Dance S’More Values and Expectations

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A. Consent

(We have adopted the following policy from the San Francisco Bay Queer Contra Dance)

We aim to foster physical and emotional safety through our norms and values, and are prepared to address any violations of these norms.

We value…

Consent and communication
- Anyone can ask anyone to dance; we all are free to politely accept or refuse
- Communicate with partners around role preference, injuries, twirls, flirting, etc.
- Recognize eye contact is a part of contra culture but is optional for all
- Acknowledge that consent is situational and can be revoked at any time

Community mindedness
- Be inclusive and dance with partners of all ages, genders, experience levels, etc.
- Change partners each dance and avoid booking ahead
- Dance with the whole line and hall, not just your partner
- Be conscious of fragrance sensitivities by avoiding strong scents
- Avoid assuming people’s genders; instead refer to people in non gendered ways
- Ask if people want feedback before giving it (other than not hurting you)

Physical safety
- Dance to avoid injuring others, for example by using open hand holds, holding your own weight, stopping when someone indicates that they’re in pain
- Be responsible for your own body on the floor to avoid running into other people

We expect attendees to avoid…

Discrimination and harassment of all forms
Pushing anyone on their boundaries or stated dance preferences
Overtly sexual words or actions
Putting others’ physical safety at risk
Coming intoxicated or using drugs, alcohol, weapons, or tobacco on-site
Dipping other dancers without explicit consent

If anyone at one of our events makes you uncomfortable, please discuss what happened with the person if you feel okay doing so. If not, or you don’t feel heard, please talk to an organizer. If you would tell a friend, it is worth talking to an organizer. We recognize that not all concerns require action and that sometimes concerning behaviors happen outside the dance space. If someone comes to us or we witness conduct that does not meet our community norms we will:

Listen – Hear the experience of anyone who has been harmed and their needs to continue to be safe at the event. We will discuss next steps with them and respect any requests for anonymity.
Take action – Approach the person or people whose conduct did not meet our expectations and listen to their experience. We will discuss and identify what they can do to avoid making others feel uncomfortable in the future and ask them to commit to doing it.
Monitor – Keep an eye out for subsequent concerning behavior and follow up if appropriate. We recognize that every situation is different and some may require different processes including, but not limited to, mediation, organizer discussion, expulsion from the event, and banning from future events.

B. Workshop and performance recording policy

Staff members will indicate at the beginning of their workshop (specifically for musician and singing workshops) if recording is allowed. If you miss the announcement, please refrain from recording and check in with the staff member at the end of the class about future sessions. We have this policy in place to respect both staff and campers.
Consent to record does not mean consent to post on social media. Please ask the person you are recording directly before posting on Facebook, Instagram or YouTube.
There will be committee folks taking pictures throughout the week and video recording of dances. We encourage campers to also take pictures as we will be compiling them on a google file at the end of camp. If you do not want your picture to be taken or included in promotional material, please see one of the committee members directly.

C. Scent policy

We ask that you refrain from using strong smelling soaps, shampoos, deodorants, colognes or perfumes. We will provide scent-free hand washing soap.