Our Commitments
We are committed to real change and action.
Our team understands action speaks more than words. Dance Umbrella of Ontario (DUO) is committed to working collaboratively with the community and sectoral partners to make dance more inclusive, equitable, and diverse.
DUO is dedicated to an ongoing process of operating our business fairly and respectfully. We continue to listen, learn, and adapt to create a healthy, respectful, and safe workplace and be part of a positive influence in the Canadian dance milieu.
DUO’s Zero Tolerance for Harassment
We provide a harassment-free environment for employees, clients and volunteers. All of our interactions and work must be based on mutual respect, and cooperation, and understanding must be the basis of interaction between members and staff. Dance Umbrella of Ontario (DUO) will neither tolerate nor condone behaviour that is likely to undermine an individual’s dignity, or self-esteem or create an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment.
Click the link below to read our company policies regarding harassment, workplace violence, and health and safety policy.
Statement from Dance Service Organizations
“All dance artists, students, and workers need safer spaces. We recognize the existing cultures that endanger our communities, including sexual harassment, abuses of power, cultural insensitivity and disrespect, systemic racism, and power structures entrenched in colonial ideologies. We stand together in avowing these structures need to change.”
DUO’s Dedication to Fighting Anti-Racism
We are inspired by the actions and gestures from our colleagues and allies worldwide who are calling out the injustice of anti-black racism and all acts of racism and discrimination to BIPOC and Deaf and Disabled people. Please join DUO in condemning white supremacy and challenging systemic and institutionalized forms of racism.
DUO struck a Diversity Committee in 2015 made up of board, staff, and community members tasked with creating a list of culturally diverse dance artists DUO had not worked with previously. The Executive Director undertook this outreach meeting with many diverse artists across the Greater Toronto Area and Southern Ontario over the span of two years. As a result of this internal audit and our ongoing commitment to serving all equity deserving artists and small to medium sized organizations, DUO’s client roster is now more reflective of Ontario’s diverse dance sector, with over 55% of our clients identifying as BIPOC and/or Deaf and Disabled. We understand there is more work to do to better represent the sector’s diversity, which has been disproportionately underrepresented and under-resourced. It takes more than words to dismantle the long-overdue injustices, and we are committed to support and enact real change.
- Dance Umbrella of Ontario is an equal opportunity employer and employs personnel without regard to race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, language, citizenship, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, physical and/or mental handicap or financial ability. While remaining alert and sensitive to the issue of fair and equitable treatment for all, Dance Umbrella of Ontario has a special concern with the participation and advancement of members of four designated groups that have traditionally been disadvantaged in employment: women, visible minorities, aboriginal peoples and persons with disabilities.
Building Capacity of Indigenous Arts Managers, Producers and Administrators
We acknowledge that Indigenous peoples are the original owners and caretakers of this land. DUO is committed to providing Indigenous communities in all regions of Ontario with a high level of support and quality resources to thrive as Indigenous arts administrators and professionals.
- Dance Umbrella of Ontario acknowledges the Ancestral Traditional Territories of the Ojibway, the Anishnaabe and, in particular, the Mississauga’s of the Credit First Nation whose territory we are on today. This territory is covered by the Upper Canada Treaties. We acknowledge the creator, the world around us and our place within it. We acknowledge the many nations that walked this land in the past and those who walk it today. This land is the treaty lands of the Mississauga’s of the Credit and the Anishnaabe and we deeply appreciate their stewardship.
- DUO has a history of mentoring next-generation Arts Administrators, Producers and Managers for the dance sector. Since 2016 we have continued to hire Indigenous trainees through Miziwe Biik The Aboriginal Employment and Training Program. Two of these interns were hired full time after completing their one-year training program. DUO recognizes the need for Indigenous Arts Administrators, Producers, Coordinators and Managers in dance to build capacity in this underserved sector. We foresee continuing this initiative to provide quality training and job opportunities to Indigenous individuals interested in dance.
We are honoured to work with Canada’s multi-talented and diverse Indigenous-led dance communities that explore a breadth of movement-based practices to provide them with the support to create, perform, and thrive creatively and professionally. In collaboration with leaders of Indigenous dance organizations and individual artists, we have worked on touring, contracting, grant review, marketing and much more to support building a healthy Indigenous dance ecology that is sustainable.
Re-imagining Service Organizations : Decolonizing Canadian Dance
“Arts services needs to explore new approaches in parallel to existing activities or risk becoming increasingly irrelevant to the experiences of more and more Canadians. Profound changes are disrupting social and economic life, and the arts must position itself within these broader conversations to remain relevant to find allies outside of the cultural or public sector.” – Excerpt from Landslide: Innovations in Service for Dance in Canada report led by the Canada Dance Assembly.
DUO welcomes your feedback and takes your concerns very seriously. DUO also values and respects individual opinions. If you would like to share any positive feedback, concerns, or complaints, please contact our Board of Directors at board@danceumbrella.net. Your feedback will be kept confidential by the Board.
Thank you for helping us improve our programs and services.
Please note that should the email/complaint becomes the subject of a court order or subpoena, in those rare circumstances, DUO would provide the complaint to the court. Other than that rare situation, the confidentiality policy will apply.