Romeoville Student Selected for Chicago BullsKidz Squad

Submitted by Valley View School District 365U

Photo: Lukancic Middle School 3rd grader Riley Belonio soars through the air with his best Michael Jordan-like effort in celebration of his selection to the 2015-16 Chicago BullsKidz squad.

“Surprised” is putting it mildly.

But that’s the only word lifelong Romeoville resident Riley Belonio can come up with when he talks about being named one of eight boys and eight girls selected for the 2015-16 Chicago BullsKidz squad.

As a member of the BullsKidz, the shy 6th grade honor student at Lukancic Middle School will perform at 12 Bulls home games and participate in countless practices in Niles over the next eight months as he pursues what he hopes to be a professional dancing career someday.

“It’s all very surreal,” said Riley’s mom, Amy Belonio. “He’s always lived in his brother’s (punk rock band Stellar member Parker Belonio) shadow. I cried when we found out because now he is getting a chance to shine on his own.”

Riley, who has been dancing ever since he and his dad, Jon, watched the TV show So You Think You Can Dance some three years ago, takes dance lessons at DLD Dance Center is Darien. He is also an accomplished drummer but prefers dancing because “you can do a lot more things.”

When his dad heard about a dancing “workshop” involving the Chicago Bulls, Riley signed up, not knowing exactly what he was getting into.

“It was so weird,” Amy Belonio said. “We were just going to this workshop to see what it was like.”

At the workshop, he learned the hip hop (his favorite) and jazz routines for what turned out to be tryouts a few days later.

“It was really fast,” Riley said. “I didn’t keep up with a lot of the other kids.”

Nonetheless his dad took him to tryouts.

“No one was allowed up there with him. It was hours and there were cuts along the way so you would see kids who were distraught leaving the audition,” Amy Belonio said. “When Riley didn’t come down, my husband wondered where he was. He thought maybe he was still tying his shoes or crying in a corner.”

In reality, Riley made it to the final round because, he said, “everyone else messed up so I kept freestyling and smiling while I was dancing.”

The official announcement came two days later via Chicago Bulls Instagram.

“We weren’t sure it was real,” said Amy who decided to send a direct message to the BullsKidz Facebook page. “Within a few minutes, I got a phone call congratulating Riley. Then I knew it was official.”

Riley, who will receive “lots” of food plus free shoes and clothes in exchange for his hard work, says his friends at school aren’t treating him any differently now that he’s a member of BullsKidz.

As for his mom, “I’m thinking about how our life is going to change…and how much time I’ll be spending in the car.”