Sharing dance life with non-dancers

[ttd]

Do we have a thread anywhere about sharing your dance life with non-dancers, such as neighbors, coworkers, general acquaintances? I couldn't find it, but if we do, mods feel free to merge.

Personally, I have shared my dance accomplishments, outside of forums, with selected few people. For example, I never told my coworkers about how engaged I am into ballroom (I just said I dance - it could mean anything from an occasional social dancer to advanced competitor), because I was concerned that I won't be taken seriously (and I don't friend coworkers on facebook, I use linkedin and only if they send me an invite, so I kept those separate). However, apparently as I progressed, more pictures and videos of me were actually labeled with my full name and found their way on local studio websites, and small local publications (because in some way I became a big fish in a small pond, it wouldn't have happened if I lived someplace more populous, like greater NYC area - there are a lot of better and more visible dancers there than I am, and russian-speaking community is much bigger there, too, they wouldn't be asking to interview me as an interesting person). And of course it doesn't help that my last name is fairly uncommon. So someone at work googled me and now everybody knows what I do in my spare time. So, time for damage control? Or it is too late for that?

I sort of wish I thought about publicity potential when I first started to compete and maybe danced under my maiden name.

[elisedance]

[I don't think we have a duplicate - its a great idea!!  Thanks...]

[elisedance]

When I give talks (work related) my last slide has the list of people involved in the project - as is typical.  However, I usually use a backdrop of myself dancing with my first pro-am partner.  I find it fun to throw people off guard a bit!

On one occasion I gave a talk in a conference room in a hotel in Montreal and at the end the slide came up and I realized that the picture had been taken in the very same room!  That caused a bit of amusement as I pointed to the spot on the floor

[samina]

When I give talks (work related) my last slide has the list of people involved in the project - as is typical.  However, I usually use a backdrop of myself dancing with my first pro-am partner.  I find it fun to throw people off guard a bit!

On one occasion I gave a talk in a conference room in a hotel in Montreal and at the end the slide came up and I realized that the picture had been taken in the very same room!  That caused a bit of amusement as I pointed to the spot on the floor

nice practice, and cute story!

[QPO]

Oh I am such an extrovert that I tell everyone, I have pictures of me & V all over my office, everyone knows, my boss even tells people that I am a dancer, so I will have interstate reps ask me how our dancing is going.....I don't mind sharing. If I can encourage people to come on to the floor my job is done.

Some of you know that I am on the radio quite often spruiking the joys of dance and I have people not related to dance say, I think I heard you on the radio and confirm if it was me!

[phoenix13]

I can relate to where the OP is coming from.  I tend to compartmentalize my life -- work friends are at work, other friends ad they rarely cross paths, for example.  So yes, I would find it a bit weird to suddenly have two of my compartments mixed through no choice of my own.

What I find a little strange is the coworker who googled ttd randomly.  That's kind of creepy.

[QPO]

ttd?

that is strange....my daughter google me the other day for a co worker and they were surprised how much information came about me....

[phoenix13]

Yes.  I google myself every once in a while, just to see what comes up.

One of the advantages of being a primarily social dancer is that rarely does anything embarrassiing AND dance-related come up.  Embarrassing OR dance related?  That's another question entirely.  

[elisedance]

Yes.  I google myself every once in a while, just to see what comes up.

One of the advantages of being a primarily social dancer is that rarely does anything embarrassiing AND dance-related come up.  Embarrassing OR dance related?  That's another question entirely. 

I try to keep my work and social lives separate but google does a nice job of mixing them again.  One can only hope the reader is not sure if its really you - pitty the people with truly unique names!