BAREFOOT DANCE EXETER

At Barefoot Dance Exeter .....

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• People come to move and dance with awareness, usually to music.

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• Everyone is welcome.

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• Each person is responsible for their own emotional and physical safety.

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• The space is drug and alcohol free.

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• Everyone is free to leave the sessions at any time.

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• The dance floor is kept free of chat though people are welcome to go into the adjoining areas if they want to talk at any time.

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• There are usually a couple of times during the evening where we will gather in a circle and meet as a community. There will always be the opportunity to speak to the whole group, though this is always voluntary.

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• On Barefoot (peer led) nights the music is provided and the circle is held by members of the group.

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• When there is a teacher paid to run the session they take primary responsibility for the safety and well-being of the group.

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• People dance barefoot or in dance shoes.

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• People bring water to drink or it is available from the hall kitchen.

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• There is disabled access and a disabled toilet. 

 

How the community works….

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• There is no formal structure for this group, no one is ‘in charge’ or ‘leading’. Some people take a more active voluntary role in the administrative and organisational tasks to keep things going. Decision making is by consensus where possible and the whole community (i.e. everyone who turns up on a Wednesday) is invited to be involved.

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• There is an annual meeting (usually in May) to talk about the programme, finances, policy, health and general direction of the group. Other meetings may be arranged on an ad hoc basis.

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• Barefoot Dance is a not for profit organisation. Funds accumulated over an agreed reserve are donated to a charity agreed by the community. 

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Keeping each other safe…..

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• The community wishes to provide a safe place where people can be just as they are. People dance/move on their own or with each other.

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• There may be physical contact between dancers at times. It is always intended that this is with the consent of all the people involved.

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• Everyone has the right to decline/invite touch at any point. 

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• If you wonder if you might have crossed a personal boundary of another dancer, we suggest you check it out with the person concerned as soon as possible. We assume most boundaries are crossed unintentionally. 

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• If you feel a personal boundary of your own has been crossed, we think it is important, for all parties, that this is communicated to the person/people concerned as soon as possible. Communication could be with words or dance/movement or both. We hope that this direct approach will resolve the specific issue satisfactorily. 

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• If it does not feel possible to communicate directly with the person/people, for any reason, or that communication has been attempted and failed then we have a resolution procedure.

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Resolution procedure …

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• The resolution procedure can be instigated if there is a personal issue which the parties have not been able to resolve. 

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• We will endeavor to do our best as a community to support you confidentially. 

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• Step one is to let ‘someone’ know there is an issue to be resolved. The ‘someone’ could be the person holding the group that evening or people who have volunteered themselves to take on the role …. Currently this is ………(list of people who have volunteered to take on this role and have had some basic training in conflict resolution) …………………………………….

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