Dancing Queens

Eden McIsaac
Staff Writer
  There is a team here at Bonneville High School (BHS) that has memorized every single word from The Lorax song “Let it Grow”: the Honeybees. The Honeybees dance team consists of 13 dancers, and the head coach is Mr. Coles. The Bonneville Buzz was able to interview Coles and two of the dancers. The Honeybees provided some insight about the team and their behind-the-scenes.
  Jason Coles has been part of the Honeybees team for four years. Beyond coaching the dance team, Coles is also an art teacher at BHS. When asked why he decided to become a dance coach, Coles responded: “My wife was the head coach and needed someone to help with strength and conditioning.” At that point in time, Coles served as an assistant coach under his wife, Julie Coles. Coles' responsibilities were soon to grow: he added that his wife resigned from the Honeybees because of her health, since Cole's wife resigned he became the head coach. Some of the many words Coles’ uses to describe his dancers, “hard-working, dedicated, amazing, and thoughtful.” Without all of those skills, the team would not be able to work together and improve. After the interview with Coles, some of the dancers provided insight about the team.
  Along with Coles, The Bonneville Buzz was able to interview two of the dancers on the Honeybees team: Harleigh Keller and Brooklyn Porter. Keller is a sophomore this year. Keller joined the Honeybees because when she was little, her cousin told her about the Honeybees. When Keller was asked about team bonding, she mentioned, “[They] do bondings at each other's houses where [they] eat and just hang out all together.” Keller added that “it definitely helps build the bonds we have now.” When Keller was asked for a quote that encouraged her, she responded: “Even when it seems like it’s hard to keep going on, just push through until you see the light at the end of the tunnel.” Keller mentioned that her favorite dance genre would be contemporary because it includes all the different dance styles. 
  Brooklyn Porter is a freshman this year. Porter says she joined the Honeybees because she wanted to be part of a team, and she enjoys different types of dances. When Porter was asked how long it usually takes to learn a dance routine, she responded: “It really depends on you and the team. For me alone, it takes anywhere from two weeks to about a month depending on the style and complexity of the dance.” Most dancers decide to dance because of something someone has said to them; however, Porter dances because of a special moment. Porter mentioned that at one of her practices the team was given the task of improving some emotional songs. Porter remarked that this experience made her feel extremely happy because of the amount of emotion put into the improvs. Porter mentioned that some of the other girls started to feel emotional as well; some even started to cry from the emotion put into the dance. Dancing is something that allows people to express who they really are. It was amazing to be able to receive some insight on the Honeybees team and find out more about their experiences.

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