Sharing Ballroom w/ Colleagues

[canismajor41]

So we’re having an “all-hands” meeting at work and the Director wants to highlight staff members for the fun things they do outside of the office. She heard about my dancing and so I’ve been asked if it is OK if she acknowledges me in front of the entire 200 staff office. Part of me wants to share and be gracious. Another smaller part of me wants to keep my private life seperate from my work life. Many of my very close colleagues have attended comps, so it’s not like I purposely try to keep it hidden. It just seems odd to share that part of my life with people I barely know. Anyone else have similar feelings/experiences? :confused:

[suburbaknght]

No, but I'm an egomaniac.

[3wishes]

Many of my co-workers do lots of things beyond the scope of work - that none of us would ever imagine as their hobbies. Sharing a persons hobby, interest, at an "all hands" meeting may be interesting if your in agreement with it and don't mind. Essentially, if the others already know - and have attended comps - could it be an example of how to relieve stress from work? outside of work? You may want to ask what the premise is - and will all the meeting participants also be sharing what they do i.e., photography, gardening, dancing? The fact that you were asked if it is "ok" is respectfull on her part in knowing this is "your" passion. That said, our HR department urges many of us to do something, recreationally, that is the direct opposite of what we do in our public safety lives - which actually brings balance to the pressure of work. You've been selected for a reason - it seems. If it truly eats at you - speak with her and ask for the reasoning behind this recognition.

[canismajor41]

Yes, others are being acknowledged too so maybe I'll just channel my inner diva and enjoy the spotlight with them. lol

[samina]

So we’re having an “all-hands” meeting at work and the Director wants to highlight staff members for the fun things they do outside of the office. She heard about my dancing and so I’ve been asked if it is OK if she acknowledges me in front of the entire 200 staff office. Part of me wants to share and be gracious. Another smaller part of me wants to keep my private life seperate from my work life. Many of my very close colleagues have attended comps, so it’s not like I purposely try to keep it hidden. It just seems odd to share that part of my life with people I barely know. Anyone else have similar feelings/experiences? :confused:
we spend a lot of time with our colleagues, and i've found my favorite work environments have been those that fostered some kind of sharing & support of personal interests. i've even encountered some colleagues who were also into dancing. and you never know who you might turn onto dance if you share your interest more widely.

but everyone has a different comfort level WRT privacy...do what feels right for you.

[chica latina]

I would say go for it. I know some people that were tentative at first as well, but it has only brought positive feedback.

It's a very respected hobby and it's somewhat unusual. Now everyone is talking about the dancing shows, so it can open communication w co-workers you would normally not talk to (new channel for networking). Also people will remember who you are, which is always a plus.

[canismajor41]

Thank you all for your words of encouragement and support. I just got off the phone with my boss and it's official: I'm on the agenda :shock:

[Bailamosdance]

With 'Dancing' shows consistently in the top 10 of tv ratings, expect envy and admiration as the result. You are doing something that is very 'in' right now... be proud!

[etp777]

Let that diva out. :) Most of my coworkers know I dance, including everyone who ever comes into my office, of course, since I have pictures of me and FP on walls. I never get any negative response.

[tanya_the_dancer]

This seems kinda strange to me, why would they talk about it in a corporate meeting to begin with?

[wooh]

This seems kinda strange to me, why would they talk about it in a corporate meeting to begin with?

Work-life balance is very big right now.

[etp777]

Yeah, they can't afford to give you raises or bonuses or anything else that might make you happy in your work, so they want you to spend your own time and money making sure you're happy outside of work. As long as you don't take off too much time for comps. ;)

[canismajor41]

It must be working because I am very happy "outside of work" and am currently spending my entire paycheck on my hobby. Now if I could only turn my hobby into a money-making career...

[samina]

This seems kinda strange to me, why would they talk about it in a corporate meeting to begin with?
Companies that are into the whole work-life balance thing definitely express interest in hearing about personal interests.

I received an award last year for exceptional performance, and on the trophy/plaque thingie it said "dance award" because they cleverly customized all awards given out to individuals' personalities...making it apparently more "fun and personal". ;)

[samina]

Work-life balance is very big right now.

Right. Although IMO there's a lotta lip service goin' on..."Sure, tell us about your life so we can clap in support, but if we need you to ship you out to timbuktu tomorrow and work 80-hr weeks, don't grumble or it will show up on your performance report and affect your bonus..." ;)

[wooh]

Right. Although IMO there's a lotta lip service goin' on..."Sure, tell us about your life so we can clap in support, but if we need you to ship you out to timbuktu tomorrow and work 80-hr weeks, don't grumble or it will show up on your performance report and affect your bonus..." ;)

Well yeah. It's definitely more lip service than anything else. "We let you do what you want when you're not at work as long as you can be at work whenever we want you to. And don't expect time to pee or eat while you're at work! We care about your wellbeing, but not at the expense of our bottom line."

[jwlinson]

I "came out" to my coworkers once. I got laughed at and called "Twinkle Toes." Of course, this came from the other guys. Most of the ladies I work with were surprised, but accepting.

Now, though, I've had a few ask about getting into it.

[etp777]

Yeah, several guys here gave me crap when I started. Until they started seeing some of my pictures, both of women I personally dance with and other dancers I know. They're not as quick to scoff now. :)

[soshedances]

Yeah, several guys here gave me crap when I started. Until they started seeing some of my pictures, both of women I personally dance with and other dancers I know. They're not as quick to scoff now. :)

Show them your tango, and you'll get :notworth:

[soshedances]

In the office where I work, they played a game where you had to match up your co-workers with their favorite vacation spot, their favorite thing to do in their free time, what they would do if they won a million dollars, etc. Everyone seemed to really enjoy it.

[soshedances]

Also,

How many men in the office would openly talk about their golf game?

[Standarddancer]

depends on what kind of industires you are working for and your corporate environment, if company has conservative corporate culture, better keep your dancing as low key as possible, otherwise management could categorize you as "not as committed" as other employees. If your work is marketing or entertainment related, then go for it, could be helpful to let management know you have other talent besides office skill as well.

[Standarddancer]

my advice, be careful, sometimes the less you talk about dance at work, the better it is...I never feel the urge share my dancing with co-workers, if I need to chat about my dancing or dresses or comp, chat on this forum or email my dance friends. why bother co-workers?

[chica latina]

standarddancer, that it used to be my assumption as well.. but i've seen a few cases of very conservative environments where it has been considered as positive (shows commitment, dedication, competitive nature, teamwork and good start of conversation)

I had a workshop lately about Leadership and they cover Five themes to be succesfull at your career.. one of them whas Authenticity (being who you are) and not trying to wear different hats in different places.. People may surprise you by being more open minded than what we give them credit for.

[fire_dancer]

I see both sides, and know firsthand what it is like to work in a corporate environment. :)

My recommendation is - go for it, especially if you are being encouraged by your manager to do so. If you feel awkward about sharing, you can always limit the details (i.e instead of sharing "I compete", simply talk about the social dancing aspect).

I've personally had to make the decision "to share, or not to share..." and I've found that people usually light up when you talk about ballroom dancing. To us it is a sport, a livelihood, and a joy. To non-dancers, it seems to be an almost mythical activity that everyone has heard about (especially since the advent of dancing with the stars) and that 95% of them have always wanted to try. Who knows... by sharing a bit about your dancing, you may help others get into the dancing world as well! :)

[canismajor41]

Thanks everyone - we meet in an hour and I'll report back to let you know how it went :-) As to my work environment, it is not corporate, or small business, it is Federal Government. I work at the Bureau level which is less conservative and stuffy than upper levels of Govt., like Agency or Dept. levels.

[tanya_the_dancer]

depends on what kind of industires you are working for and your corporate environment, if company has conservative corporate culture, better keep your dancing as low key as possible, otherwise management could categorize you as "not as committed" as other employees

That's my concern, too. Admittedly, my own position in corporate structure is somewhat unconventional (won't go into details here), but I am really careful about making sure that I do not appear uncommitted to it.

[canismajor41]

So it went well! There were lots of oohs and aahs and even a few whistles :oops: I also discovered that I work with AT dancer. He takes lessons at another studio, so we've never run into each other before.

That reminds me...when I first started to take lessons, there was a man there from my husband's office in the same group class and he was so embarrassed. He begged me not to tell my husband; he thought if word got out, he would be tormented to death. LOL

[wonderwoman]

I tend to get one universal reaction when I tell people I take ballroom dance lessons: Really?! Oh my gosh, I've always wanted to do that. That's so cool!

[wonderwoman]

So it went well! There were lots of oohs and aahs and even a few whistles :oops: I also discovered that I work with AT dancer. He takes lessons at another studio, so we've never run into each other before.

That reminds me...when I first started to take lessons, there was a man there from my husband's office in the same group class and he was so embarrassed. He begged me not to tell my husband; he thought if word got out, he would be tormented to death. LOL

Yay! See, all positive reactions - of course!

lol @ the second part. But I love people who can openly and proudly admit to loving something that is often considered kind of geeky.

[fascination]

funny...I used to talk about it all of the time...now I rather dread it...it is more private to me now...and i just don't want to have to talk about all of the ballroom tv shows

[wooh]

and i just don't want to have to talk about all of the ballroom tv shows
Ugh, talking about dance shows kills me! Because I'm never as excited or impressed as they are or want me to be. And I never like who I'm supposed to like. Because of course general public is impressed by the flash and trash, and I like subtler things, or the person that's trying hard.