Best Buddies dance team breaking barriers

Courtesy+of+Jessi+Bonadurer

Courtesy of Jessi Bonadurer

Clare Brennan, Editor-in-Chief

Best Buddies is a club that pairs WY students with intellectual and developmental disabilities with students who don’t have these disabilities. The club has meetings, events and parties throughout the year. Jessi Bonadurer ‘17 has been in the club for four years now. As co-president this year, she decided to launch a project that would work to integrate the “buddies” into more aspects of the school. A member of the WY dance department for all her years in high school, Bonadurer decided to start a Best Buddies’ dance team.

“I was really sad when I learned that students with intellectual and developmental disabilities are denied inclusion into sports teams because winning is more important than equality,” explained Bonadurer. “I really wanted to do something to change this. I decided to start this team because dancing is something that I love to do.”

Practices take place during long division and other students have volunteered to help coach. The team is currently preparing to perform at Whitney Young’s Dance For Life concert. All of the proceeds for this show will go to AIDS research. In the future, Bonadurer wishes to “inspire a more inclusive environment at WY.” The team also plans to branch out and work with the cheerleaders to potentially perform at halftime during a few basketball games this upcoming season.

“Hopefully these talented dancers can show people the incredible abilities of people with disabilities,” she said. When she graduates, underclassmen who have joined her team will take over so that they can continue to practice and perform in the years to come.