In Full Swing Leicester

We love dancing and want everyone who comes to classes or events to have a great experience and aim to create a friendly environment. Please follow this Code of Conduct to help us all to have a safe and enjoyable time dancing.

If you have any concerns about anyone’s behaviour within the classes or events, please speak to one of the committee or make a report. You can also contact us via our direct messaging on Instagram, Facebook, as well as emailing any issues to welfareifs@gmail.com

In Full Swing Leicester classes and events are open to everyone regardless of gender, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, disability, age, size, physical appearance, or religion. We do not tolerate harassment of any kind at our classes or events.

Accidental contact and boundaries

• We will not touch anyone without consent (this includes asking someone to dance) and we will apologise immediately if we unintentionally touch someone inappropriately.
• Accidental contact includes dance floor collisions, kicks, and stepping on feet, as well as accidentally touching another person’s body, which they feel was inappropriate.
• Always respect personal boundaries.
• Partner dancing can involve close contact with others, and we must respect each other’s personal space.
• If someone tells you that you are making them feel uncomfortable, respect their requirement for space.
• We will be mindful of the appropriateness of language that some may find offensive.

 You can say “No”

• Accept when someone says ‘no’ to a dance.
• Every dancer has a right to ask anyone else to dance, and the right to decline any dance.
• You don’t need to offer an explanation. If you feel uncomfortable dancing with someone, you can stop dancing with them at any time, even halfway through a song.
• We always ask if someone would like to dance, and we obtain explicit consent before another dance — remembering that consent can be withdrawn at any point.
• When someone says no to a dance, respect their decision and ask someone else. No one is obliged to dance with you, and no one should feel obliged to accept a dance if they don’t feel like it.

Advice

• Do not offer unsolicited advice to your fellow dancers. It is good to encourage, not criticise.
• Unsolicited advice can discourage other dancers. Please leave the teaching to the teachers.

Physical safety

• We will not dip our partner without consent or perform aerials on the social floor.
• If drinking alcohol, we won’t drink to excess or needlessly endanger ourselves, nor our partners.

Look out for each other

• Report any concerns about behaviour to a member of the In Full Swing Leicester committee. If you see someone who looks uncomfortable or upset, ask if they are ok and if they would like you to report any unwanted behaviour to the committee on their behalf.
• If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact a member of the committee immediately.
• Depending on the situation, you may be asked to file an incident report.

Do not engage in harassment of any form

• Harassment includes offensive verbal comments related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, age, body size, race, or religion, as well as misogynist and homophobic language.
• Harassment includes continuously asking someone to dance when they have repeatedly declined your offer.

Be considerate and respectful

• In Full Swing Leicester classes and events are organised by the committee who are all volunteers. We all want to have a good time, so please treat everyone — both participants and organisers — with respect. We do our best to hold well-planned and organised events. If you are unhappy about any aspect of the event, please come and have a chat with one of the committee.

We TRUST that all reports of inappropriate behaviour will be taken seriously. 

• We expect that failure to comply with this code, or participating in any kind of verbal, physical or sexual abuse will be dealt with.
• This may result in proportionate consequences, including, but not limited to, being asked to leave without refund; and exclusion from future classes, events, both locally and further afield. This would also include our partner groups.
• Information regarding actions taken may be shared with other members of our wider community.
• If a crime is suspected, our committee will make a report to the police and the police will decide whether to investigate. During that time, the alleged suspect(s) will not be permitted to attend any In Full Swing Leicester classes and events.
• If a police investigation concludes that a crime has been committed, the person(s) responsible will be barred from In Full Swing Leicester classes and events.
• If the police do not charge the person(s), then In Full Swing Leicester will take a case-by-case review on how safe it would be for the person(s) to return to our classes and events.

Team members will PROMISE to take all reasonable steps to ensure that any report of inappropriate behaviour is treated with sensitivity and respect.

• We encourage anyone who has experienced or witnessed intimidating or inappropriate behaviour to tell a member of our committee.

Making a Report

For formal reports, you can contact our Welfare Officer, Laura. Our Welfare Officer acts independently on disclosures and won’t pass on specific details or identities without the express permission of the person making the disclosure, except in legal safeguarding matters. They can be contacted in person or make a report (anonymity optional) via this independent online form.

If you feel that a concern has not been dealt with fairly, or you have a concern about an organiser, then this can be escalated to any organisation that is part of the S.T.E.P.S. Network, whose representatives are willing to hear reports from any swing dancer, regardless of where they dance. More information can be found on the S.T.E.P.S. website.