Intentions
This year Champagne & Roses is doing something a little different and really striving to center the themes of healing and community with our event. The C&R team intends to organize an event that lifts marginalized voices, distributes labor more equitably, and celebrates the collective power of the community rather than the power of isolated individuals.
The organizers are curating Champagne & Roses with the above intention informed by the following shared beliefs:
- The perspectives and labor of BIPOC, women, femme, and nonbinary folks are not centered or celebrated in dominant American culture
- Emotional labor is real work that goes unrecognized, and women and femmes are expected to do a disproportionate amount of that work
- Champagne & Roses is an opportunity to celebrate community, lift marginalized voices, and promote a culture of reflection, healing, and growth
Community Agreements
In order to better realize the intention of the event, organizers and attendees alike are expected to behave in accordance with these agreements*:
- All members of the community, including myself, are valuable human beings who impact our collective wellbeing and are worthy of respect.
- Due to identity, background, and many other characteristics or traits, some members of our community are privileged, while others are disadvantaged. I recognize that I am informed by experiences beyond my control, and I will do my best to honor this reality in my interactions with others.
- I will do my best to respect my own boundaries, and to respect and stay informed about the boundaries of others.
- I am empowered to take care of my own needs, and to respect the needs of others.
- I can ask anyone to dance with appreciation and respect regardless of the answer, and I can decline a dance and expect the same courtesy.
- I recognize that I am expected to move my body through a dance space with awareness and competence. I will never intentionally move my body in a way that brings harm to myself or others. If a collision happens and I am responsible, I will apologize and check in with my partner and all folks involved, and I can expect the same courtesy from others.
- I recognize that I am expected to be proficient in good consent practices, and I will conduct myself accordingly. Good consent practices include but are not limited to the following:
- Establishing explicit consent before engaging with dance or touch, especially with acts that involve safety (lifts, dips) and personal boundaries (hugs, kisses)
- Understanding that consent to one action does not extend itself to other acts
- Understanding that consent is momentary; consent to one action does not guarantee consent to it in the future, and one is expected to regain consent rather than assume
- Understanding that intoxication impedes one’s ability to give consent and also the ability to recognize subtleties in someone’s answer to a consent request
- Identity is not determinable by appearances, and I will avoid the use of gendered pronouns or other means of assuming identity unless I am informed.
- I will do my best to act with best intent, and to recognize that the impact of my actions outweighs my intentions.
- If I am made uncomfortable, unsafe, or if I experience any other harm, I am empowered to make it known. I may approach the person responsible on my own, and/or I may seek assistance from an organizer, a Care Team Member, and/or a consenting member of the community.
- If I have caused discomfort or harm, I will be accountable for my actions; I will act in accordance with the needs of the person I harmed and in service of the collective safety of my community.
- I am empowered to look after the wellbeing of my community. If I witness harm or any other interaction that seems concerning to me, I may check in with the persons involved, and I may inform an organizer or a member of the Care Team of my concerns.
- Conflict and feelings are an inevitable and worthwhile component of human relationships. If I find myself in conflict with another person, or if I am witnessing the feelings of another person, I will do my best to honor their experience and approach the situation with compassion and respect.
- I am empowered to honor my own feelings and may process them in the quiet or reflection spaces, and I may seek support from the Care Team or from other consenting members of my community.
- I recognize that the use of alcohol, cannabis, and other substances will impact my ability to do all of the above to my best ability. If I choose to be intoxicated at this event, I understand that others may adjust their needs and boundaries in accordance with my state. If my intoxication causes disturbance or harm, I will accept the consequences of my behavior.
Individuals who break these agreements or otherwise cause harm may be asked to leave the event without a refund, this includes organizers and staff. We encourage community members to support these agreements by advocating for your needs, setting boundaries, and compassionately holding others accountable when they violate these agreements. If you need support in compassionately communicating with someone when they’ve violated an agreement, seek assistance from an organizer or Care Team individual.
***If you would like to make C&R aware of a person in our community who may attend around whom you feel unsafe and/or who has caused harm, please fill out this Safer Attendance Reporting Form as soon as possible.***
This document is imperfect and malleable and may be changed in order to better serve the wellbeing and shared values of our community. Any individual may contact us and request additions or edits with the intent of creating a more supportive and comprehensive policy. We thank you in advance for abiding by our Community Agreements.
*These agreements were based largely off of the Code of Conduct created by High-Fidelity Fusion. Access it here: https://www.highfidelityfusion.com/code-of-conduct