The joy of competing didn't start early for Yanira Bueso, but once it found her, it became something she carried into every performance—and now, into what comes next.
Full Interview
"I've been dancing since sixth grade," Bueso said. "Which is a lot later than a lot of dancers start."
What began as something simple—"we just kind of like to make up dances and have fun"—grew into something more through her experience at West Sioux High School. There, she discovered not only new styles, but the energy of competing as part of a team.
That energy followed her to Dordt, where she embraced the full experience from the start. For three years, Bueso balanced both dance and cheer, taking on the challenge of a demanding schedule.
"I was double…so double the practices," she said. "So much fun."
Even when a hip surgery forced her to choose one, the decision reflected where her passion had taken root.
"I've been doing dance for longer and just decided to stick with that," she said.
At Dordt, under head coach Mel Knobloch, Bueso discovered that the joy of competing wasn't just about performance. It was about perspective.
"It was just a different atmosphere that I hadn't seen before with dance," she said. "We have like a worship night…even devotionals at the beginning before practices during the week. It just helped me to see dance from a different lens."
That lens reshaped how she approached competition. Instead of tying her worth to execution, she learned to compete with freedom.
"She is always like, 'no matter what happens, I love you guys and the Lord doesn't see you any differently,'" Bueso said. "We always talk about having the audience of one."
That message became foundational, not just in dance, but in how she sees herself.
"I'm just able to see my identity, not as a dancer…not as this, and like all these different things that it's really easy to get caught up in," she said. "But just really turning to the Lord in everything."
Because of that, competition became something different. It wasn't about perfection. It was about presence.
"No matter what happens on the floor…you're just as talented as you were," she said.
That perspective carried into her final season, one that came with uncertainty as she returned from hip surgery and balanced school, dance, and her senior internship. In those final weeks, the joy of competing was as strong as ever.
"I think it was just rewarding to be able to finish up my final season with my team," she said.
Off the floor, Bueso's journey has taken shape in another meaningful way. After exploring psychology and education, she found her calling in social work, a path that reflects the same heart for people that defined her time as a teammate.
"It's really fun to apply everything that I've learned in the classroom and see like, 'oh, this is how it plays out in real life,'" she said. "It's just made me like it and love it even more."
Through her internship at Sioux Center Health, she's experienced the realities of walking alongside people in difficult moments.
"Not the best places of life, but just being able to walk with them through it is really encouraging," she said.
Now, as graduation approaches, Bueso is stepping into a new season—one that looks different, but is grounded in the same perspective she developed as a dancer.
"I'm still looking for a job in that," she said. "I just love the small town. I want to stay around here."
While competitive dance may be coming to an end, the joy she found in it is not.
"I'm excited to just see where it goes," she said.
Because for Yanira Bueso, competing was never just about dancing well. It was about knowing who she is, embracing each moment, and carrying that joy forward—on the floor, in her career, and wherever she's called next.
