Mission and Values
Mission
As defined in the By-laws of ContraMontreal, our mission is to:
- Hold folk dances, particularly contra dances, in the Montreal area.
- Encourage the development of contra dancers, musicians and callers.
- Build the contra dance community in Montreal.
- Foster connections with other contra dance communities in Canada and the United States.
- Foster connections with other folk dance and traditional music communities in Montreal.
Code of Conduct
ContraMontreal has an official Code of Conduct for all attendees to abide by. Basically be awesome and respectful and we’ll help everyone have a good time. If you have any questions, let us know! You can always email us at info@contramontreal.org
ContraMontreal is dedicated to providing a safe and enjoyable dance experience for everyone. Our goal is to create a space where everyone can grow as dancers and where everyone can enjoy dancing and socializing safely. To make this happen we all need to agree to a few expectations:
- We aspire to offer a comfortable space for everyone, regardless of age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, (dis)ability, physical appearance, attire, race, religion/spirituality, or other aspects of identity. We do not tolerate harassment in any form.
- Refrain from racist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist, sexist, or other behaviour that degrades, shames, or disrespects others for any aspect of their identity.
- Unless otherwise noted, ContraMontreal events are alcohol-free. Please ensure that any consumption of alcohol or drugs prior to or during the event does not impair your ability to follow the Code of Conduct.
- Be conscious of the need for consent for certain activities. Make sure you have consent before, for example, dancing with someone, dipping them, cuddling with them, making any form of intimate contact, et cetera. We encourage you to ask before offering flourishes and to do them safely.
- Be patient and kind with beginners; we were all there once and they will improve much faster with our help!
- We welcome dancers of all ages! Please be extra respectful of children’s consent in dance activities, such as picking them up, and make sure you only interact with children outside the dance with their parent’s consent.
- If you are bringing children to the dance, please make sure that they behave in a way that’s safe for them and the other dancers.
- We dance using gender-neutral terminology; please be respectful of all dancers’ choice of dance role.
- Do your utmost to ensure that your behaviour isn’t making someone else uncomfortable or unsafe. Be your best self.
If asked to stop any behaviour, participants are expected to comply immediately. We expect participants to follow these rules throughout each of our events. Egregious violations may be met with consequences including expulsion from the event without a refund or a ban from all future events.
ContraMontreal encourages you to take initiative in respecting, setting, discussing, and defending boundaries. If you feel uncomfortable or unsafe confronting a situation, please talk to a committee member. We take all complaints seriously and are committed to resolving issues to the greatest extent possible.
In addition, please make sure to follow any venue’s Code of Conduct (Patro Villeray’s Code of Conduct is at the bottom of this page (in French))