Ossining's New TV Star

Ossining residents have another reason watch So You Think You Can Dance this summer: Resident Wadi Jones is a contestant on the reality TV dance competition.

Jones, who grew up in Ossining and attended Ossining High School, was one of the Top 20 finalists named during last night’s episode of So You Think You Can Dance Season 8.

Wadi, 24, is a break dancer who moved to the United States when he was three-years-old. Since leaving Ossining High, the self-taught pro has offered classes at Westchester dance studios including Josie’s International School of Dance here in Ossining (He once advertised a break dancing class at Josie’s but no longer teaches there).

For the past six years, Wadi’s main job has been working with children at the children’s center at Club Fit in Briarcliff Manor. “Wadi is one of the best ever,” his boss Melissa Lawrence told us Friday. “He has got a great personality, he’s energetic, great smile….always dancing , always getting the kids to dance,” she said. “The kids call him Spiderman. He’s dancing, climbing all over everything… He’s amazing and supertalented.”

His friends at Club Fit will show their support for Wadi by watching and voting each week at Quaker Hill Tavern in Chappaqua. “We’ve got everybody watching right now... people who have never watched before are watching,” Lawrence said.