Authentic Leadership for Cultural Equality

In a post-pandemic society, we have both an opportunity and an obligation to innovate and create a new landscape for artistic expression and excellence. We at FlowMotion have always celebrated and featured diverse talent from all over the world and will continue to do so, specifically by seeking out and inviting more talent to apply and appear at our event. Historically, over 50% of our instructors and performers have been from the BIPOC and LGBTQ communities. To provide informed, authentic leadership for cultural equity, FlowMotion Events LLC strives to:

  • See diversity, inclusion, and equity as connected to our mission and critical to ensure the well-being of our staff and the arts communities we serve.
  • Acknowledge and dismantle any inequities within our policies, systems, programs, and services, and continually update and report organization progress.
  • Explore potential underlying, unquestioned assumptions that interfere with inclusiveness.
  • Advocate for and support board-level thinking about how systemic inequities impact our organization’s work, and how best to address that in a way that is consistent with our mission.
  • Help to challenge assumptions about what it takes to be a strong leader at our organization, and who is well-positioned to provide leadership.
  • Practice and encourage transparent communication in all interactions.
  • Commit time and resources to expand more diverse leadership within our board, staff, committee, and advisory bodies.
  • Lead with respect and tolerance. We expect all employees to embrace this notion and to express it in workplace interactions and through everyday practices.

FlowMotion Events LLC abides by the following action items to help promote diversity and inclusion in our workplace and at our events and performances:

  • Pursue cultural competency throughout our organization by creating substantive learning opportunities and formal, transparent policies.
  • Generate and aggregate quantitative and qualitative research related to equity
    to make incremental, measurable progress toward the visibility of our diversity, inclusion, and equity efforts.
  • Improve our cultural leadership pipeline by creating and supporting programs and policies that foster leadership that reflects the diversity of American society.
  • Pool resources and expand offerings for underrepresented constituents by connecting with other arts organizations committed to diversity and inclusion efforts.
  • Develop and present sessions on diversity, inclusion, and equity to provide information and resources internally, and to members, the community, and the arts industry.
  • Advocate for public and private-sector policy that promotes diversity, inclusion, and equity. Challenge systems and policies that create inequity, oppression and disparity.

Health/COVID Policy

At FlowMotion, our No. 1 concern is our communities’ health and well-being. As we continue to watch and update our policies to comply with CDC and government regulations, we ask that you observe the following:

  • If you are ill, please stay home.
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with your elbow or tissue. Immediately throw away tissues.
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. If washing your hands isn’t possible, use alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
  • Please wipe down all shared props and equipment after use.
  • Before and after acro classes or classes with shared apparatus, we encourage and recommend washing your hands.
  • Avoid shaking hands.
  • Don’t share food or drinks.

We share people’s concerns but want to approach this with reason and rationality, not panic, fear or suspicion. We found comfort in these words from infectious disease specialist Dr. Abdu Sharkawy and hope you will, too: “Temper fear with reason, panic with patience and uncertainty with education. We have an opportunity to learn a great deal about health hygiene and limiting the spread of innumerable transmissible diseases in our society. Let’s meet this challenge together in the best spirit of compassion for others, patience, and above all, an unfailing effort to seek truth, facts and knowledge as opposed to conjecture, speculation and catastrophizing.”

We will take every precaution possible, but we need everyone’s cooperation. We will continue to monitor the situation and will immediately notify all attendees if anything changes with our event due to the virus.

*Updated 7/13/2021

Sexual Harassment/ Discrimination Policy

FlowMotion Events LLC is committed to providing a safe environment for all its attendees free from discrimination on any ground and from harassment at events including sexual harassment. FlowMotion Events LLC will operate a zero tolerance policy for any form of sexual harassment at events, treat all incidents seriously and promptly investigate all allegations of sexual harassment. Any person found to have sexually harassed another will face disciplinary action, up to and including ejection from current and future events. All complaints of sexual harassment will be taken seriously and treated with respect and in confidence. No one will be victimised for making such a complaint.

Definition of sexual harassment:
Sexual harassment is unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature which makes a person feel offended, humiliated and/or intimidated. It includes situations where a person is asked to engage in sexual activity as a condition of that person’s participation in the environment/event, as well as situations which create an environment which is hostile, intimidating or humiliating for the recipient. Sexual harassment can involve one or more incidents and actions constituting harassment may be physical, verbal and non-verbal. Examples of conduct or behavior which constitute sexual harassment include, but are not limited to:

Physical conduct: Unwelcome physical contact including patting, pinching, stroking, kissing, hugging, fondling, or inappropriate touching.
Physical violence: including sexual assault
Physical contact: e.g. touching, pinching The use of threats or rewards to solicit sexual favors.
Verbal conduct: Comments on a persons appearance, age, private life, etc.
Sexual comments: stories and jokes
Sexual advances: Repeated and unwanted social invitations for dates or physical intimacy
Insults based on the sex of the person,
Condescending or paternalistic remarks including
Sending sexually explicit messages (by phone or by email)
Non-verbal conduct: Display of sexually explicit or suggestive material Sexually-suggestive gestures
Whistling
Leering 

Anyone can be a victim of sexual harassment, regardless of their sex and of the sex of the harasser. FlowMotion Events LLC recognizes that sexual harassment may also occur between people of the same sex. What matters is that the sexual conduct is unwanted and unwelcome by the person against whom the conduct is directed.

All sexual harassment is prohibited whether it takes place within all event venue premises or outside, including all shows, social events, workshop sessions or affiliated conferences sponsored by FlowMotion Events LLC

Complaints Procedures

Anyone who is subject to sexual harassment should, if possible, inform the alleged harasser that the conduct is unwanted and unwelcome. FlowMotion Events LLC recognises that sexual harassment may occur in unequal relationships and that it may not be possible for the victim to inform the alleged harasser.

If a victim cannot directly approach an alleged harasser, he/she can approach one of the designated staff members responsible for receiving complaints of sexual harassment. This person could be another volunteer who will direct the accuser to the appropriate person, a member of the admin team or an instructor who will direct the accuser to the correct party. When a designated person receives a complaint of sexual harassment, he/she will:

  • Immediately record the dates, times and facts of the incident(s).
  • Ascertain the views of the victim as to what outcome he/she wants.
  • Ensure that the victim understands the events’ procedures for dealing with the complaint.
  • Discuss and agree the next steps: either informal or formal complaint, on the understanding that choosing to resolve the matter informally does not preclude the victim from pursuing a formal complaint if he/she is not satisfied with the outcome.
  • Keep a confidential record of all discussions. 
  • Respect the choice of the victim.
  • Ensure that the victim knows that they can lodge the complaint outside of the event through the relevant legal framework.

Informal Complaints Mechanism

If the victim wishes to deal with the matter informally, the designated person will:

  • Give an opportunity to the alleged harasser to respond to the complaint.
  •  Ensure that the alleged harasser understands the complaints mechanism. 
  • Facilitate discussion between both parties to achieve an informal resolution which is acceptable to the complainant, or refer the matter to a designated mediator within the company to resolve the matter.
  •  Ensure that a confidential record is kept of what happens.
  •  Follow up after the outcome of the complaints mechanism to ensure that the behavior has stopped.
  •  Ensure that the above is done speedily and within 7 days of the complaint being made.

Formal Complaints Mechanism

If the victim wants to make a formal complaint or if the informal complaint mechanism has not led to a satisfactory outcome for the victim, the formal complaint mechanism should be used to resolve the matter. The designated person who initially received the complaint will refer the matter to a senior Admin/appointed mediator to instigate a formal investigation. The admin/mediator may deal with the matter him/herself, refer the matter to an internal or external investigator or refer it to a committee of three others in accordance with this policy.

The person carrying out the investigation will:

  • Interview the victim and the alleged harasser separately.
  • Interview other relevant third parties separately.
  • Decide whether or not the incident(s) of sexual harassment took place.
  • Produce a report detailing the investigations, findings and any recommendations if the harassment took place.
  • Decide what the appropriate remedy for the victim is, in consultation with the victim. 
  • Follow up to ensure that the recommendations are implemented, that the behavior has stopped and that the victim is satisfied with the outcome if it cannot determine that the harassment took place.
  • Keep a record of all actions taken. 
  • Ensure that the all records concerning the matter are kept confidential.
  • Ensure that the process is done as quickly as possible and in any event within 7 days of the complaint being made.

Sanctions and Disciplinary Measures:

Anyone who has been found to have sexually harassed another person under the terms of this policy is liable to any of the following sanctions: verbal or written warning, ejection from current event without refund, and or banishment from future events.