Code of Conduct

Respecting Boundaries

• Respect your own and other people's physical and emotional boundaries and comfort levels. Dance is not an invitation for unwanted physical intimacy. No kissing on the dancefloor

• Check in before moves like dips, lifts, or close embraces,especially if you haven't danced together before. Adjust if a partner feels uncomfortable at any moment.

• Respect a "no" without question, verbal or implied.

• Anything other than an enthusiastic yes means no.

Community Care

• Prioritize the well-being of yourself and others, on and off the dance floor. (this includes being mindful of personal hygiene, illness, substance abuse...)

• Be gentle with your partner's body and be mindful of those around you while dancing.

• If you experience or witness any behaviour that crosses your boundaries or makes you feel uncomfortable, please approach the designated care-team or the organizers

Dance has no Gender

• Dance roles are not tied to gender. Don't assume someone's dance-role based on their perceived gender expression and check in with your partner about their preferred role before dancing.

• Address people with the names and pronouns they introduce themselves with.

Inclusivity and Consent

• Welcome everyone, regardless of experience, background, or ability.

• Practice consent in all interactions, on and off the dance floor. Consent means an explicit yes which is reached without imposition or coercion and is revocable at any moment

• Dance is an invitation to tolerance and generosity. However, it's okay to say" "no" to a dance for any reason at any moment.

Accountability

• Take responsibility for your actions and their impact.

• Be open to feedback.

• Communicate wants and needs openly and respectfully.

• Respect all house rules, including host guidelines like floor work restrictions in crowded spaces.

• Organizers and the care team are available to help resolve conflicts or issues

Cultural Appreciation

• Be mindful to not appropriate cultural elements or use them without being aware of the meaning, history or context. 

• We encourage you to educate yourself about the roots of the dances that we mix in fusion and be aware that some music/lyrics have strong historical/cultural meaning and might not be appropriate for a party setting.

Awareness and Accessibility

• We want our event to be accessible to people of different ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, neurodiversity, religion, age, and ability. As a community, we are happy to grow and welcome new people. If you feel the capacity, dance with beginners and new faces as well as your friends and invite people to dance with a variety of gender expressions and dance backgrounds.

• We will not tolerate racial slurs, sexist behavior, transphobia, ageist, ableist or queerphobic behavior. This includes demeaning “jokes”, catcalling, abusive language and intentional misgendering. If someone points out a mistake to you, apologize, learn and do better in the future.

• We ask everyone to educate themselves about the accessibility needs of the most marginalized members of our community.

Some more loose guidelines and ideas for a positive environment and experience:

A great way to make people feel included and welcome is to ask them to dance! Everyone loves to hear a warm-hearted “Thank you!”. Especially after a dance. The same applies when someone declines to dance with you. We encourage you to appreciate when someone expresses their boundaries.

When asking someone to dance, we encourage you to consider the other person's needs and preferences – e.g. asking them: “Would you like to lead, follow or switch?” “Are you comfortable with close embrace?”, “How do you feel about dips for this dance/right now?”, “I would like to try __, is that ok with you?” Make it a practice to verbally check in with your partner, especially if you haven’t danced together before. Don’t assume a certain role by the expression of a person – dance-roles are not tied to gender!

Be attentive of consent in verbal and non-verbal communication. Watch for cues in body language which may communicate that someone is hesitant or uncomfortable with an interaction (e.g. averting eyes, non-response, resisting a movement). If you pick up any cues, it can be helpful to check-in and ask for clarification, or to give space.

If you want to give dance-related feedback, please ask your partner first and if consent is given, phrase it in a constructive way.

Dancing is often a close-contact activity, but inappropriate touching and sexual advances have no place on the dance floor. If you think that a dance partner might reciprocate your interest, you can ask them once, respectfully and in a public space off the dance floor, if they would like to exchange numbers, get a coffee, kiss etc., and accept graciously if they decline.

Based on and adapted in parts from CoC's from Black Forest Fusion and Kaleidoscope Fusion