Professional bull rider Bonner Bolton doesn’t seem like the type to be on Dancing With The Stars, but he really fits in quite well. But while the guy can move, he does have some injury issues that limit some of the steps that partner Sharna Burgess can choreograph for him, and this reared its ugly head in Week Three. Bonner Bolton couldn’t lasso his Dancing With The Stars Charleston performance, but he seems to be taking it all in stride.
Bonner was temporarily paralyzed following a bull riding accident in 2016, so the fact that he is dancing in this competition at all is pretty amazing to begin with. That being said, he revealed to Sharna that he really can’t move his arms over his head, and he also can’t move super fast through some of the steps. This is not great when it’s your turn to do the Charleston during Vegas Night, and to be honest, Bonner’s Charleston wasn’t the best. His timing was off, and he couldn’t go as full out as Sharna may have wanted in such a fast-paced dance. The scores weren’t great (especially for a couple that had been doing fairly well in the first two weeks), but Bonner and Sharna barely even flinched. They took the scores, vowed to improve them, and went back up to the red room. And that, my friends, is the face of perseverance — knowing you messed it up and trying again.
The fact that Sharna even chose the Charleston as a dance was peculiar to me (she knows Bonner’s ailments), but it makes sense after hearing her talk about it. The only way Bonner (or anyone) gets better is by dancing, and so he has to dance. Not every dance will be his best, but you may as well give it a shot. As Julianne said, “Fake it until you become it,” and I think that’s great advice for Bonner and Sharna for next week and beyond.
