The Historical Tea and Dance Society
CODE OF CONDUCT
The Historical Tea and Dance Society is an educational organization welcoming dancers of all levels in a warm and friendly atmosphere. Respect: for your partner, for the musicians and caller, for the line, and for the community in general, is the primary ingredient for an enjoyable experience for everyone.
We offer a few points of etiquette to translate that into practice:
Etiquette:
When asking a prospective partner, do so kindly and accept their answer cheerfully. If you are declined, accept it gracefully. Likewise, feel free to decline a dance with someone with whom you feel uncomfortable; a simple “No, thank you.” will suffice. We encourage our participants to dance with a variety of people both new and familiar, but your safety and comfort are paramount.
Every dance is an interaction between two or more people; invite another dancer in, do not force them. Use open-handed grips that are held together by the tension of both dancers, avoid grips that squeeze or encircle another person’s thumb, hand, wrist, or body in a way that they can’t escape.
Likewise, many of our participants have injuries or physical limitations that may affect how we dance. We also
have a variety of preferences for style, check with your partner before each dance to ensure that you are in agreement.
Each dancer has both the right and the responsibility to maintain control of their body. Do not lift other individuals.
Avoid abrupt movements that may startle other dancers or cause pain and injury. If your balance or ability to control your
movements are impaired by hunger, illness, drugs, or any other reason—consider sitting out a dance or an evening.
Because we cater to a wide range of experience levels, it may not be advisable for a participant to join in every dance.
Listen to the caller for indications that a dance may be beyond your current ability, in which case it may be best to
sit the dance out and watch. We’ll do our best to offer you other opportunities to learn.
When dancing, try to use gestures rather than verbal cues where possible to guide any fellow dancers who need help.
Trying to follow multiple verbal directions while performing unfamiliar moves can be distracting, and is detrimental to
the enjoyment of the dance.
In addition to the guidelines above there are a few simple rules to adhere to:
- For the mutual benefit of our participants, we require that our events be alcohol, drug, and gun free.
- In order to share our events with the widest community, we also require that there be no language or publications
that disparage any gender, ethnic group, or social group.
- Dancing involves physical and eye contact, which can sometimes include flirtatious movement and interaction.
These types of interaction are part of the dance; they do not apply after the music has stopped. Flirtatious interaction
as part of dance should not be taken as permission to behave flirtatiously in any other context.
Violation of any of these rules will result in a verbal warning. Repeated or more serious offenses may result in suspension,
or in extreme cases, banning from our events.
If you encounter a painful or uncomfortable situation during the course of a dance, saying a firm “No,” “Stop that,” or
“Ouch” can be the quickest way to indicate a problem. If you feel you are in immediate danger, you have the right to
leave the line and notify the floor monitor. You are more important than the dance.
If you feel that someone at one of our events has violated these guidelines or has otherwise made you feel uncomfortable
or unwelcome, please report the issue to any member of the HTDS Committee, to any of the floor monitors, or by
email to: htdscompliance@gmail.com. A pattern of behavior will not be recognized unless it is reported. For this reason,
we also ask that you refrain from using social media to report a problem or trying to resolve it with other dancers. If you
report an issue to the committee we will endeavor to correct it, but passing your message through third parties may distort it.
We respect your privacy and will avoid divulging your name or personal information beyond what is necessary to
resolve the issue.
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