POLICIES

Prelude Dance Competition pledges to make intentional action and make best efforts to:

• Create healthy and safe boundaries with all faculty, staff, dancers, choreographers, directors, crew, assistants, parents, students, and all people within our competition environment. 
• Enforce age-appropriate choreography and age appropriate music. All choreography created and music chosen for Prelude Dance Competition will not insinuate or blatantly express adult subject matters, adult movements, or adult situations. 
• When in a position of power, hire the best person for the job regardless of their race, gender, ability, shape, or economic level of freedom. We will not adhere to any quotas and will evaluate each individual for who they are and what they could bring to my open position. We will not tokenize dancers of color or dancers who have the potential to be othered (discriminated against). 
• Understand that we have made mistakes in the past and will make mistakes moving forward. We will always try to repair any harm caused. For past mistakes, in which we cannot repair harm, we will practice self-compassion and forgive myself for my actions and seek the support we need to ensure we do not create this harm again in the future. In the future, when we make mistakes or cause harm, we will do everything in our power to repair harm caused without causing more harm. As we continue to grow from a place of healing, we know that we are not defined by my mistakes or most harmful actions. Each day as we continue to develop deeper understanding and commitment to Anti-Racist, Anti-Othering, and Anti-Abuse (Anti-Discrimination) work we will move forward knowing that we are in control of our actions and we can make better choices. 
• Prelude staff and its host team will hold themself accountable to directly confront racism, othering, and abuse, if able. If unable, we will notify (anonymously if I choose):
  • Prelude as an organization
  • Any of the Prelude Host teams
  • Anonymously reporting form
  • Any reporting body within the organization of any harm I am aware of within dance organizations, communities, or environments. 
  • Dance  Education Equity Association (DEEA) by email: info@danceequityassociation.com

All Prelude staff members, host team, participating team, and/or participating dancer will be required to read and understand the Anti-Abuse, Anti-Racism, Anti-Othering Policy. They will also be required to sign an attestation stating that they have read and understood all policies.

In the event any Prelude staff member, host team, participating team, or participating dancer does not follow or break any policy. Please inform Dance Education Equity Association (DEEA) by email: info@danceequityassociation.com

• Prelude Senior staff will investigate the situation and define which policy was broken.
• The person(s)/team(s) will be presented with the facts of which policy was broken and how their behavior was harmful to others.
• As part of a developmental path, the person(s)/team(s) will be given suggestions, solutions and goals to:
  • Repair the harm where possible
  • Better understand, learn and grow from their mistake(s).
  • Making changes necessary to avoid such behavior in the future.
• Prelude Senior staff will follow up on the person(s)/team(s) progress.

As we begin our journey to commit to anti-abuse, anti-racism, and anti-othering. Here is a list of resources that is here for your use. Please take time and view our list and reach out to any of them if needed.

• To promote gender inclusivity, any participating dancer, guest performer, judge, emcee, staff or volunteer will be asked to share their gender pronouns and use gender-inclusive language to avoid bias towards a particular social gender
  • We will ask for pronouns on registration forms, roster forms or any type of paperwork/forms. We encourage participants to share only if they are comfortable
  • If pronouns are provided on registration forms/roster forms, they will be included on their dancer badges/name tags. Event staff and volunteers will be informed to seek out pronouns if addressing an individual dancer.
  • Members are asked to use teammates preferred pronouns. 
  • If incorrect pronouns are being used members and leadership are encouraged to step in and correct language. If the issue persists, training and education surrounding correct pronoun usage will be provided for the team and members.
  • When sharing dancer, dancer, judge, emcee, or guest performers information on social media (such as member highlights, class teacher, etc.) the organization will include pronouns.
    
• To promote inclusivity, any participating dancer, guest performer, judge, emcee, staff or volunteer will be asked to share their gender pronouns and use gender-inclusive language to avoid bias towards a particular social gender
  • We will ask preferred names on registration forms, roster forms or any type of paperwork/forms. We encourage participants to share only if they are comfortable
  • If preferred names are provided on registration forms/roster forms, they will be included on their dancer badges/name tags. Event staff and volunteers will be informed to seek out preferred names if addressing an individual dancer.
  • Members are asked to use teammates preferred names. 
  • When sharing dancer, dancer, judge, emcee, or guest performers information on social media (such as member highlights, class teacher, etc.) the organization will include preferred names.
• An anonymous form will be provided for members to share needs if they are uncomfortable doing so in person

Prelude Dance Competition will begin to regularly practice Land Acknowledgments at before shows and before team meetings to recognize our country’s violent history and its legacy in the space we occupy. We encourage the members of our community, our colleague organizations and friends to begin their own practice of land acknowledgement.

Resources:

• Find Your Native Land
• Honor Native Land
• Decolonization is not a Metaphor
• Territory Acknowledgement

• Access check-in surveys will be sent to participating teams prior to the event. Leader/organizers will do their best to accommodate any needs
  • A secondary access check-in will be sent closer to the event date
  • If a one on one check in to discuss needs is required, organizers and staff can be available to meet individually to discuss needs
  • Event organizers will vet venues to ensure they are able to accommodate accessibility needs, both for performers and attendees 
• Access check-in surveys will be sent to team members prior to the start of rehearsals. Leader/organizers will do their best to accommodate any needs
  • An option to set up consistent check-ins with leaders to review continuous accessibility needs will be provided. Ie weekly/monthly check ins
  • Differing accessibilities will be considered when creating choreography and performances
• An anonymous form will be provided for members to share needs if they are uncomfortable doing so in person