Ethics within the dance community is a highly debated subject but my personal view is what is written here. Some people see no problem undercutting, stealing, bad mouthing, etc... but personally I do, and on top of that I think everyone should. I think if we all work together as a community forming guilds, unions, and other organizations to help us all by demanding decent wages and providing much needed support and information for dancers everywhere we will all be much better off.
Ethics in Performing
When performing there are certain things which I feel are unethical. Number one is undercutting. Undercutting is one of the worst things that happens in the dance community. Restaurants and gigs will pay better wages if that's what the going rate is and while many dancers will fight for what's right and refuse to dance for less then they are worth there are still enough of those who undercut our wages and make it even more difficult to be payed a decent wage. Think about how expensive costumes are to buy and maintain the cost of training, props, music, etc... it all adds up and to tell you the truth it just doesn't pay to dance for small wages. What are you worth? Do you think your worth 5 dollars and hour? 10? 20? 50? 100? In some communities there is a lot of call for dancers and they can get higher wages... even after the undercutting, some places there isn't much call for dancers and those communities unfortunately have to settle for lower wages but whatever the going rate is in your area you should try your best to maintain that rate and if it's really low try to raise that rate. Some beginners/newbies will undercut because they figure they are new to this and their not as good as other dancers so they should charge less so people are getting what they paid for. In theory it's a nice idea but, in reality it's undercutting. The person that hired you for $10 less then the going rate will be reluctant to hire anyone for the going rate any more they will expect everyone else to lower their rate and dance for $10 less. Don't charge less than the going rate just because your new to performing. If you don't feel your worth that rate then go back to get more training until you fell you are worth it. Another reason for undercutting is that dancers will get so desperate to perform at a restaurant/gig that they will accept less just to have the opportunity but, that restaurant/gig will expect all other dancers to work for the same wage then. Some people argue that they go for lower rates to be competitive, but think about it, when you apply for any other job the particular job your applying for generally pays around the same no matter which company you look at. It may differ by a dollar or two but it's pretty close. So why should we try to be so competitive that we are willing to cut our wages by $10 or more. Another unethical thing is bad-mouthing others. It's unfortunate but petty rivalries tend to pop up and then cattiness breaks out. Just because you don't like someone or don't like the style of dance they do doesn't mean other people feel the same way. It's just very unprofessional. Instead of telling other people who or what you don't like tell them who or what you do like. You never know when you might need to work with that person on something. Besides, if they really are that bad eventually the will force themselves out of the picture because others will realize that they are not good either. So, just cool it and let them hurt themselves with bad dancing or poor business ethics and save yourself the bad karma.
Ethics in Teaching
I can't count the number of times I hear about people having bad experiences with teaching because of poor ethics on someone's part. There are a number of teachers who just are not ready to teach when they start. Many start teaching for money and many start teaching to make themselves seem important. If you want to teach make sure it's for the right reasons. Don't do it just for money or recognition, but for your love of the dance and your desire to share that with others. This doesn't mean you can't enjoy the recognition you receive or the money you make, just don't make that your focus. When your a teacher your students come first. You have to put aside any prejudices you may have and accept all different types of people and attitudes towards dancing. You need to consider the needs and wants of your students. Don't speak poorly of other teachers/dancers/students but do mention positive things. If you have students who are looking for guidance in becoming a professional dancer or a teacher gives them your honest opinions and try to genuinely help you. Intead of thinking of it as competition think of it as a growing family. When your in small town area's, I know it can be hard when you barely have enough students to make any profit at teaching yourself, but that doesn't mean that you should discourage people from teaching. Maybe all they need is another opportunity for growth that is not avaliable to them. Try strating a troupe or let them teach your begnner's classes while you handle the intermediate and advanced classes. You could even start them out with a teacher's assistant type position which will also allow you to evaluate them as a teacher to help make sure they are ready to teach. If they really are not ready you need to be honest with them though. Try telling them all the positive things about what they are doing and then say "but here are the things I'd like to work on with you". Another important thing is that you pass on these same ethics to your student. This helps to ensure better quality students and dancers in the future. Sometimes you end up having students that are know-it all's and want all the attention focused on them. They tend to be the ones who may cause interruptions in class and who tend to teach far beyond the time when they are ready. As much as you want to help them become good dancers and teachers you have to draw the line somewhere. Make sure you clearly state class protocol/rules at the beginning of each session and that you post them somewhere so that student are reminded each time they see them. That way you know that each student is aware of how they are expected to conduct themselves in class. When the trouble student acts up, even though it's hard, you can say this is what is expected of you and if you don't want to follow the rules I'll have to ask you to leave. You may want to pull them aside after class and ask them politely, sometimes they just don't realize how disruptive they were being other times they just don't care. In general treat your student's the same way you would like teachers to treat you; help them grow and develop as dancers and teachers as much as you can and be respectful of other dancers and teachers as well. If there are bad teachers and dancers they tend to eliminate themselves form the picture as they don't appeal to people for long. A higher quality dancer and teacher will generally come out on top in the end. Also, same rules apply as in performance ethics... NO UNDERCUTTING.
