SAFER SPACES POLICY

Our goal at Bluetopia Dance Inc. is to create an inclusive and welcoming event where all people can enjoy social dancing and Blues music in a safe and comfortable environment. We welcome dancers of all experience levels, and all people regardless of race, religion, nationality, physical ability, mental ability, gender, sexual orientation, physical appearance, or age. We expect all attendees to treat everyone with respect regardless of the factors mentioned above. This document is not all-inclusive, but should be treated as a guide to our values.

Blues is a Black social dance, and a Black musical tradition. Our aim is to respect Black culture, history, artistry, and the people who created it in how we dance, and how we exist in community together. Our organizers, teachers, and DJs are committed to self-education and anti-racist practices in how we run this event, and welcome feedback on how we can do better. Attendees who share this goal with us are welcome in our spaces!

Code of Conduct

Blues is a social dance, and our mission is to dance with people from many different dance communities and backgrounds! We’ve come together from all over the country and the world to bond over our love of Blues. That said:

  • Right to Refusal — Everyone has the right to decline or leave a dance, with or without explanation. Please do not take it personally if someone says no to a dance with you, if they dance with someone else during that song, or if they leave a dance mid-song. Keep in mind that there are many possible reasons for someone not dancing with you, and respect that nobody owes anybody else a dance.
  • Romantic Advances — Do not interpret dance connection as attraction. It is not appropriate to ask your partner out while dancing.
  • Consensual Connections — Please be considerate of the needs of your partner in terms of closeness, energy level, and connection type. Do not use pressure or force to bring your partner into connection. If you notice non-verbal signals like body stiffening, hesitation, etc., and/or are unsure about what connection is appropriate for your partner, ask. Dance is a conversation — listen to each other!
  • Unsolicited Feedback — Speak up if you are uncomfortable, in pain, or at risk of being hurt. Do NOT critique, criticize, or teach on the dance floor unless specifically asked.
  • Public Displays of Affection — Please limit PDA to what is appropriate for a public space.
  • Aerials, Dips, & Tricks — Aerials are not allowed on our social dance floors. Dips and tricks should only be done between practiced and consenting partners. Please do not do weight bearing moves, such as deep dips, without verbal consent.
  • Community Wellness — If at any time you find yourself impaired – by alcohol, exhaustion, distress etc. – in a way that makes it difficult or impossible for you to follow this Code of Conduct, please take time to rest, eat, recover etc. until you can do so. If you need support, please reach out to the Bluetopia Committee or our Safer Spaces Coordinator.  Please check in with anyone who appears to be struggling!

Safety and Access Issues

If you have a question, comment, complaint or concern, you should bring it to a member of the Bluetopia Committee or the Safer Spaces Coordinator by approaching them directly or submitting an incident report using the QR codes located around the venue or found on our website.  Verbal or written complaints brought to us will be taken seriously and handled with care and confidentiality, and people who do not follow these policies after an intervention may be asked to leave the event without refund.

If you are hurt or made to feel unsafe or uncomfortable in any way by a fellow attendee, please immediately bring this to the attention of any Bluetopia committee member or the Safer Spaces Coordinator. Everyone attending Bluetopia or its related events  is expected to respect the boundaries of others on and off the dance floor, even outside the scheduled events and venues.

If someone tells you that something you are doing is hurting anyone, or making anyone feel unsafe or uncomfortable, immediately stop the behavior. We understand that it can be challenging not to take this feedback personally, and we hope that you can see this as a learning opportunity. If you are not sure how to change the behavior, please ask the Safer Spaces Coordinator for support.

Even if you are not directly involved — if you notice someone is hurting a fellow attendee or causing them to feel unsafe or uncomfortable, we still ask that you bring this to the attention of a Bluetopia committee member. You are part of the Safer Spaces team with us, and we are all responsible for creating an inclusive and welcoming event. We would rather you spoke up unnecessarily than left a problem to develop.

If there is an issue with the space or event that is creating an obstacle to your full participation e.g. an allergen issue or other access issue, please let us know. We will do our best to resolve the situation as fast as possible given our resources.

Safety and Access Procedures

When you bring an issue to a member of the Bluetopia Committee or the Safer Spaces Coordinator, you can expect:

  • An initial conversation away from other attendees
  • Confidentiality (unless we feel someone is in immediate danger)
  • To be asked how you would like the situation to be handled
  • The situation to be shared with additional committee members
  • The next steps to be determined in consultation with you
  • Some next steps may include the reported person being:
    • Observed, but not approached, to keep an eye on them for further issues
    • Spoken to directly about their behavior and asked to stop
    • Removed from the event, and/or banned from future events
    • Reported to venue security and/or police

We reserve the right to ban individuals from registering for or attending any part of Bluetopia or its related events. While we will attempt to follow a restorative approach wherever possible, anyone who does or says something inappropriate, disrespectful, overtly sexual, illegal, dangerous, or otherwise violates any of the policies set forth here will face consequences, which may include immediate removal from the event, banning from future events, and legal action.

If an attendee is:

  • A convicted sexual offender
  • Currently being tried for a sexual offense
  • Has a Protection from Abuse (PFA) against them
  • Has a restraining order against them

This person may be banned from registration, refused entrance, and/or removed from the event. Please notify the Bluetopia committee if you know of any such individual who may plan to attend the event, or if this describes you.

Scope and Enforcement

Any form of harassment or harm that is persistent, severe, or that continues after feedback, will be responded to as a major safety and access concern, whether or not it occurs at the event itself.

Please contact us with any concerns.

 

We borrowed from the policy written by Steel City Blues in consultation with Jaesic Wade and Fen Lastra (Kennedy) of Changeling Spaces. We are grateful for their efforts to make a well written and well-rounded Safety Policy that we can use.