Community Guidelines
Explore the values and guidelines of Denver Contact Improv, including principles of consent, safety, inclusion, and collective care. Learn how we cultivate a supportive, respectful, and mindful dance space for all participants.
Treat yourself and others with compassion and care. Listen and stay aware. Get clear, ongoing consent. Look for verbal and nonverbal cues, and check in if unsure. Stop immediately if consent is withdrawn. Honor boundaries, communicate openly, and support safety for all. Harassment of any kind is not tolerated. Speak up and care for yourself if your cues aren’t being read. Speak to a Space Holder if you need support.
Contact Improvisation carries inherent risk. Know your limits, take mindful risks, and stay aware of your surroundings. Don’t push or lift partners beyond their skill level, and avoid grabbing limbs to catch someone from falling, this can be unsafe and feel violating. Learn to fall safely and let others protect themselves. Increase your skill through classes to dance with confidence and care.
You are free to exit any dance or situation at any time, no explanation or justification is necessary.
If you don’t know someone, introduce yourself. Acknowledge new faces with warmth and presence.
Please do not lie down or remain stationary in the center of the dance floor. Use the edges of the space for rest, bodywork exchanges, or witnessing.
Practice non social speech when on the dance floor, if you want to have a conversation go outside. Same with phones!
Always ask before offering feedback. A simple, “May I offer you some feedback?” is both respectful and necessary.
When facilitators are speaking, pause your own conversations and give them your full attention.
If something is unclear, ask. Clarify rather than remain in confusion or assumption.
Be accountable for your actions, your energy, and how you contribute to the space.
Practice attention, generosity, compassion, and curiosity. Ask yourself: How can I be a supportive partner and member of this community?
This is not a space for seeking romance or engaging in sexual behavior. It is normal for sexual energy to arise, If it does, shift the dynamic or leave the dance, no explanation is needed. Everyone must feel safe witnessing what’s happening in the room. Avoid intentional sexual touch or touching under clothing without clear consent. Unwanted sexual advances are never acceptable and carry serious consequences. If something feels wrong, stop the dance, leave, and reach out to a Space Holder.
Power imbalances, shaped by identity factors like gender, race, age, ability, experience, and more can impact how safe others feel. Be aware of your position and how it affects others. Never use your power, intentionally or unconsciously, to influence or pressure. Forceful, aggressive, or intimate dancing (like cuddling) requires strong mutual trust and clear consent. You are responsible for how your actions impact your partner and the space.
Weapons of any kind are not permitted in the space, including firearms, knives, or any object intended to cause harm. Space Holders may ask anyone to secure, remove, or leave with a weapon if it impacts the felt safety of the space. Previous safety concerns may also be grounds for denying entry.
Wear clothing that fully covers erogenous zones. Shirts are required for all genders. This supports cultural sensitivity and equity. Suggested: Knee pads, non-slippery clothing, long pants, and extra shirts.
Just because 2 or more people are consenting to a specific activity doesn’t mean the whole group is. Look at the bigger picture & consider the whole
Your needs matter. The group’s needs matter. Both can be true. Practice holding this balance with care and awareness.
The safety of the community comes first. Space Holders reserve the right to deny entry or remove individuals from the space at any time to maintain safety and wellbeing. Patterns of harmful behavior in this or other communities may be grounds for exclusion, even if no incident has occurred in the space. Boundaries may be set indefinitely when the community lacks capacity to provide ongoing monitoring or feedback.
Sharing access needs is always optional. Participants are welcome to share their name and, if they wish, pronouns, injuries, or anything the group should know to support them. Facilitators may model this practice when appropriate. No one is required to disclose personal information.
We strive to support diverse access needs, including sensory and hearing considerations. If you need support, please speak with a Space Holder so we can explore what is possible.
There may be two or more opposing truths in the space at the same time. We are not here to prove others wrong or ourselves right, nor are we here to rush toward resolution. We are here to practice staying with the discomfort. The discomfort of disagreement. Of not fully understanding one another. Of being impacted, challenged, or unsettled. And still, we can remain in relationship. We can share the space, speak honestly about our experience, listen deeply, and move toward one another with kindness and care.