riverside swings

Every Friday Night in the Dance Studio

Swing dancing describes a variety of partner dances that were born in Harlem in the 1930’s danced to Jazz music that  “swung”.  RAC Swings welcomes all types of swing dancing: East Coast, Lindy Hop, Charleston, Balboa, Shag, Blues even West Coast and Modern / Country Swing!

Visit the Friday Night Swings Facebook Page for up-to-date news on swing events at Riverside and in the greater Southeast Michigan region!

Riverside Swings Code of Conduct

Riverside Swings is committed to fostering a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment. Attendees are required to respect others’ personal boundaries and identities as well as prioritize partner and floor safety.  Furthermore, we encourage you to approach the dance with respect to its historical and cultural context.

All attendees, organizers, and volunteers are required to comply with the Code of Conduct  which cannot and does not outline every type of acceptable or unacceptable behavior or resulting consequences. Riverside Swings is a volunteer organization and is not liable for the actions of individuals.

Safe Spaces: Anti-harassment and Anti-bullying policy

Riverside Swings does not tolerate harassment or bullying. This includes but is not limited to: 

• offensive verbal comments

• unwanted photography or recording

• intimidation

• stalking

• unwelcome sexual or romantic attention 

• cyber bullying

• purposefully misgendering

• inappropriate physical contact

• predatory behavior—including targeting, pressuring, or repeatedly approaching people who are not interested

Investigation Process: Upon receiving a complaint of a violation of the Code of Conduct, the Board will promptly conduct a fair and transparent effort to collect facts and ensure that all parties involved are heard, while protecting the complainant’s anonymity if requested. As a volunteer organization, we do not have the resources to conduct extensive investigations and will rely on the parties involved to submit information to the Board which they wish to be considered.

Consequences: Event participants violating the Code of Conduct may be sanctioned or expelled from the event without a refund at the discretion of the organizers, and may be banned from future Riverside Swings events. These decisions may be shared with other dance community organizers.

How to Communicate with the Riverside Swings Board

Riverside Swings explicitly welcomes insight and feedback from our community. Riverside Swings Board members are volunteers, with outside obligations and responsibilities. We organize for the love of dance and a commitment to keeping this artform alive. Because of this, we ask that community members grant us time and grace necessary to fulfill our duties.

Concerned about something? If you would warn your friends about something, it is worth reporting. If you want to report something, you can speak to an organizer or submit an Anonymous Feedback Form. This form is checked weekly and discussed monthly at Board meetings unless there is a matter of immediate concern.

Policy inspired by the organizers of AACTMAD, Friday Night Swing, Swing Ann Arbor, KISSME, Steel City Blues, Cincy Hop, Lindy Hop St. Louis, Boston Swing Central, Portland Country Dance Community documents, and South Bay Grange contra dance documents.