Family Spotlight: Jill L.

Name: Jill L.
 
Dancer at SRL: Irelyn
 
How long has your family been with SRL?
 
7 Years
 
Why Irish dance?
 
I always loved watching it and wanted my daughter to just try it if I could find a class. My lucky day happened when I saw a sign for SRL in front of the South Windsor library that a new studio was opening in town. I was so excited! And here we are 7 years later!
 
What did you want to be when you grew up when you were little? Why?
 
I always wanted to be either a travel agent or a flight attendant. I shadowed a travel agent when I was in high school. I love to travel and planning is half the fun for me. I didn’t follow that path but am in the aerospace business so I guess I partly fulfilled that dream.
 
How do you think dance has positively affected your dancer?
 
It’s given her confidence in herself to be able to perform in front of large audiences. She is able to give herself goals to work towards and she knows that it will take time and hard work to achieve and is willing to put the effort in because she can see the progress happening.
 
Favorite fall family activity?
 
Watching football!
 
What’s your favorite dance-related memory?
 
St Patricks Day performance time, it is definitely crazy on some days, but it is so much fun! You get to travel to all different types of places to perform and it’s the one time of year that I get to see dancers perform that I haven’t seen in a while. And how much each dancer has learned over the year!

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If your dancer were a fictional character, who would they be and why?
 
She would be Moana, Irelyn not only resembles her, she has a big heart, a love of nature, the ocean and singing.
 
If you could meet any historical or famous person, living or dead, who would it be and why?
 
I would like to meet Walt Disney. I would love to see what his imagination was like and what his future vision was, and what he would think of how the Disney brand has grown to what it is today.
 
What advice would you give parents who are looking to try out Irish dance?
 
Irish dance is great because it is completely up to you and your dancer as to how involved you want to be. Competition and performances are optional or you can choose to compete every weekend if you want.  It’s a unique skill to have and fun to get to show it off!
 
What’s the most important quality to have in life?
 
To have a positive attitude. There is not a lot that we have control over in life but choosing to look at the positive side definitely helps!

This post is part of a series. See our Q&A with Natalie J.’s mom, Siobhan, 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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