We strive to create an atmosphere where many folks can access Spirit by dancing. We honor both authentic self-expression and important personal boundaries, acknowledging varying comfort levels for each individual. With patience, we aspire to dance together through a variety of mental, emotional, and spiritual states, honoring individual spontaneity, style, and flavor. We ask all dancers to keep these considerations in mind.
1. Please help us create a safe space for everyone.
Cultivating an attitude of trust and an openness can take lifetimes or a split second. We hope to align ourselves more and more with trusting in Divine Timing. We can accept painful or uncomfortable experiences, though we do not seek them, believing that they will guide us closer to our natural state of trusting, loving, and knowing that we are safe.
2. Please be aware of how you are connecting with others.
Dance Spirit is structured to channel individual and group energies. When we increase our awareness of individual energy, we can dance together as a group with more authenticity and more responsibility. When we expand our awareness, we notice our connections with others, how others are connecting around us, and the energetic possibilities of the group. Then we can shift our focus to larger and larger levels, ultimately connecting with All That Is.
3. Please make supportive & enlivening choices.
We are free to change the ways we move, think, act, feel, and know. We encourage and respect self-care, self-regulation, and self-knowing. We ask all who choose to join the dance to develop more self-awareness, awareness of how we affect each other, and awareness of this list of considerations. We respect those who choose to leave the dance, and would benefit from hearing their experience. To help maintain a safe and sacred container for dancing, we ask all who choose to join the dance:
- to refrain from substance-based intoxication, violence, harassment, verbal abuse, or destructive behavior of any kind.
- to embody more oxygen-based intoxication, compassion, acceptance, verbal support, and constructive behaviors of all kinds.
4. Please help us welcome dancers of all ages in our community.
We ask parents to help children to use “inside voices” during quieter times. We invite dancers to interact with children respectfully, playfully, and loudly during louder times. We ask everyone to dance with awareness when children are present. While we encourage a community mindset toward children, we recognize parents as ultimately responsible for their children.
5. Please respect the physical space we have been given.
We are grateful to have the use of such a large, centrally located studio. We make efforts to maintain good relations with our neighbors and the owners of the building and the studio, and we appreciate everyone’s help in maintaining the quality of the built environment. We ask everyone to refrain from any behavior that could endanger physical integrity.
6. Please be considerate when using dance accessories.
Hoops, fans, poi, and other accessories can make harsh noises when dropped. Please use accessories mostly during louder times, and infrequently during quieter times. When using accessories that take up more physical space, please be aware of how this affects the energy of the group.
7. Please leave street shoes at the door.
To help create a safe space for dancing, we encourage bare feet for all. When using soft-soled footwear, please increase your awareness of others.
8. Please leave conversations at the door.
To help create sacred space for dancing, we encourage a non-verbal space. This can include spontaneous sounds, short and simple greetings, and vocalizations. We ask that conversations and dialogues be taken out of the dance space into the foyer or changing areas.
9. Please have integrity around money.
We are grateful to everyone who helps us financially. We strive to maintain transparency with our finances, and appreciate the trust that enables us to simply leave a donation basket at the door. While we encourage everyone to contribute at each dance, we trust that those who cannot contribute one time, will contribute (perhaps more generously) the next time. We encourage the circular energy of generosity.