo, the capital city of Japan, is set to host nearly 100 para dancers from 18 nations as the Para Dance Sport action returned to East Asian nation for the first time in a decade.

Last time Japan hosted a World Para Dance Sport event was the World Championships in Tokyo in 2013. Fifty-four female and 47 male that included several world champions across four continents will be in action this weekend (5 and 6 August), enthralling the Tokyo audience with their dance moves in single, combi and duo events.

International stars

Mexico’s Jesus Yermain Fernandez will be the biggest star in action at the Tokyo 2023 Para Dance Sport International Competition, which became the second Asian destination after the traditional organisers Chinese Taipei to host Para Dance Sport events in the region.

Fernandez, one of the winners of the second Online Challenge in 2021 - a competition launched by World Para Dance Sport during the COVID-19 pandemic -, is a four-time World Championships medallist and would be aiming to live up to his billing.

The Mexican star will have to overcome the challenges from Poland’s 2010 world champion Pawel Karpinski, Yermek Kalymbetov from Kazakhstan and others. 

In women's events, Belgium's Sofie Cox, who is recovering from surgeries, and Sanja Vukasinovic from Austria are expected to put up strong performances in single freestyle 2 and conventional 2 events.

Israel’s Tomer Margalit, who was among the top finishers in the last event in Lomianki, will be in the mix in women’s single 1 and freestyle 1 events.

Junior world champion Haydee Guerrero joined Angeles in the Mexican team competing in women single 1 & 2 events.

While this will be first competition for Australia which will field four dancers, there will be some new faces from Asian nations.

Strong Asian presence

The European stars should expect a tough challenge from a strong Asian gathering as dancers from South Korea, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan and host nation Japan would be ready to leave a mark with their unique moves in the build-up to the Genoa 2023 World Championships in November.

Korea have brought in a team of 16 dancers that included the Bonn 2019 World Championships gold medallist combi and duo pairs - Hye-Jeong Jang and Jeongbu Bae (Combi standard 1) and Juhee Hwang and Jaeung Son (Combi Standard 2).

Experienced Choi Jongchul and Choi Moonjung are also expected to produce a medal winning performance in duo and combi events.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong's Ma Wah Keung will be a top medal contender in men's freestyle 1 and conventional 1 event as do South Korea’s Jang and Lee Youngho and Han Changwoo.

There will be also dancers from Kazakhstan and Philippines who should be among the medals that included - the Bonn 2019 Worlds medallist pairs of Aidana Beglenova and Ardak Otorbayev from Kazakhstan (combi freestyle 1), compatriots Kulshum Atalykova and Kalymbetov, and Philippines' Rhea Marquez and Julius Jun Obero (combi freestyle 2).

We could witness some surprises in the combi events with experienced and new faces from Brazil and the US ready to put up a good fight.

What’s next?

The World Para Dance Sport action will move to Slovakia for the Kosice 2023 Para Dance Sport World Cup starting September 15 to 17 before arriving at the Czech Republic for the Prague 2023 Para Dance Sport International Competition (7 and 8 October).

But the sole focus will be on the Genoa 2023 Worlds in Italy scheduled to take place from 24 to 26 November.

You may follow World Para Dance Sports social media channels for results and latest updates.