To me, what pops up straight away is the word respect. Like in any profession, there are certain people who are in a higher position within your work field where there are expected ways to behave that are considered to be more appropriate, more fitting. Without respect, the formality of ethics in any work practice would be diminished. This brings back the point of the importance in balancing your personal and professional life, such as the difference in a relationship with the director versus a colleague, one being more formal with the latter having the freedom to be informal.
Take for example in ballet companies, especially in bigger ones, there is the whole ranking system that does not operate fully without respect. Starting off with apprentices and corps de ballet members who look up to the soloists, and of course principles. All dancers are guided by the ballet mistresses and ballet masters, choreographers, rehearsal directors and at the top the director who manages it all.
Other examples include students taking company class. Taking from my own experience, it is known to not stand right in front in the middle, or take a dancer's spot at the barre. The best is to try and not be in the way and experience it as a normal class. However there is an underlying respect within the majority of dancers as they are all in the same boat one way or another, not matter what position they have.
I am not saying that everyone is 100% treated equally, even though it would be the ideal case. Often dancers are exploited world wide, relating to issues such as working a lot harder than for what they are getting paid. I am outlining the fact that there is a general system of the ethical ways which contributes to this idea of respect among dancers and companies.
Moving on to another point, dance is expressive in itself, so there are some aspects like the level of physical contact (training wise and work-wise) that is considered to be more relaxed than in other professions.
When training, there are certain disciplinary boundaries that are obvious to teachers and students. Teachers are there for guidance, and often it does help for someone to place a dancer in the right position so he or she can feel/understand what to do correct for the next time, or help with reminding what muscles to activate like the typical prodding the knee to keep the leg straight, or bringing the shoulders back. Luckily the days are gone where caning was allowed, but sometimes I feel this topic is regarded as too precious and too petty. Many dance schools have to give out letters for the parents to give permission for the teachers to touch them, or they have to ask the student themselves for permission.
What helps consider what is appropriate is the tone of how something is being executed/explained, no suspicion involved and to see in what context it is in.
Dance also involves a lot of partnering. We are so intact with our bodies within our work, certain movements would feel normal with our colleagues that might not seem so outside the dance world. In any case, it is such a disciplined practice to be able to teach good ethics within each individual.
Interesting - Emma also mentioned contact as an ethical concern - is this where the code of practice in training is so important? The physical knowledge of dance is one of the areas that can be related to other physical or scientific studies of the body. DAnce UK highlight ed this in a dance/medical science study - and there is a very good journal the MDX gets - on the LIbguide for Dance. Lots of ideas here too, partnering and performance is it collaboration or consensus?
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