Code of Conduct

What we would love you to do

• Be kind to everyone around you, no matter their race, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, physical appearance, dance experience or role. 
• Be respectful of your partner’s boundaries. Boundaries differ from person to person, so communicate as much as possible. Either in the situation where you feel uncomfortable with another person, or when you see someone else is uncomfortable with you. In the latter case, stop what you’re doing and apologize. 
• If you’re not sure, ask. Ask the person you’re dancing with, other people, or even volunteers and organizers. 

Harassment

What we include under harassment is: offensive verbal comments related to gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, religion, race, sexual images in public spaces, deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, harassing photography or video recording, sustained disruption of events, inappropriate physical contact and unwelcome sexual attention. 

Anyone engaging in this type of behavior will be asked to stop and expected to comply immediately. Organizers may take action when they observe or get inappropriate behavior reported. After a conversation, we can remove the offender from the event without a refund and if necessary, we will inform the local authorities.
 

Health

We ask you to please refrain from coming to our events or classes if you have cold or flu-like symptoms. Swing dancing will mean you will touch and breathe on a lot of other people making anything contagious spread like wildfire. As always, frequently washing your hands also helps to prevent the spread of viruses.

Suggestions to help you on the dance floor

• There’s no rules on which gender or which role can ask who. You can always ask anyone to dance. Ask them politely. If you can, ask to dance with a beginner. They might be too shy to ask them yourselves, but giving them a good time is a great way to introduce them to what a real social should feel like.
• Everyone can say ‘no’ to a dance, without having to further explain themselves. If you say ‘no’, be sure to do it politely. There’s many reasons people say ‘no’, so don’t take it personally. They could have a hurt leg, need a break, don’t like a song, or perhaps they’re just not feeling it. 
• During the dance, connect in a way that feels both comfortable to you and your partner. If your partner uses a hurtful connection consistently, please let them know as they may not be aware of that. 
• Avoid unsolicited feedback. Do not correct other people’s dancing, unless you were asked for feedback. You can always ask if someone wants feedback or tips, but respect the other person if they say ‘no’. However, if someone is dancing in such a way that it hurts or makes you uncomfortable, make sure that you communicate this with your partner in a productive manner. 
• Be mindful of people dancing around you. Sometimes you accidentally kick someone on the dancefloor. The least you could do is apologize and check if they’re okay, even if that means stopping dancing for a moment. Avoid dancing big, especially aerials. You can save those for jams, shows and competitions. 
• Be moderate when drinking alcohol or using other substances. If you’re not sober and therefore pose a risk to yourself or others – leave the dance floor and ask for support. 
• Be considerate with your personal hygiene. Almost everyone gets sweaty from dancing a lot, but that still means you have to try to present yourself as best as you can. For example, think of using deodorant, using breath mints, and having a shower just before a dance. At big events usually mints and deodorant are available near the bathrooms. 

If you see something, say something!

• If you are being harassed, if you notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please make sure the person that was made to feel uncomfortable is safe and okay. 
• If you feel safe doing so, address the person that behaved inappropriately to make them aware that what they did was problematic, and inform an organizer. 
• If you don’t feel safe directly addressing the issue, seek help from a member of the organization. A volunteer can guide you to a board member if necessary. We will always listen and assist those experiencing harassment to feel safe during our event and help with notifying the authorities if necessary. 

We are aware that it is not always easy to speak up, but it will help us create a safer environment for all of us.