SwitchOn Northwest strives to create a dance community that is a fun, friendly, and safe place where everyone can enjoy learning and dancing. Our Code of Conduct outlines behavioral expectations of attendees at our events.

 

SwitchOn Northwest believes 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 expression, sexual orientation, country of origin, immigration status, size, socio-economic class, education, mental health status, or any assumed identity.

 

It is the responsibility of every attendee to read and understand this Code of Conduct. By attending any of our events, you agree to adhere to the agreements present in this document. You may revoke this agreement at any time by leaving the event. SwitchOn Northwest reserves the right to refuse entry for any reason. Consequences of unacceptable behavior may include being asked to leave the venue immediately (with or without a refund), and if a situation is deemed significant enough to require follow-up action, the event may share information about the situation with other Event Directors.

 

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 event as potentially in-scope of reported violations against our Code of Conduct.

 

Community Agreements:

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• Use clear verbal communication to ask people to dance. If someone turns you down for a dance, don’t try and talk them into dancing.

• Choose whichever dance role you prefer: lead, follow, switch, or steal. Communicate with your dance partner about which roles you are open to dancing, and do not assume which role(s) anyone dances based on gender or gender expression.

• 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 the event space, including refraining from excessive amounts of cologne/perfume or strongly-scented products, bringing a change of shirt if you sweat profusely, and avoiding substances that create lingering odors that might create discomfort in others.

• 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. Sometimes mistakes happen on the dance floor, but we expect everyone to take accountability and respect their personal space afterward. Inappropriate or unwelcome physical contact or sexually explicit dance moves will not be tolerated.

• Do not teach or give unsolicited technique-related feedback on the social floor or during classes.  Guidance or teaching that is not asked for is not appropriate from peer dancers.

• 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 event if you are deemed to be a risk to other attendees.

• Do not do aerials or leads that are uncomfortable/overly familiar (like neck or head leads) during social dances and competitions to prevent physical injuries.

• Lending or 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”.)

• Do not approach anyone at the event or contact anyone on social media with unsolicited or explicit advances.

• By attending SwitchOn Northwest, you are agreeing to be photographed by our event photographers. Unless you are the event photographer, seek consent before photographing or videoing people who are social dancing, and/or sharing that content to social media. 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, do so right away.

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Reporting a Safety Concern:

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1. Submit a safety report using the following link: https://tinyurl.com/SwitchOnNorthwestSafety. 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 Directors (Marcus Gramps and Denice Keepin), Safety Director (Rima Kaboul). Any volunteer can help you locate these individuals.

3. Call 911 for any immediate emergency outside the scope of this Code of Conduct.

 

SwitchOn Northwest’s Code of Conduct is adapted from Retaliation Swing’s event.

Special thanks to Retaliation Dance Production, LLC.