I've been in Irish dance classes since I was 6 years old. My dance shoes are connected to memories spanning over 10 years. Applying eye shadow and lipstick before a performance. Occasionally skipping school to perform. My legs freezing like snow after a February show. Running through dances in my head to assure I didn’t forget them. Even though my dance shoes are just shoes, they symbolize so much more. 
I originally started dancing because that's what my best friend was doing. We started off by just going to 1 summer camp. Honestly I didn’t really want to go, but I went because she went. After that we started weekly dance classes. We spent our Sundays jumping around, sharing Cheetos from the vending machine, and practicing secret handshakes. She stopped dancing a while ago, but I kept going. 
Dancing also makes me feel more connected to my Irish heritage. My family immigrated to America a while ago, so I don’t know a lot about our immigration story. Dancing gives me an excuse to talk and ask questions about it. One day after a performance me, my mom, and my grandma got lunch. My grandma spent the whole time sharing what she knew about our Irish heritage, and I learned a lot about my family's history and our connection to Ireland, something I knew very little about prior. My dance shoes represent hard work, the joys and struggles of performing, memories with friends and family, and connections to my Irish heritage. 

– HC

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more