ACCOUNTABILITY COMMITMENT
At SODANCE Vernon we are committed to holding ourselves accountable to the highest standards of equitable teaching practices within our studio. We do this by training our faculty to embrace and be accountable for anti-abuse, anti-othering and anti-discriminatory policies and procedures within our organization.
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We would like to begin by acknowledging that the land on which SODANCE Vernon operates is the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Syilx people. We recognize and honour the enduring presence and deep cultural heritage of the Syilx Nation, and we are grateful for the opportunity to live, work, and dance on this land. We commit to learning from and building relationships with the Syilx people, and to working towards reconciliation and decolonization in our community. As a dance studio, we believe in the power of movement and expression to promote healing, understanding, and connection, and we hope to contribute to a future of mutual respect and shared prosperity for all who call this land home.
10 PILLARS OF EQUITABLE TEACHING PRACTICES AT SODANCE VERNON
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We want all dancers to feel that they are accepted within SODANCE Vernon and we will create that environment by ensuring that all dancers are included in their activities within their classes.
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It is important to us that our dancers and teachers maintain their health and safety within SODANCE Vernon so that they can enjoy many years of dancing in their future. We accomplish this by ensuring that our faculty is adequately trained in all aspects of dance education to provide a protected and secure environment for our dancers.
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We encourage our dancers to bring their individual humanity into SODANCE Vernon by respecting the values, beliefs, and ideas through strong anti-othering procedures that support each individual dancer that is a part of SODANCE Vernon.
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Through our commitment to education practices (starting with dance history) at SODANCE Vernon, we strive to inspire dancers to appreciate dance as an active participant or an observer throughout their entire lives.
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Our team believes that it is important for dancers to have a voice in the studio! We want our dancers to feel that they are heard, and we encourage this by actively listening to the individual thoughts of each student.
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Dancers will feel valued and welcome at SODANCE Vernon because we aim to provide an accessible environment to all dancers through the use of an access check-in during our registration and orientation process for new and continuing students each season. If at any time a dancer's accessibility needs change, dance families are encouraged to contact SODANCE Vernon and update their information as required.
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At SODANCE Vernon we strive to facilitate a safe space where dancers feel that they have full sovereignty for creative self-expression by safeguarding the dignity of all dancers through the exceptional awareness training of our faculty.
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Our dancers are encouraged to embolden their confidence through the courageous and vulnerable leadership of our studio.
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We strive to develop a feeling of appreciation within all of our dancers through an educational approach that is consistently kind and compassionate.
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At SODANCE Vernon we honor that our dancers are autonomous individuals through our commitment to the awareness, development and use of self-advocacy tools within our space that dancers can continue to strengthen through their adult lives.
Accountability Practice at SODANCE Vernon
What do our accountability pillars actually look like as a member of the
SODANCE Vernon Dance Family?
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All faculty are trained extensively on the daily practice of our accountability pillars.
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We are held accountable by ourselves and by third party organizations
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We ensure that all music, costumes and choreography are appropriate for all dancers involved in class/performances (both as spectators and as performers)
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We have detailed plans of action to put into play if we observe, or receive note of any abusive, othering, or otherwise discriminatory practices taking place inside or around the studio
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We make an effort to go above and beyond and provide dance families with an access check-in to enhance their dance experience even further!
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Our studio has strong body acceptance policies in place where we enforce and appreciate that every body is a dance body. Faculty are encouraged to role model the importance of dancers having healthy relationships with food that nourishes and energizes the body in order to dance!
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Our studio accepts payments from various organizations that provide economic support for students from lower income families. We have also enforced a lower cost dress code to additionally make dance more affordable for our dance families.
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We have strict anti-bullying policies in place with clear guidelines of structured courses of action for any instances of bullying observed or noted.
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Our faculty has received training on the importance of recognizing different developmental milestones and how to appreciate neurodiversity within these developmental stages
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We recognize that diversity comes in many different forms including physical differences, neurodiversities, or economic/personal circumstantial related diversities.
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Our team has received extensive training on the importance of understanding what "grooming" is and how to strengthen and empower consent practices within our studio. This includes training and practice on self-advocacy work within our classes.
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We appreciate that dancers come in all physical forms and do not discriminate against any individual's choice of their own gender identity or gender expression
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We encourage our faculty to make sure that they are taking care of their mental health and being mindful so that they can be role models to the students of our studio when it comes to making mental and emotional health as much of a priority as our physical health.
SODANCE VERNON'S ACCOUNTABILITY PLEDGE
The staff at SODANCE Vernon are committed to continual excellence by staying up to date with our business practices, following through on regularly scheduled training, holding each other accountable to the standards set out in these policies and to updating and reviewing these policies and procedures at minimum on an annual basis to ensure that they remain relevant and applicable to the needs of our dancers and our community.
SODANCE VERNON'S ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNERS
