{"id":33946,"date":"2024-02-08T14:30:12","date_gmt":"2024-02-08T20:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.und.edu\/und-today\/?p=33946"},"modified":"2024-04-04T11:28:04","modified_gmt":"2024-04-04T16:28:04","slug":"an-exceptional-song-and-dance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.und.edu\/und-today\/2024\/02\/an-exceptional-song-and-dance\/","title":{"rendered":"An exceptional song and dance"},"content":{"rendered":"

Special Olympics Cheer squad to perform high-energy halftime routine, choreographed by UND Dance Team co-captain\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Grace
UND senior and Dance Team Co-Captain Grace Bartunek says members of the Special Olympics Cheer squad, regularly coached by Meghan Foy, are ready to steal the show this Saturday during a halftime performance during the UND men\u2019s basketball game in The Betty. \u201cI want this to be a memorable experience for them,\u201d said Bartunek, who organized the event and choreographed the routine. \u201cThis is their time in the spotlight. This isn\u2019t about me. It\u2019s not about UND Cheer or UND Dance. The rest of us are basically the background dancers.\u201d Photo by Shawna Schill\/UND Today.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s Sunday. School\u2019s out. But the energy level still is making the floor shake inside the gymnasium of UND\u2019s Hyslop Sports Center.<\/p>\n

Heads swirl. Arms swing. Hips sway. And shoulders shimmy \u2014 all to the beat of pop star Taylor Swift\u2019s eternal hit \u201cShake It Off,\u201d now blasting (boom-bah-dah-boom-boom)<\/em> out of a large portable speaker:<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I keep cruisin\u2019 \/ Can\u2019t stop, won\u2019t stop, groovin\u2019 \/
\n\u201cIt\u2019s like I got this music in my mind \/ Sayin\u2019, it\u2019s gonna be all right \/
\n\u201cI \u2026 shake it off \/ I shake it off \u2026 I, I, I \/
\n\u201cI shake it off \u2026 I shake it off!\u201d<\/p>\n

The two dozen women from the UND Dance Team, UND Cheer Team<\/strong><\/a> and the UND chapter of Special Olympics College<\/strong><\/a> stretch the length of the floor as they rock one of their final rehearsals before this weekend\u2019s show. They\u2019re set to perform Saturday at halftime during the UND men\u2019s basketball<\/strong><\/a> matchup against Kansas City. Tip-off is at 1 p.m. in The Betty<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

UND senior and Dance Team Co-Captain Grace Bartunek says the Special Olympics athletes have performed regularly with UND Cheer and Hockey Cheer at multiple UND sporting events in the past, but this Saturday will mark the first time they\u2019ll get the chance to steal the show with their very own dance number.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re excited, and they are so ready,\u201d said Bartunek, who organized the event and choreographed the routine as part of her capstone project for her bachelor\u2019s degree in Rehabilitation & Human Services<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so proud of all of these women. Their passion and work ethic is absolutely amazing, and this performance is better than I ever could have hoped or imagined,\u201d she said. \u201cI always knew they would be positive, but this group really has exceeded all expectations. I can tell you, every single one of them wants <\/em>to be here. They\u2019re here to learn to dance, to cheer and to have fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Dancers\"
Special Olympics Cheer member Raquel Allison (center) strikes a pose during a rehearsal for the upcoming halftime performance. As she dances to Taylor Swift\u2019s up-tempo hit, \u201cShake It Off,\u201d Allison shows style and sass \u2014 something she says she gets from her mother. Photo by Shawna Schill\/UND Today.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Special
Em LaPlant (in purple T-shirt) practices an arm movement ahead of this weekend\u2019s performance. Photo by Shawna Schill\/UND Today.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A check off the bucket list<\/h2>\n

It doesn\u2019t take long for athlete Em LaPlant, of Hallock, Minn., to second that.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be honest, this is like a dream of mine because I\u2019ve always wanted to get involved with UND Cheer,\u201d LaPlant says. \u201cI kept getting hurt during basketball, so I joined cheerleading for Special Olympics (instead), and now I know I\u2019ll always have something to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is she nervous about making her dance debut in front of a huge Fighting Hawks crowd? Not a chance.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, I don\u2019t think so,\u201d LaPlant adds with a wry smile. \u201cConsidering I sang the national anthem at a UND hockey game last year.\u201d<\/p>\n

An enthusiastic Raquel Allison, of Grafton, N.D., adds that she\u2019s also looking forward to Saturday. But first, she says, she has something else she wants to share.<\/p>\n

Then, with as much poise and charisma as any modern-day movie star, she leans in to the reporter\u2019s handheld recorder and says: \u201cI would like to thank all the people who I love and care about and who helped me to get this far. It wouldn\u2019t have been possible without them.\u201d<\/p>\n

After that, UND Today had a tough time keeping up, but suffice to say, Allison has a long list of important family members, as well as others who helped to introduce her to Special Olympics years ago.<\/p>\n

And of all the sports she\u2019s participated in over those years, Allison says being a part of the Cheer and Dance squads has been her favorite.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love it. It makes you feel so alive,\u201d she said. \u201cI always wanted to be a star and in show business. I\u2019m never nervous. I\u2019m not the nervous kind of girl.\u201d<\/p>\n

Same goes for Grand Forks athletes Breanna Foy and Hannah Watson. They say they enjoy the camaraderie among their Special Olympics peers, as well as making brand-new friends with members of the UND Cheer and Dance teams.<\/p>\n

Plus, says Foy: \u201cThe music with those body movements and dancing kind of felt good.\u201d<\/p>\n

And multisport competitor Watson adds: \u201cThis is my all-time favorite to be with the Cheer Team and Dance Team. I love the relationships they have with Special Olympics athletes, and I hope that it\u2019s going to be long-term.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a lifelong dancer, Bartunek hopes that\u2019s the case, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeeing these women out there brings me such joy,\u201d Bartunek said. \u201cIt just shows that intellectual disabilities don\u2019t have to limit you by any means. They just give you a different experience and a different perspective on life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Dancers\"
Breanna Foy, a member of Special Olympics Cheer, moves to the beat during a practice session with teammates and other members of UND Cheer and UND Dance. Photo by Shawna Schill\/UND Today.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Dancers\"
Hannah Watson (center) says she hopes Special Olympics Cheer can continue its connection with UND\u2019s spirit squads. Photo by Shawna Schill\/UND Today.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Capstone course brings it full circle<\/h2>\n

Bartunek has been familiar with disabilities all her life.<\/p>\n

She grew up with cousins with diagnosed autism. And while at UND, she worked part time as a direct support provider for children and adults with disabilities.<\/p>\n

It was personal experiences like these, she said, that influenced her decision to come to UND and, eventually, to choose a capstone project that could help create change.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the most rewarding parts of this project is that I get to apply everything I\u2019ve learned in class. It\u2019s no longer hypotheticals,\u201d Bartunek said. \u201cThis is go time, and now I\u2019m actually getting to see how my education is going to play out in real time in real life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Lee
Lee Ann Williams.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That\u2019s the whole idea of a capstone project, said Lee Ann Williams<\/strong><\/a>, clinical assistant professor and program director of Rehabilitation & Human Services in the College of Education & Human Development<\/strong><\/a>. She explained that the goal of a capstone project is for the student to demonstrate a mastery of their field of study.<\/p>\n

For Bartunek, Williams said, it wasn\u2019t an easy project, yet she went above and beyond as she tackled all the logistics, lobbied buy-in, recruited volunteers and juggled her regular academics and responsibilities as a student athlete.<\/p>\n

\u201cGrace is a dynamic servant leader who has an unbelievable endurance of spirit,\u201d Williams said. \u201cShe didn\u2019t want to write a paper or do a poster that might later sit in a drawer. She wanted to do something that was more creative \u2014 something that not only would support her project but also would support other people, break down social barriers and potentially grow even after she\u2019s graduated and gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bartunek, along with a large team of volunteers, definitely built the groundwork.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think this was a meaningful project because it\u2019s starting that process,\u201d she said. \u201cIt provides the blueprint for that change if that\u2019s something people really want.\u201d<\/p>\n

>> So what\u2019s next for Bartunek?<\/strong> The Fargo native who\u2019s also set to earn minors in Psychology<\/strong><\/a> and Gerontology<\/strong><\/a>, as well as a certificate in Diversity & Inclusion<\/strong><\/a>, plans to attend graduate school at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, where she\u2019ll pursue a doctorate in occupational therapy. Her long-term goal is to work in pediatrics or with hospital patients with head trauma or spinal injuries.<\/p>\n

\"Special
The mixed squad of UND Cheer, UND Dance and Special Olympics Cheer takes a breather after practice to get a photo for their memory books. UND Cheer Coach Dani Thompson says her team \u201cgets a lot of joy\u201d out of the partnership with the Special Olympics Cheer squad. \u201cThey\u2019re always so hyped, and the crowd gets extra amped up at the games,\u201d she said. Special Olympics College Advisor Renae Bjorg said the chapter has been active on campus since 2014. \u201cIt\u2019s so rewarding to see our students lead the way through passion and purpose and be agents of positive change in the community and beyond,\u201d Bjorg said. Photo by Shawna Schill\/UND Today.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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