Social Dancing & Studio Events

The QuickSteps Community Values

Today, we launch our QuickSteps Community Values: five areas that the QuickSteps dance community embodies, and which are the foundation of what we have created here at QuickSteps. Here is the journey we went on in uncovering them, and why they’re so important to us.

The Feedback

The QuickSteps Management Team is very lucky as we often receive positive feedback from our Members. When asking the question: “What do you love most about being a part of the QS Community”, the following terms come up again, and again;

Welcoming
Friendly
Inclusive
Fun
Happy

The Questions… QuickSteps Community Values

This obviously makes us very happy when we hear it, but it also started to raise questions:

As we grow, how do we ensure we don’t lose these positive vibes along the way?

How can we maintain and grow this culture as we welcome more members to the tribe and don’t necessarily have as much one-on-one time with everyone that walks through the door?

Time to Research

After a bit of research, we came across other dance studios that had adopted a ‘code of conduct’ or a list of ‘dos and don’ts’ that they ask their students to adhere to. This is okay, but wasn’t quite nailing it for us; we felt this was perhaps a little prescriptive, and we didn’t want our members to feel like there were ‘rules’ to which they had to abide.

A ‘Valuable’ Exercise!

Then we looked to the QuickSteps Team for answers. They are welcoming, friendly, and supportive of each other, no matter what; our QuickSteps Core Values are a big reason for this! We have a list of 10 Values that every Team Member learns by heart and agrees to adhere to while they’re at QuickSteps. So from this came the Community Values.

These five Values are shared in our community and help everyone at QuickSteps feel happy and welcome. By doing this, our members are not only coming along for the ride but rather taking an active part in helping QuickSteps to achieve our mission of ‘Creating Happiness through Dance‘ for those around them.

This gave us a framework but not the details, and forced us to put our heads together to distill how we got to be this way; what has contributed to this community being the way it is, and how we can maintain and grow it.

Here is the finished product;

Our Community Values

1. Welcome New Members

Our community is built on welcoming others and being friendly. With a smile, we extend a hand, invite for a dance, and pull up a chair. We welcome new members no matter their life story, background, age, race, or gender. We remember where we came from and dance with members of all levels and abilities (we too were beginners once!)

2. We Respect Each Other and Boundaries

Partner dancing is a physical activity that requires physical contact with another person. This does not mean we can overstep this boundary and make people feel uncomfortable. Rubbing another person’s body, specifically hands, back, shoulders, and neck, is not appropriate. Holding another person’s body in a way that makes them feel uncomfortable or for an extended period of time is not acceptable.

QuickSteps is a community of people wanting to dance, socialise, and be active. We are friendly with each other without giving unwanted attention.

What we wear can make others uncomfortable. Please don’t attend classes, events, or the cafe in clothing with images/slogans that can be offensive or overtly sexual or violent.

3. Be Kind

Always be kind and avoid giving unsolicited advice while we are all learning to dance.

4. Speak Up

The good, the bad, the ugly, QuickSteps management needs to hear it. If we see, hear, or feel something that is not quite right, we speak up. If we have a great idea, we speak up. So, if we have a compliment for the team, we speak up.

We care deeply about our QS Dance Community and believe that everyone has the right to feel safe when they are learning to dance. By becoming a member, attending a class or event, you are agreeing to uphold these Community Values at all times.