Retaliation Dance Productions, LLC, is all about contributing to a dance community that is a fun, friendly, and safe place where everyone can enjoy learning and dancing. Our Code of Conduct is meant to outline behavioral expectations and norms that are expected from attendees at our events.
Retaliation Dance Productions events believe that dance is for everyone, regardless of race, age, level of dance ability, competitive level or lack thereof, or anything else. We do not tolerate bullying, threats, or harassment of any kind. We define harassment as any conduct that is severe or persistent enough to create an environment that a reasonable person would consider intimidating, hostile, or abusive, as well as targeting any individual based on an immutable identity characteristic including (but not limited to) age, race, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation, country of origin, or immigration status.
It is the responsibility of every attendee to read and understand this Code of Conduct! By attending any of our events, you are giving consent to adhere to the guidelines present in this document. You may revoke your consent at any time by leaving the event.
What is encouraged:
- Within your social and energetic capabilities, try to dance with a diverse slate of people. We want everyone who is social dancing to have the chance to be included and enjoy their time at Retaliation events.
- Feel free to choose whatever dance role you prefer: lead, follow, or both. We expect Retaliation Dance Production attendees to dance with leaders/followers of any gender or gender identity without bias.
- Be considerate of your partner’s physical comfort and limitations when dancing. Someone’s previous injuries, dance experience, height, or other factors may influence what your partner can or cannot do. Err on the side of caution and respect.
- Be mindful of how you “show up” to any space that you are in. This can include refraining from excessive amounts of cologne/perfume, bringing a change of shirt if you sweat profusely, avoiding substances that create lingering odors that might create discomfort in others, and more. Err on the side of caution and respect.
- Use clear communication! If you want to dance with someone, offer an enthusiastic “Yes”, if you don’t, use a polite “No”. Remember that clarity is kindness.
- Respect people’s boundaries. Keep in mind that for some, dancing in public feels potentially vulnerable, and everyone enjoys themselves best when they feel physically comfortable and safe with their dance partners. Again, err on the side of caution and respect.
What is discouraged:
- Do not teach or give technique-related feedback on the social floor or during classes. Provide your partner with a fun dance. It is neither your job nor place to give them a lecture or talk to them through patterns.
- If someone turns you down for a dance, don’t be offended or try and talk them into dancing, just move along without offense. If you are asking someone to dance, ask for their consent clearly. (“Hey, would you like to dance?”) and make sure they give clear consent to dance with you. (“Yes, I would love to.”)
- Alcohol and other altering substances can make it harder to judge boundaries accurately. Be mindful of your limits so that you can be mindful of others. Event staff reserves the right to remove you from the ballroom, competition, and/or the event if you are deemed to be intoxicated and a risk to other attendees.
What is considered unacceptable behavior:
- Any actions that compromise the safe and respectful environment of this event may not be directed against any member of our community: attendees, teachers, judges, performers, volunteers, organizers, or staff.
- Lending/borrowing event wristbands or other event entry collateral is strictly prohibited; event entry is sold per-person only. (Any enforcement actions will apply to both the “lender” and the “lend-ee”.)
Note: The Internet and social media networks have provided great benefit in connecting members of the West Coast Swing community in recent years. However, this benefit has also come at a cost, in which harassment and other unacceptable behaviors can now take place from a distance. While event organizers cannot control what actions people take in online forums, we reserve the right to consider any Internet-based harassment before, during, or after any Retaliation Dance Productions event as potentially in-scope of reported violations against our Code of Conduct.
Examples of unacceptable behaviors include (but are not limited to):
- Inappropriate or unwelcome physical contact, including during a social dance or workshop. Sometimes mistakes happen on the dance floor, and that’s OK—but we expect everyone to take accountability to apologize to your dance partner and respect their personal space afterward.
- Inappropriate or harassing comments or jokes about people, clothing, dance lyrics, dance style, or otherwise. (Refer to the introduction for our definition of harassment.)
- Sexually suggestive dance moves.
- Using leads that are uncomfortable and/or dangerous or overly familiar (like neck or head leads).
- Contacting someone on social media with unsolicited and explicit advances, or engaging in public or private online harassment or threats against anyone associated with the event.
- Inappropriately following (“stalking”) someone on the ballroom floor or in other event areas for any reason.
- Photographing or videoing people who are social dancing, and/or sharing that content to social media (YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, etc.), without the consent of those being filmed.
- Social dance floors are crowded spaces, and we recognize that it can be difficult to avoid including other dancers “in the shot”. If you are asked by a fellow dancer or a member of event staff to refrain from or discontinue video or photography, please do so right away and with good grace.
- Note: Unless specified by the emcee, videoing during competitions is permitted and should be expected as ubiquitous.
Consequences of unacceptable behavior:
- Anyone asked by a member of event staff to cease any behavior is expected to do so immediately, and acute or sustained disruptions of event spaces will not be tolerated.
- Depending on the severity of the incident, the event may respond by:
- Speaking to the offending person and asking them to do or not do something
- Disqualifying someone from a contest or other component of the event
- Asking someone to leave the venue immediately, either with or without a refund.
- If a situation is deemed significant enough to require follow-up action, the event may share information about the situation with other Event Directors or others in decision-making positions.
We expect that none of these responses will be necessary. We truly want this to be a place everyone can enjoy. We are grateful for your help and commitment to making our shared environment safe for everyone.
Reporting a problem
If a problem arises, these steps are available to you:
1. We encourage you to report any concerns using the link below. No specific level of behavior needs to be met to justify a report. Reports can be made anonymously, however we will be unable to provide any responses or status updates to an anonymous report.
2. Alert the event director (Laura Hunter), Head of Staff (Elizabeth Wyke), or Safety Coordinator (James Wyke). Any volunteer or staff member can help you locate these people if they are not in the main ballroom.
3. Call hotel security or 911 for any immediate emergency.
Retaliation Dance Productions, LLC reserves the right to refuse entry for any reason.