ACCMED CODE OF ETHICS
The Association of Central Carolina Middle Eastern Dancers (hereafter known as ACCMED) is an association of professional teachers and performers dedicated to the advancement of Middle Eastern dance in the central region of North Carolina. As such, ACCMED has developed a set of guidelines and ethics to which each of its members is asked to adhere. These guidelines and ethical standards include:
- Each member of ACCMED will show respect for each other by communicating with each other honestly, openly and with professional courtesy and by striving to maintain or raise our standard of pay and working conditions.
- Teachers will show respect for their students by maintaining high standards in their classrooms including being reliable, punctual, and prepared; working to provide appropriate learning performance opportunities for their students; mentoring students to advance in their skill set; encouraging students to study with different teachers and take workshops when able; communicating to their students with respect and courtesy; modeling respect and courteousness toward other members of the dance community; being impartial and fair when mediating student conflicts; being honest in representing credentials; abiding by copyright laws; presenting a clear set of classroom expectations, and educating their students in the history and culture of the dance. Teachers will safeguard the privacy and personal rights of their students and will not engage in any practice that is discriminatory on the basis of age, weight, religion, disability, race, gender, or sexual orientation.
- Each member of ACCMED will portray a positive image of middle eastern dance to the public by appropriate dress, language, and demeanor; being punctual, courteous and respectful to hosts and audiences; and striving to educate the public whenever possible about the beauty, history and culture of our art form.
- ACCMED members will promote themselves and ACCMED solely through legitimate means. ACCMED members will not talk negatively about others to potential employers and will never attempt to talk potential employers out of hiring someone else or offer to perform/teach for less than the current person who is working there. Teachers will not distribute their business cards or flyers to studios where someone else is already teaching without the knowledge and consent of the current instructor.
- ACCMED members will show respect for the intellectual property of others and give credit to others whenever possible.
- Each member of ACCMED will refrain from the following *: the use of harmful dance techniques in teaching; illegally reproducing music or video; detrimental/degrading presentations of the dance, including attending all-male parties, lap dancing, suggestive behavior, inappropriate touching; falsely representing others’ choreography as original; spreading malicious gossip and rumors about other artists; scheduling conflicting events in a local area without obtaining prior agreement between sponsoring parties; and undercutting and lowering wage standards.
(* Original author is Anthea Kawakib. See http://www.kawakib.com/ethics.html)
