We want the Swingshoes community to be a place where everyone is welcome regardless of culture, ethnicity/race, sexual orientation, gender expression and -identity, religion, socioeconomic status, age or ability. To ensure this, we will not tolerate disrespect, hate speech, harassment, and discrimination on these grounds (or any other). In addition, we expect every participant to abide by these simple rules when participating in lessons, social dances or other Swingshoes activities:
- SEEK VERBAL CONSENT when asking someone to dance. It is polite to specify a dance role, and please make an effort to not assume roles based on perceived gender. It is always ok to say no to a dance – you don’t need a reason. Be respectful of someone saying no. Consent can be revoked at any time, also while dancing, and consent to dance does not mean consent for anything else.
- RESPECT the wonderful people in our community, both on and off the dance floor: their bodies, their personal space and their dance levels. Take care not to hurt your dance partner, and check in with them if you are not sure. If (when) collisions on the dance floor happen, immediately apologise and check everyone is okay. If someone does not wish to dance in a close position, respect this choice. Avoid correcting your partner or giving unsolicited advice about their dancing.
- AIRSTEPS, LIFTS, and dips where someone’s weight is taken off of their feet, are not permitted on the social floor. Please reserve these for competitions or a dedicated practice space, and always seek verbal consent from your partner beforehand.
- USE LANGUAGE mindfully. Sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, ageist, ableist or body shaming language is not acceptable. Please respect people’s pronouns. Don’t ask inappropriate questions about people’s bodies and private parts. Don’t make anyone feel “other” or excluded. Don’t use slurs of any kind, not even to explain how “things used to be”.
- DRINK RESPONSIBLY & DON’T DO DRUGS. Drinking to excess or doing drugs can put yourself and others at risk of injury. Get high on the music and dancing instead.
We expect that all participants in Swingshoes activities have no problems abiding by the above, and will work from the assumption that any breaches that do occur will be unintentional. As such, anyone found in breach of the code of conduct will be notified and given a chance to correct their behaviour. However, we will not tolerate repeated breaches, and repeat offenders will be excluded from future events (cf §4 of the Swingshoes statutes); in especially egregious circumstances this may also be the case for a first offence.
Persons in positions of trust in Swingshoes
Swingshoes is a volunteer-run organisation, with a democratically elected board that has the overall responsibility for the activities being conducted under the name of the organisation. In addition, we have a group of teachers who also work as volunteers and conduct the lessons, tasters, workshops etc that are offered by Swingshoes. This means that both groups of volunteers (board and teachers) hold special positions of trust on behalf of the organisation. As such, they are of course all expected to not only abide by the code of conduct included above, but also to serve as role models of good behaviour in the community.
Dealing with breaches of the code of conduct
As mentioned above, the board is elected to serve as the highest authority of the association between general assemblies. As such, dealing with any violations of the code of conduct is also the responsibility of the board. If you experience anything that makes you feel uncomfortable while participating in a Swingshoes activity, or that you feel is a breach of the code of conduct, you can contact the board by finding one of the board members in person, or by sending an email to info@swingshoes.dk.
This email address is only read by members of the board, and the contents of your email will be treated with confidentiality and will not be shared with anyone else without your consent. However, it is also OK to request an in-person meeting if you are not comfortable sharing details of any incident in an email. In any case, the board will respond and talk to you about the incident to understand what happened and how this should be dealt with. Ultimately, the decision to take any formal action will be up to the board, but we will always strive to do this in dialogue with the person who contacts us.