Statement on Ethics
Studio 149 Statement on Ethics, Conduct, Inclusion and Appearance
“How to have a dancer’s body: 1) have a body 2) dance.”
Purpose: this policy was designed to clarify the values of our studio and its affiliates in the areas of ethics, inclusion, conduct and appearance. Studio 149 and all associated companies and classes aim to provide equal and open access to all patrons regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, identity, veteran status, age, disability, political affiliation, and/or socioeconomic standing. No person has the right to interfere with another patron’s ability to be present and enjoy this space and the opportunities we offer.
This policy is designed to promote a courteous and respectful atmosphere among users and staff that any and all visitors can learn and enjoy their time in our space. Studio owner/staff maintain the right to expel and/or suspend an individual from our facility who contributes to a disruptive, unsafe, or unwelcoming environment, interferes with another’s ability to learn and enjoy class/company/training/etc. or impedes a staff member’s ability to do their job.
Instead of going deep into specific rules (while we will name some for the outright protection of our dancers), this is instead intended to share our heart for our students, dancers, clients, and audience members and what we hope to be as a community.
A passion and our mission, here at Psalm 149 Dance is to inspire and encourage all dancers to have the confidence to perform. We believe in the importance and necessity to advocate for dancers of all shapes, sizes, colors, genders, ages, etc. to be on our stage or in our studio doing what they love and feeling good about themselves while doing it.
Our goal is to help foster an environment where our dancers have the freedom to feel comfortable in their own skin and confident in their appearance because we believe that our dancers are worthy and deserving of that. We choose to celebrate our dancer’s bodies and promote self-acceptance by creating a safe space for all who walk through our doors.
God accepts us as we are, and that is what we hope to share as a company.
We believe there is no “wrong” body. All bodies have a right to exist as they are.
We believe in teaching our dancers that our bodies are nothing to be ashamed of.
We want to emphasize the importance of the inherent dignity of each body
We believe there is nothing more beautiful than a person being unapologetically themselves.
We aim to separate feelings of shame from the art of dance, and recognize that our
responsibility as performers is to give all we have to offer and let God do the rest
We believe in the importance of Mental Health and choose to align our choices as a company
with those that will honor the mental health of our dancers, staff, clients, etc. to the best of our ability.
Songs
We believe that God is worthy of all praise and all art. We love music written explicitly for Him by those that love Him, but also know that He can get the glory without a "Christian" label. For this reason, we choose not to place God in a box of our own limitations and see Him receive glory even in places you wouldn't expect. While we do utilize a lot of Christian and praise music, we do incorporate other songs in classes/performances.
Movement
We believe God is worthy of our art. What is unique about Studio 149, our mission work, and our vision is that we believe that every single person, regardless of race, gender, nationality, size, shape, abilities, etc., should have access to this art form. A place where they can grow technically as dancers, but also have freedom of expression away from competition. Dance is a form of artistic expression that can be a representation of your culture, and we believe it can also be a representation of your faith. We teach dancers how to honor and respect their bodies, grow to love their unique movement and architecture, and dance for something more than just a ribbon, trophy, or approval. From that core value, we teach many styles of movement and dance foundations, with a heart of praise and love at the core of why we move regardless of the style, choreography, audience, etc.
Attire
In regards to costuming and attire, we simply point you to our values as a company/studio. We are created in the image of God, and our bodies are nothing to be ashamed of. We want to foster an environment for body acceptance/respect while praising with the body He blessed us with.
Psalm 139:14: "I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well"
Ephesians 2:10 "We have become his poetry, a re-created people that will fulfill the destiny he has given each of us, for we are joined to Jesus, the Anointed One. Even before we were born, God planned in advance our destiny and the good works we would do to fulfill it"
We develop and consider all of our movement and costuming choices with all of these core values about people, and the body in mind. We ask that you respect these values and understand that they might be different from yours, and that’s okay. As audience members, the expectation is to be supportive witnesses to the expressions of faith demonstrated on stage, even if costume choices or body types presented challenge personal biases or societal norms.
Our dancers will never be forced into costuming choices that do anything less than make them feel comfortable and confident in their bodies. We will always allow our dancers to communicate their comfort levels, make any necessary accommodations accordingly, and encourage them to find confidence in themselves.
Communication
At studio 149 we believe in creating healthy boundaries for our staff/leadership. We love when parents, dancers, and clients share their hearts, ideas, and opinions; however, we ask that this be done appropriately and respectfully. The following basic guidelines will help assist you in proper communication:
We will not be giving out personal contact information for any of our instructors. Communication with instructors can be done via their work emails.
In case of emergency, please contact directly at (210)-758-0822 via phone call or call 911 for more serious emergencies that cannot be handled by staff or leadership.
Our staff will not be expected to respond to messages, emails or calls outside of normal business hours (Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm)
Please understand that we value our rest and our Sabbath, and that each instructor has a different Sabbath in their week that may differ from those hours.
For the safety and to protect the hearts of our dancers and staff, we ask that any complaints, suggestions, or compliments be sent via email to psalm149danceministries@gmail.com or info.studio149@gmail.com. Any emails sent directly to staff with complaints or suggestions will not be responded to.
We love to leave room for growth and change, but do ask that any complaints or suggestions be done through the proper channels and only regarding issues directly related to yourself or your children. Messages that address someone else’s kids or situations, not directly related to yourself or your children, will not be addressed with the exception of safety issues.
There is always going to be someone who disagrees with us. We are bound to face adversity and push back from those who think or believe differently. With this in mind, we encourage conversations, growth and change but believe that this can never and should never be at the expense of someone else.
A message from the owner: “One thing that I have struggled with, personally, is creating healthy boundaries of working hours for myself. Starting my own business in an area so deeply rooted into who I am as a person and believer, coupled with my hardworking nature that always assumes I am not doing enough, definitely has created some issues for me over the years. I tend to overwork myself and prioritize work over home, which is never healthy and certainly not an example I want to set for those I am leading. I ask that you would limit communications to email and respect that I will not be responding to calls, emails, or text messages sent outside of normal business hours. Thank you for understanding!”
With all of this being said, we want to encourage you to remember that our main focus in this studio is to love well. Every decision, position, and work of art created here flows from that core foundation. We simply ask the question, “how can we show Jesus and honor the person He created each of us to be?”
As they say at the Arsenal Church,