Code of Conduct

1. Why this exists

Partner dancing puts strangers into physical contact with each other within about ninety seconds of meeting. That is exactly what makes it wonderful, and exactly why the rules cannot be left to be worked out on the fly. This document says out loud what most people would guess, so that the few who would not guess it cannot claim they did not know.

It applies to everyone: students, drop-ins, guests, volunteers, DJs, assistant instructors, and Salsa Paul. It applies in classes, at social nights, at any venue we rent, on the way to and from, and in our WhatsApp groups and direct messages.

2. The basics

• Treat people well. Courtesy, patience and good humour, especially with beginners. We were all new once.
• No harassment, bullying or discrimination. Set out in full in our Harassment Policy and Anti-Discrimination Policy.
• Dance with everyone. Rotating partners is how a class works and how a scene stays welcoming. Nobody is obliged to accept any individual dance — but consistently freezing one person out is not on.
• Look after the room. Watch your floorcraft, apologise if you collide, and respect the venue's rules, staff and neighbours.
• Arrive clean. Close dancing is close. Fresh shirt, deodorant, a spare top if you sweat heavily, mints if you have had coffee. Go easy on strong scent — some people react to it.
• Shoes on the floor the venue asks for. No street grit on a sprung floor.
• Pay for what you attend, and let us know in advance if you cannot make a class you have booked.

3. Consent and physical contact

This is the part that matters most, and the part we will always back you on.

• Every dance is a choice. Asking is lovely. "No thank you" is a complete answer, from anyone, for any reason, with no explanation owed and no sulking in response.
• You can stop mid-song. If a dance is uncomfortable, painful, too fast, too close or just not right, you can end it. "I'm going to sit this one out, thank you" is enough.
• Hands stay where they belong. The standard positions: the follow's shoulder blade or upper back, the lead's shoulder or upper arm, and joined hands. Not the lower back below the waist, not hips, not thighs, not anywhere near the chest.
• Close hold is offered, never taken. Start in open position with someone new. Closer contact happens only when both people move into it.
• Ask before adjusting anyone's body. "Can I show you with my hand?" first — every time, including instructors. A verbal cue or a demonstration is usually just as good and should be the default.
• No dips, drops, lifts or aerials without asking and being told yes. They are the fastest way to injure a partner who was not expecting one.
• No teaching on the social floor unless someone asks you to. Unsolicited "helpful" correction from a stranger is one of the main reasons beginners stop coming.
• Watch for the quiet no. Stiffening, leaning away, looking around the room, or going along with something without enthusiasm are all a no. You do not need to be told twice; you need to notice once.

4. Extra rules for instructors, DJs, hosts and volunteers

Anyone at the front of the room holds a position of trust and a genuine power imbalance over people who have paid to be taught. A higher standard follows from that, and it is not optional.

• No pursuing students. No romantic or sexual advances towards a student, and no using the role — attention, favouritism, a spot in a class, a performance place — to open the door to one.
• Teaching touch is minimal, announced and refusable. Explain, demonstrate, then ask before you put a hand on anyone.
• No teaching impaired. No alcohol before or during teaching, and no teaching under the influence of anything else.
• Take reports seriously the first time. Pass every concern to Paul promptly, however casually it was raised. Never talk someone out of making a report.
• Handle money and personal information properly — student lists, phone numbers and photographs are not yours to use for anything else.

5. Young people

Where anyone under 19 attends, these apply in addition to everything above:

• A parent or guardian consents to attendance, and is welcome to stay and watch at any time
• No private or one-to-one lesson with a minor behind a closed door. A parent or guardian is present, or the lesson happens in open view of others
• No direct private messaging between an instructor and a minor — communication goes through the parent or guardian
• No photographs or video of a minor published without a parent or guardian's explicit consent
• Salsa Paul holds a current criminal record check and will produce it to any venue, parent or partner organisation on request

6. Alcohol and substances

• At licensed venues, drink sensibly and within the venue's rules. The venue's decisions about service are final.
• Anyone too impaired to dance safely will be asked to sit out or to leave. This is about the safety of the person you would otherwise be spinning.
• No illegal drugs at our events.
• Never supply alcohol to a minor.

7. Photos, video and social media

• We photograph and film at classes and socials, and we publish some of it. See our Photo & Video Notice.
• Tell us if you would rather not appear and we will keep you out of it, or remove you from anything already published. No reason needed, and no awkwardness about asking.
• Do not photograph or film someone who has said no, and never take pictures of a person's body.
• Do not post video of someone's dancing to mock it.
• Our WhatsApp groups are for organising dancing. Not for sales pitches, politics, or messaging a member privately who has not invited it.

8. If someone breaks this code

We would rather have a quiet word than a process, and most things end there. Where they do not, the steps are:

1. A private conversation about what happened and what needs to change
2. A documented warning
3. Being asked to leave an event
4. Exclusion from classes and socials, temporarily or permanently
5. Ending a working relationship, and a report to police where a crime may have been committed

We will skip steps where the behaviour warrants it. Anyone can be removed immediately for conduct that puts someone's safety or dignity at risk. Fees are not refunded to someone excluded for breaching this code.

9. Raising something