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Rising Floor
 

Our Standards

The Rising Floor Standards are a shared commitment to fairness, safety, dignity, and equality in partner dance. They represent a conscious choice by organizers, teachers, and dancers to hold themselves to a higher standard of ethical behavior and professional conduct.

These standards also act as a clear reference point for accountability. They give our community the language and structure to speak up, take action, and support better practices, and they offer an evolving framework for those working to improve.

We recognise that these changes require a shift in long-standing norms and systems. For many organizers, that change will take time. Members are not expected to transform everything overnight. Rising Floor will support members throughout this transition, offering tools, guidance, and community examples to help close the gap between intention and action. 

This is more than a set of rules. It’s a cultural shift toward transparency, equity, and respect, where good actors are empowered and consumers can clearly see who stands where.

 The standards are listed by role below: 

Shared Commitments

These shared standards define the baseline ethical commitment expected from anyone who chooses to display the Rising Floor badge or appear in our public directory.

Fair Pay & Respect for Labour

  • No one should be asked to work for free or "for exposure."
  • All roles must be paid fairly, transparently, and in accordance with their contribution, experience, and context.
  • No one should accept unpaid work that undermines the profession, including dancers assisting teachers without compensation or DJs and other skilled contributors working without pay. These practices:
    • Devalue professional roles
    • Lower the quality of classes and events
    • Remove income opportunities from professionals who rely on this work
    • Reinforce systemic pay gaps, particularly for women

  • While Rising Floor acknowledges the long-standing culture of volunteering within dance festivals, any volunteer arrangement must involve a fair and proportional exchange:
    • Volunteers should be assigned general event support roles that would not otherwise go to a paid professional.
    • The value of what they receive in return (such as event access, food, or accommodation) must reasonably reflect the time and nature of the work provided.
    • Volunteer agreements must be clearly communicated in advance, including expected duties, hours, benefits, and any limitations.

Safe and Inclusive Environments

  • Every person deserves to feel safe, respected, and welcome in dance spaces. Harassment, coercion, intimidation, and discrimination have no place in our community.
  • Creating safer environments is a collective effort. Each member has the power to shape the atmosphere, not just through what they avoid, but through what they choose to support and protect. That may mean:
    • Checking in on someone who seems uncomfortable
    • Calling out harmful behavior when it’s safe to do so
    • Stepping in when a situation doesn’t feel right
    • Taking appropriate formal action if you’re in a position of responsibility

  • Codes of conduct are a key part of this culture shift. These should be:
    • Clearly visible at all events
    • Shared in advance on ticketing pages and registration emails
    • Enforced consistently and fairly by organizers

  •  Members are encouraged to familiarize themselves with each event’s code of conduct, ask questions, and take an active interest in how safety is being upheld. 

Transparency & Accountability

  • Contracts, communications, and expectations must be handled professionally.
  • Members agree to listen to feedback, own mistakes, and make ethical improvements.

Zero Tolerance for Predatory Behavior

  • Members do not work with, support, or protect known predators.
  • Abuse, coercion, and harm will not be ignored, minimized, or enabled.

Professionalism On and Off the Floor

  • Whether in class, at festivals, or social events, conduct must reflect Rising Floor standards and values.
  • Visibility brings responsibility. Members represent the community in all public spaces.

Events associated with Rising Floor must clearly display the badge and link to the standards, so participants understand what ethical expectations apply.

Organizers

Organizers, including event producers, festival organizers, school owners, dance and taxi team operators hold significant influence over the culture and safety of the dance scene. These standards define what ethical leadership looks like.

Ethical Hiring and Equal Pay

  • Organizers commit to hiring teachers and DJs based on experience, skill, and alignment with ethical standards.

  • When booking teachers for partner classes, organizers must ensure that both a lead and a follow are hired of a similar level of skill and ability. It is not acceptable to book a solo teacher (often male) without clear consideration of who they will teach with or whether that person will be paid. This practice undermines the professionalism of the class, contributes to pay inequality and often results in a lower-quality experience for follow students.

  • Where teachers are booked individually, organizers commit to retaining an overall fair gender balance, equal pay, and similar level of skill and ability.

  • When hiring a teaching couple:

    • Negotiations must involve both teachers and be conducted transparently. Organizers must ensure that both teachers are aware of the terms and have explicitly agreed to them, rather than relying on one teacher to relay information to the other.

    • Each teacher must receive a contract directly, with clear terms and fair pay. It is not acceptable to contract and pay only one teacher and have them decide how the payment is split.

    • Where two teachers are contracted, they should have the option for payment to be made to each teacher separately.

  • Teachers must be paid fairly, regardless of gender, fame, or whether they lead or follow.

Transparency and Respect in Contracts

  • All hired professionals must be provided with clear terms outlining:

    • Pay rate and payment method

    • Prep hours, rehearsal expectations, and teaching responsibilities

    • Travel and accommodation provisions

    • Cancellation policies

  • No hidden expectations or unpaid work: e.g., if teachers are expected to attend socials, practice sessions, or lead warmups, this must be discussed and compensated accordingly.

Visibility and Representation

  • Flyers, websites, and lineups must reflect gender balance and diversity.

    • This includes equal presence of men and women, leads and follows, and cultural diversity reflective of the community where reasonably possible.

    • Organizers agree to stop the overrepresentation of male solo teachers and follower partners as secondary add-ons.

  • Both members of a teaching couple must have equal marketing visibility, microphone access, and space to actively teach and contribute in class and at events.

Safe and Professional Event Environments

Events are professional spaces, even when social. Organizers agree to:

  • Have a written code of conduct with is made visible to all participants. It should outline expected behaviors, boundaries, consequences for violations, and how participants can report issues safely.

  • Codes of conduct should be developed in consultation with the community, survivors, and safety experts where possible. Templates and guidance will be made available through Rising Floor to support this process.

  • Organizers are responsible for:

    • Displaying the code on their website and ticketing/event pages

    • Including it in pre-event communications and registration confirmations

    • Posting it clearly at physical event spaces (e.g. doorways, info desks, bathrooms)

    • Translating it into relevant languages where needed

    • Ensuring staff, volunteers, and instructors are briefed and know how to respond

  • Enforce codes of conduct at events (and associated pre and after parties), classes, and socials.

  • Monitor for unsafe, predatory, or harassing behavior and intervene promptly

  • Ensure teachers, DJs, and volunteers are not subject to exploitative demands

Zero Tolerance for Enabling Predators

  • Organizers agree not to hire, host, or collaborate with known predators. This includes individuals with a documented history of sexual assault, abusive conduct, or community harm. (*Rising Floor will conduct further community consultation to clarify the meaning of a "known predator".)

  • Organizers must set and enforce a zero-tolerance policy for abuse, including:

    • Sexual assault, harassment or coercion

    • Intimidation or manipulation

    • Enabling known offenders to remain active in the scene unchallenged

  • Organizers must remove known predators from lineups and deny them space at events
  • Organizers who fail to act on credible reports of misconduct may be removed from Rising Floor.

DJ & Artist Payment Standards

Organizers agree to treat DJs and musicians as respected professionals. This means:

  • DJs must be paid fairly for their contribution, including setup, peak hours, and late-night work.

  • Agreements must clearly outline:

    • Hourly or set-based compensation

    • Equipment or tech requirements

    • Travel, accommodation, and hospitality terms

    • Cancellation terms, including fees or penalties

  • DJs must not be asked to play for free or “for exposure,” unless by personal choice in special community contexts, and never repeatedly or exploitatively.

  • Events must be intentional about equitable access to DJ opportunities for women and underrepresented artists, especially in headline slots.

Accountability and Community Alignment

  • Organizers agree to:

    • Be open to feedback from dancers, teachers, and community members

    • Engage in conversation about how to improve their practices

    • Support the values of Rising Floor both publicly and internally

  • Events associated with Rising Floor must clearly display the badge and link to the standards, so participants understand what ethical expectations apply.

Teachers

Whether teaching solo, in pairs, or running performance teams, teachers agree to uphold principles of fairness, shared voice, safety, and ethical working conditions, both in and outside the classroom.

Fair Pay and Equal Treatment

  • Teachers engaged to deliver a partner class must be paid fairly for their contribution, regardless of whether they were originally booked as a couple or brought in later. No teacher should be treated as an optional add-on or expected to work for free. Respecting the skills, time, and presence of both roles in partner teaching is essential to maintaining professional standards.

  • When approached by organizers offering solo bookings that exclude or underpay a teaching partner, teachers, especially those in male-lead roles, commit to declining such offers unless fair terms for both partners are established. Normalizing unpaid or invisible co-teaching undermines equity and reinforces systemic bias.

  • Unpaid teaching, assisting, or demonstration should only occur in clearly defined exceptions, such as:

    • A time-limited mentorship arrangement for trainee teachers

    • Volunteering as part of a community or charity initiative

    • Other transparent, agreed situations that do not undermine professional pay standards

  • Equal pay is non-negotiable when teaching as a couple of similar skill and ability, each teacher must be paid directly, separately, and equally.

  • Payment must reflect all working time, including prep hours, teaching, and any required long-distance travel, unless otherwise agreed transparently and ethically.

  • If one teacher owns the studio or manages the class, business overheads, these should be discussed transparently and must not be used to justify underpaying or exploiting the other teacher.

Shared Voice and Visibility

  • In couple teaching, both teachers must be given equal microphone access, speaking time, and visible authority in class.

  • Teachers agree to respect their partner’s expertise and professional standing, regardless of gender or dance role.

  • Dismissing, overshadowing, or tokenizing a teaching partner is considered unethical conduct.

Assistantships and Mentorship

  • Teachers agree not to exploit assistants or students under the guise of mentorship.

  • Assistants who contribute meaningfully to class delivery must be paid or have a clearly defined training agreement that:

    • Has a written outline and a time limit (e.g. no more than 3 months)

    • Does not involve excessive unpaid practice time

    • Does not require payment by the assistant for the opportunity to teach

  • Practices such as making assistants pay for private lessons, co-teach without pay, or work without clear terms are considered exploitative.

Professional Conduct and Zero Tolerance for Abuse

  • When teaching classes or at events / festivals, teachers must uphold professional behavior throughout the entire event, including social hours, performances, and after-parties.

  • Events and festivals are professional settings, even outside of scheduled teaching hours. Teachers agree to:

    • Avoid excessive drinking or substance use that may impair judgment

    • Refrain from flirtation or sexually suggestive behaviour during classes or at official events

    • Avoid patterns of pursuing or sleeping with students or attendees across festivals

  • Zero tolerance for predatory behavior or rape culture. Teachers must not:

    • Work with, endorse, or protect known predators

    • Use their position of power to engage in inappropriate relationships with students

    • Dismiss or undermine survivor concerns or community safety

Alignment with Ethical Events

  • Teachers commit to only working with organizers who meet ethical hiring and payment practices.

  • They will not participate in events that fail to pay follower teachers equally, allow unsafe practices, or reinforce gender-based inequality.

  • Teachers are encouraged to speak up and refuse gigs where standards are not being met.

Ongoing Work on Pay Equity

We recognize that “equal” and “fair” pay can involve complex factors including experience, reputation, geography, and local market norms. To ensure fairness while respecting professional realities, Rising Floor will be launching a consultation process with the community to develop clear, practical guidance on:

  • Minimum hourly teaching rates by region

  • Pay structures for teaching pairs

  • What is and is not an ethical assistantship

  • Transparency around unpaid work and preparation

These guidelines will help members, organizers, and dancers make informed decisions and ensure that standards are applied with both clarity and integrity.

Dancers

Dancers are the foundation of the scene and they hold more power than they realize. These standards ask dancers and students to align their choices with fairness, safety, and respect, helping to shape a better dance world for everyone.

Conscious Support and Accountability

Dancers agree to support teachers, DJs, and events that uphold Rising Floor standards. This includes choosing classes and festivals that treat professionals fairly and create safe, inclusive spaces.

  • Dancers agree to withdraw support from individuals or events that repeatedly violate ethical principles, include known predators, have exploitative organizers that underpay or don’t pay, or events that ignore serious misconduct.

  • Dancers are encouraged to ask questions:

    • Are both teachers being paid fairly?

    • Is this organizer known for respecting all roles, genders, and styles?

    • Is there a code of conduct?

Speak Up — Respectfully

  • Dancers agree to speak up when they witness unethical or unsafe behavior, whether it’s harassment, discriminatory comments, or unfair treatment of teachers or DJs.

  • Feedback should be given respectfully and constructively, and dancers are encouraged to use Rising Floor’s reporting channels when appropriate.

  • Dancers also agree to hold themselves accountable, creating a respectful, consent-based atmosphere in classes and socials.

Respect on the Dance Floor

  • Dancers agree to uphold principles of consent, bodily autonomy, and mutual respect:

    • No means no - the first time, whether delivered verbally, through action, or through withdrawal of engagement

    • Respect boundaries without question or debate

    • Avoid giving unsolicited feedback or instruction unless explicitly requested

    • Treat every partner as a human being, not a prop or a performance

  • Dancers also agree not to pressure others into dances, use their social status to manipulate attention, or retaliate against those who set boundaries.

Cultural Integrity and Humility

  • Dancers commit to learning about the cultural roots and histories of the dances they participate in.

  • This includes being respectful about music, language, and movement and acknowledging that they are stepping into a cultural space, not owning it.

  • Dancers agree not to diminish or mock styles, roles, or expressions that differ from their own.

Supporting the Movement

  • Dancers who align with Rising Floor can publicly pledge their support, display the logo if they choose, and share the standards within their communities.

  • Dancer members will not be publicly listed (to protect privacy and manageability), but their support contributes meaningfully to the visibility and strength of the movement.

  • Every time a dancer makes a values-based choice: where to dance, who to support, what to tolerate, they help raise the floor for everyone.