Free dance template, no account
Free Dance Code of Conduct Template
A dance code of conduct for the places dance behavior goes wrong: the dress code and the floor, warm-ups and stretching, skills a teacher has not cleared, a dancer who is hurting, comments about bodies, and what parents do in the waiting area and the audience. Dancers and parents each get their own commitments, on one page, with one place to sign.
What a dance code of conduct needs that a general one does not
A general code covers respect, effort and turning up, and the document above already carries those: how dancers treat classmates, teachers and guests, and how they behave in group chats and on social media. These are the dance rules it adds for dancers, each one there because it is the thing that actually goes wrong in a studio. Floor, footwear and skill rules are set by your program and its governing body, so edit these to match what yours requires.
- Dress code, hair and footwear. A dress code lets a teacher see how a dancer moves, and secure hair and limited jewelry keep a turn from catching on something. Street shoes carry grit onto a floor that was chosen for the work. The rule asks dancers to arrive ready and leaves the dress code itself to the program. The document says: “I will arrive in my program's dress code, with my hair secured, jewelry off or limited as my teacher asks, and the right shoes for the class, and I will keep street shoes off the dance floor.”
- Warming up and stretching. Cold muscles and a forced stretch are how a small strain starts, and a dancer pushing a classmate deeper into a stretch is a common way to cause one. The rule asks every dancer to warm up and to stay within their own range. The document says: “I will warm up before I dance and stretch within my own range, and I will never force a stretch or push another dancer into one.”
- Lifts, tricks and pointe work. When a dancer is ready for lifts, tricks and pointe work is a decision for the program and the teacher, and some of them are risky without one watching. The rule is the dancer's part: attempt only what has been cleared, and only when a teacher is in the room. The document says: “I will only attempt lifts, tricks, acrobatic skills and pointe work that my teacher has cleared me for, and only when my teacher is present.”
- Pain and injury. Dancing through pain is how a small injury becomes a larger one, and a culture that admires it keeps dancers from speaking up. The rule asks for the report to be made straight away, and treats it as the right thing to do. The document says: “I will tell my teacher right away if something hurts, rather than dancing through pain, and I will follow the rest my teacher or doctor recommends.”
- Space and awareness. A room full of dancers turning and leaping is a room where someone is about to be hit. The rule asks every dancer to keep track of the others and to give them the room they need. The document says: “I will give other dancers the room they need and stay aware of where they are during turns, leaps and traveling steps.”
- Respect for every body. Remarks about weight, shape and appearance do lasting harm in dance, and dancers often learn them from each other. The rule asks every dancer not to make them, in the studio or online, and gives a teacher something clear to point to when one is made. The document says: “I will not comment on another dancer's body, weight or appearance, in the studio or online.”
- Rehearsals and performances. A group piece changes when one dancer is missing, because the spacing and the timing are built around everyone. The rule asks dancers to come to every rehearsal for the pieces they are in, to know their part, and to be quiet and focused in the wings. The document says: “I will come to every rehearsal for the pieces I am in, learn my part and my spacing, and be quiet, focused and ready in the wings.”
Parents and the studio
The code above also carries a section for parents and spectators, signed by the same page. These are the commitments in it, and what each one is for.
- Watching class. A teacher teaching a combination needs the room to themselves, and a parent walking in with a question stops the class. The rule asks parents to watch from where the studio allows and to stay out unless invited, which also means observation weeks stay special. The document says: “I will watch class only from where my studio allows, and stay out of the room during class unless a teacher invites me in.”
- Photos and video. Dance parents film a great deal, and a phone held up in the wrong place blocks the view of the people behind or flashes in a dancer's eyes. The rule asks parents to film only where it is allowed, and not to post other families' children without their permission. The document says: “I will photograph and record only where my studio or the venue allows, without flash and without blocking anyone's view, and I will not post other people's children online without their parents' permission.”
- Audience manners. A dancer performing a quiet piece can hear a ringing phone. The rule asks parents to follow the venue's etiquette, and to cheer where the program says it is welcome, since a hip hop showcase and a ballet recital have different audiences. The document says: “I will follow the venue's etiquette at a performance: stay seated through a piece, keep phone screens and flash off, and save my cheering for the end of a piece or where the program says it is welcome.”
- Levels, casting and placement. Which class a dancer is in, who is cast in a piece and where they stand in a formation are the teachers' decisions, made on what the piece needs. The rule asks parents to leave them to the teachers and to take questions to a teacher privately. The document says: “I will leave decisions about levels, casting, solos and formations to the teachers, and take any question to them privately rather than in the lobby or online.”
- Backstage and dressing rooms. Dressing rooms and the wings are working spaces and, for children changing, private ones. The rule asks parents to stay out unless the program has approved them as volunteers, which is also how a studio keeps track of who is with its dancers. The document says: “I will stay out of dressing rooms and backstage areas unless I am a volunteer my program has approved for that.”
- Comments about bodies. A comment about a dancer's body, even a kind one, tells every child within earshot that bodies are being measured. The rule asks parents not to make them about any dancer, including their own, and not to compare dancers with one another. The document says: “I will not comment on any dancer's body, weight or appearance, including my own child's, and I will not compare dancers with one another.”
Safety rules belong to the program, not the code
A code of conduct states what people promise to do. It is not the document that sets who is ready for pointe or partnering, what floor a class needs or what a teacher must be trained to run, and it should not try to be.
- Readiness for advanced work. Your program, your teachers and your governing body decide when a dancer is ready for pointe, lifts or acrobatic skills. Point to yours in the team rules section rather than copying it, because it changes.
- The floor and the room. What surface a class needs, how many dancers a room holds and which shoes belong on which floor are facility and program decisions. The code asks dancers to follow them.
- Teaching qualifications. What a teacher has to be trained or certified to run is set outside the code, and a program should keep that record where a family can ask about it.
- Child safety. Many programs have a rule that no adult is alone with a child, and a policy on dressing rooms, one-to-one lessons and online contact. Write yours down and give families a copy, separately from the code.
- Head injuries. Some schools, leagues and states require a separate sign-off before a dancer rehearses. The concussion acknowledgment generator makes one, and the code of conduct sits beside it.
Dance player code of conduct versus parent code of conduct
The document above carries both and is signed once: the dancer's commitments and the parent's, on one page. That is the simplest thing to hand out and the hardest to lose. Some programs prefer two pages, because the dancer code gets read aloud at the first class while the parent one goes home with the family. If yours does, the general player code of conduct and parent and spectator code of conduct generators each make one on its own, and you can carry the dance lines from this page into either.
How to write dance code of conduct consequences
The weakest sentence in most codes of conduct is the last one. "May result in consequences" is true and enforces nothing. Dance gives you a gentler ladder than most activities, because a teacher controls who is in which class and which piece, and because most conduct problems are about attention and respect rather than the game.
- A conversation first. After class, with the dancer, and with a parent if it was bigger than a forgotten shoe.
- Sitting out a skill. For a safety matter, a dancer sits out until the teacher is satisfied. It is not a punishment, and it should not be presented as one.
- Missing a piece or a performance. For repeated or serious conduct, after a conversation with the family. Missing rehearsals changes a group piece for everyone, so attendance is the line most worth writing down.
- A meeting with the director. For anything involving safety, harassment, or an adult.
Consequences should follow your program's rules, your competition's requirements and your organization's policies, so check them before you promise a removal. Consequences for a safety matter are for the teacher and the director to decide and should not be handled in public. Write the ladder into the team rules section of the document, in your own words.
Getting it signed, and getting it read
A code nobody has read changes nothing. Three habits make the difference.
- Hand it out with registration. Families who agree before the first class are far easier than families asked after the first incident. It travels well with the dance registration form, or as a page in a studio handbook.
- Read the safety rules aloud at the first class. Two minutes, with the dancers. They hear it from you, and they hear that it applies to everyone, including the most advanced.
- Keep one copy and give one copy. A signed page in the file is what makes a later conversation short.
Other sports, and the general version
This is the dance version. The general player code of conduct works for any sport, and the dance forms and templates page lists the other 5 dance documents.
Playbook Logix provides customizable templates for informational and administrative use. They are not legal advice and will not meet the requirements of every organization, sport or jurisdiction. Review anything you intend to rely on with your own attorney or your insurance carrier, and check your league and state requirements.
Common questions
Who should sign a dance code of conduct?
The dancer and a parent or guardian, on the same page. A ten-year-old can promise to warm up, keep street shoes off the floor and tell a teacher when something hurts, but it is the parent who promises to leave casting and placement to the teachers, and a code only one of them has signed covers half the problem. The signature block on this one has both.
Does the code say who is ready for pointe or lifts?
No. It says a dancer will attempt only what a teacher has cleared, and only with the teacher present. When a dancer is ready for pointe, partnering, lifts or acrobatic skills is a decision for your studio and your teachers, and a code of conduct is the wrong place to state it.
What should a dance code say about stretching?
That a dancer warms up first, stretches within their own range, and never forces a stretch or pushes another dancer into one. The code states the commitment and leaves the method to your teachers, because the right warm-up depends on the age, the style and the class.
Why does the code ask parents not to comment on bodies?
Because comments about weight, shape and appearance, from a parent as much as from a teacher or another dancer, do lasting harm and have no place in a class. The rule asks parents not to comment on any dancer, including their own child, and not to compare dancers with one another.
What should we do when a parent breaks the code?
Speak to them privately and soon, with the page in your hand, and do it as a person with authority rather than as a teacher in the middle of class. A written code does most of its work here: you are pointing at a line they signed, not offering an opinion.
Can I use it for a studio, a school team or a competition company?
Yes. Edit the sections to match your program, change the examples in the team rules section, and delete the parent section if your program does not ask parents to sign. Choosing the Adult participants option removes the parent and guardian wording.
More dance tools
The rest of the dance toolkit
Dance Registration Form
Styles studied, training and level, dancewear and shoe sizes, and injury questions, on a form for sign-up night.
Open the generatorDance Tryout Evaluation Form
A scoring grid for technique, turns, leaps, musicality, retention and performance, with a table for how much of the combination each dancer keeps.
Open the generatorDance Student Evaluation Form
A mid-year report for a parent: dance skills against the age group, a section for each style, and room for words.
Open the generatorDance Tryouts & Audition Guide
A 90-minute run of show, seven stations from warm-up to a combination, a staffing plan, how to place dancers, and a safety plan.
Read the guideDance Costume & Equipment Checkout
Costume, headpiece, props and team jacket, with costume number, size, condition and replacement cost, and a return date.
Open the generatorOnce you have filled it in
Playbook Logix
Collect the dance code of conduct online
Playbook Logix is registration, rosters, payments, schedules and team messaging for youth and adult sports, in one place. A signed page is only useful if you can find it again. This is how Playbook Logix collects the same agreement without a folder.
Make it part of registering
Add an Agreement question to the registration form and a parent has to check it before the form will submit. It works on every plan, including the free one.
How it worksOr collect a typed signature
On the Coach plan and above, upload the code once and each parent signs on their phone by typing their name. The date and the child it covers are recorded, a list shows who has signed, and families with something unsigned are reminded automatically. A signed paper copy can be marked as received.
How it worksPost it where it cannot be buried
Pin the code to the team message board and ask parents to tap Acknowledge, so you can see who has read it and who has not, instead of hoping forty people read a group text.
How it worksThe Starter plan is free, and the iPhone and Android app is free on every plan. Anything described above as Coach plan and above needs a paid plan. See the plans or the mobile app. Nothing you type into the template above is sent to us, whether or not you ever sign up.
Get every family to sign before the first game
Playbook Logix collects signed documents with registration, so the code of conduct is on file before the first practice and not in a folder in somebody's truck.