PM360 recently spoke to Marion Frank, Senior International Product Manager at Boehringer Ingelheim, about her affection for dance.
PM360: We hear you have a passion for dance, specifically jazz and modern as well as ballroom dancing. What made you want to put on your dancing shoes?
Dancing is a revival of a passion from childhood, which I re-activated about five years ago after my grown son left home. I love the energy level, the concentration, creativity and moving to the music either in a group or with a partner. It also helps me to cope with stress at work. Dancing in the evening hours requires a high level of concentration and helps me to shut down from work.
Are you taking any lessons or just doing it for fun?
Yes, at first I started with an hour and a half dancing lesson once a week. Over time I discovered that progress is slow with just a once a week lesson and I started to go more often. You could quickly see the progress and my affection for dance only grew. Today I take lessons as often as I can. When I don’t have to travel for business, which only happens occasionally, I go up to six days a week. My colleagues ask how I manage this. My answer: Get it organized and make it part of your life—there is always a way if you really want it.
Did anyone help to ignite this passion for dancing again?
Around the same time that it became obvious my son was going to leave home, I also met a new partner and he encouraged me to re-activate hobbies that I loved before becoming a mom. We soon found out that ballroom dancing is an activity that works well for us and provides us with a wonderful social life. It is a great hobby for work-life balance in a partnership.
What else do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
My partner and I have great interest in arts and occasionally we go to art fairs and exhibitions. We have interesting discussions regarding our impressions of the paintings as we often have different viewpoints.
I also love knitting as it is a creative activity that results in something you can physically see very quickly. Most of the items I make are for relatives or good friends, so there is also a great level of satisfaction when you can see the smile on their faces when you hand over the present.
Do you have any other hobbies or interests that you would still like to pursue?
One of my dreams is at some point in time—probably when I retire—to learn to play the saxophone. This would be another revival of a childhood hobby of mine when I played piano. While the piano is nice, it is not an instrument that you can carry with you. The sax is different and I love the sound and the window of creativity the instrument offers.
