Family Spotlight: Becca H.

​Name: Becca H.
 
Dancer at SRL: Sarah H.
 
How long has your family been with SRL?
 
Just over 2 years
 
Why Irish dance?
 
Sarah kind of fell into it when a friend joined, and she wanted to dance with her friend. Its upbeat cadence and structure definitely appeal to her more than ballet or jazz dance. And as a musical family with 3 violin players, we love hearing the beautiful reels and jigs!
 
Favorite winter family activity?
 
I’m not a big cold weather fan, so I’m happy snuggling under a cozy blanket for a family movie (or escaping on a vacation to somewhere warm!)
 
Who’s your biggest inspiration?
 
It all depends on my interest at the time. Whenever I set a new goal, I seek out role models who I can learn from by breaking down big goals into achievable milestones. When I was training for my first marathon, I was inspired by Olympian runner Jeff Galloway who had a great method for learning to run long distances, and it was a thrill to meet him at the marathon expo the day before my big race!
 
What’s your favorite dance-related memory?
 
I was always intrigued by the Irish Step dancers who would perform for us in elementary school with their beautiful dresses. A close second, purely for the laughs, is when my sister and I were doing a tap dancing routine and she forgot to duck when I was supposed to swing my leg over her head – boink!
 
What food have you never eaten but would really love to try?
 
Since eliminating gluten & dairy from my diet 7 years ago for health reasons, pretty much anything that comes out of a fryer at a fair looks amazing!

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What advice would you give parents who are looking to try out Irish dance?
 
Give it a whirl! Just be aware that anything hanging on your walls will be off kilter from your student constantly jumping and kicking down the hallways. 😉
 
What did you want to be when you grew up when you were little? Why?
 
Like many kids, I wanted to be a vet since I love animals. Instead, I became an IT professional, but foster kittens to fulfil that desire to work with animals.
 
If you had a theme song, what would it be?
 
“I Won't Back Down”
 
How do you think dance has positively affected your dancer?
 
I’m amazed at the choreography she memorizes. I was so proud that she quickly gained the confidence to participate in a public performance and also do her first feis. I enjoyed watching her teach a dance to some younger Girl Scouts at one of our meetings last year, and I love that she has volunteered to help out at SRL classes with younger children – it’s all been a great growing experience for her in many ways.

This post is part of a series. See our Q&A with another SRL family, Ken and Dana J., here. Check out the blog every Monday and Thursday for more posts about Irish history, dance culture, community news, and spotlights on our dancers, staff, and families—among other fun projects! And don’t forget to dance along with us on both Facebook and Instagram.

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