A while ago I wrote an article about the importance of good ethics and it seems sadly, that the time has come again for another reminder to sections of our dance community about the importance of ‘doing the right thing.’

Over the last few months I have witnessed several performances where the music being danced to was either incorrectly labeled or not titled at all. Protecting our musicians and composers is something I feel passionately about, it’s important that their work gets the proper recognition it is due. On the whole we are a helpful community, so if you are unsure about the provenance of a particular piece of music it is worth asking around to see if one of us can help you out. If you like a piece of music your teacher used in a class; don’t ask her for a bootleg copy, instead ask her to tell you the name of the CD it came from and invest in your own copy. That’s a quick and easy way of making sure that the musicians/composers get their dues and you have the benefit of the liner notes to help identify the music correctly when you perform to it.

Another bugbear of mine is that of seeing someone using choreography of mine without either my consent, or any credit to me as the author of it. If it’s good enough for you to perform it in public, then surely it’s good enough for you to say where you learned it? Those of us who teach choreography in workshops are usually more than happy for our material to be used by students as long as they mention where they learned it. Over the last few months I have had many conversations with dance friends who have complained that other dancers have ‘borrowed’ choreography, without crediting the original author. Sadly this seems to be a growing trend.

Last, but not least, when someone asks you where you learned to dance, do you always credit all your teachers? Again, it is with sadness that I note that there is a growing trend amongst dancers not to credit all the teachers with whom they have studied. Most teachers have at least a couple of past students who never seem to want to say exactly who they learned to dance with – very hurtful when a teacher has spent time and effort (as they do with all their students) helping that dancer develop their skills. Many dancers appear to want people to think that they learned to dance ‘spontaneously’ without the intervention of a mere mortal like a teacher!

Naming your teachers gives you credibility. It proves to students, other dancers and potential employers, that you have a proper background to your art. It demonstrates you are interested in learning different things from different teachers, that you want to grow and develop/hone your dance skills. It is also worth remembering that your past invariably always comes back to bite you on the hip belt at some point! After all your teachers know whom you studied with, and other students in the class will remember you too!

I challenge each and every one of you to think about the consequences of any of the above and to do the right thing, giving ‘credit where credit is due.’

© Afra al Kahira

This article first appeared in Taqasim Magazine.