LA Dance

LA Dance Photography Policy

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Students at LA Dance will be involved in activities where they may be photographed. Photographs and videos of students may be used in a variety of ways from helping to rehearse show routines, prepare for dancing exams, to celebrate a student’s success or to promote LA Dance.

The majority of parents are happy for their child’s photograph to be used and their children enjoy seeing their photographs.

Please let LA Dance know in writing if you do not want your child’s photo to be taken or published, if we do not receive written communications we understand we have permission to photograph your child in align with our photography policy. Permissions can be changed anytime with written communication.

Regards,

LA Dance

 

Overview

To help protect all dancers LA Dance has put together this policy to help guide anyone wishing to photograph or film at dance rehearsals, events or shows. This policy is about establishing good practise for all teachers, parents and dancers; its primary aim is to safeguard children participating in dance.

This LA Dance policy applies to all photographs and videos taken on any device that has the ability to film or photograph dancers including mobile phones.

The terms “child” or “children” includes anyone under the age of 18 years.

Whilst the great majority of images taken in good faith are appropriate, they can be misused and children can be put at risk if common sense procedures are not observed.

Through this policy, LA Dance aims to avoid the following:

  1. Images taken of dancers in an inappropriate way.
  2. The inappropriate use, adaptation, or copying of images of dancers.
  3. The possible identification of a dancer when an image is accompanied by private information, which could put the dancer at risk.

LA Dance Staff

LA Dance uses photography and video to aid in rehearsing, exam preparation, teacher training and promotion of the dance school. Our teachers will follow these guidelines:

  1. LA Dance staff will only video for rehearsal, training and promotional purposes only.
  2. LA Dance staff will ensure all dancers featured are appropriately dressed.
  3. If any concerns are raised, filming should cease and the video not used and erased.

General Public

LA Dance does not want to stop parents/guardians taking images of their own children at dancing events, therefore the following is recommended best practice:

  1. All parents/guardians may take photos of their own child/children at dancing events ensuring that their dancer is the main subject of the photo.
  2. All photographs must observe generally accepted standards of decency. Photos/videos should be a celebration of the dancing activity and should not be taken or retained where the image reveals a torn or displaced costume.
  1. Photos are prohibited from being taken in toilet areas of the studio/theatre. Parents/guardians or dancers will ensure all dancers featured are appropriately dressed.
  1. Should parents/guardians or dancers wish to upload photos taken at dancing events to social media, any photos that include other dancers as the main subject, they will need to seek permission from those dancer’s parents/guardians before photos are published online.

Official Photographers

During LA Dance events any person may be photographed or filmed as part of the occasion, either as an individual or as a member of a group. Beware that an individual may appear in an image inadvertently, in the background. Permission for this is incorporated into the dancer’s enrolment to the dance school. When enrolling parents/guardians or dancers will be prompted to tick a box indicating that they agree with all the LA Dance photography policy.

LA Dance will manage official photographers as follows:

  1. The official photographer (whether a professional photographer, parent or member of staff who is nominated as ‘official photographer’) should receive a copy of this policy.
  2. Determine who will hold the images taken at events and what is to be done with them.
  3. Where an official photographer is present at an event, all dancers, and parents/guardians attending will be made aware of this prior to the event.
  4. LA Dance will inform the official photographer of dancers who have returned a right of refusal form so that reasonable steps can be taken so that the child is not the main focus of a photo.

The aim of official photographers at dancing events will be to help celebrate and promote dancing.

When taking an image official photographer’s will be asked to:

  1. Ensure all dancers featured are appropriately dressed.
  2. Represent the broad range of dancers participating in the event.

 

Promotion

LA Dance may publish images on the LA Dance website, social media or on official photographer’s website. The following recommendations will be adhered to:

  1. Children’s names or identifying details will not be printed alongside photos published except, in the case of celebrating an achievement within the dance school and only with permission from the child’s parental/guardian or the dancer.
  2. Dancers/parents/guardian will be able to request to view images for approval before they are used for publicity purposes.
  3. At any time the dancer/parent/guardian may request the removal of the image from any public sources and LA Dance must oblige immediately.
  4. If a ‘right of refusal’ form has been received by LA Dance no photos will be published in the public domain where the child in question is the main subject of the image.

Right of Refusal

A ‘right of refusal’ form will be used for dancers/parents/guardian to indicate refusal of consent, this can be found at the bottom of this policy. Without receiving a right of refusal form LA Dance understands that permission has been granted for the dancers image to be used in accordance with this photography policy. Dancers over 18 are responsible for returning a right of refusal form for the use of their images.

LA Dance understands that:

  1. All dancers and/or their parents/guardians have a right to refuse to have their child photographed or filmed as the main subject.
  2. All dancers, and/or their parents/guardians have the right to refuse to have images go to press or published in a public domain, be it through LA Dance or official photographer.

 

Reporting and Dealing with a Concern/Breach of this Policy

Should a teacher, parent/supporter or dancer feel concerned about images being taken or that this policy has been breached, they are to:

Report their concern immediately to an LA Dance staff member.

Should someone be identified as potentially breaching this policy, the LA Dance staff member will have the power to do the following:

  1. Ask the individual concerned to cease using their photographic or video device immediately.
  2. Depending on the seriousness of the breach, the individual concerned may be asked to leave the event immediately.
  3. If individual concerned is not co-operative, the police may be called.