In November 2019 I took part in an intimacy workshop. This workshop aimed to educate on how intimacy should be supported and consented to during the creation of a performance. The main points that I took from the workshop were:
- Intimacy is defined as any moment which portrays intimate physical contact.
- When intimacy is being choreographed in a performance or project then there should always be an additional person present, not just the direct or whoever is running that part of the rehearsal.
- Consent
- It is up to the discretion of the individual to discuss their sexual orientation or past personal trauma.
- Check-in to make sure that everyone is happy and comfortable.
For me, when creating theatre, I would always aim to make sure that everyone is happy and comfortable, having a check-in each session and that people feel comfortable to express their worries and concerns. Additionally, I would adhere to the advice of making sure there was never just me in a space with the cast or company when directing, so that there is someone else always there just to double check a situation if needed.
When it comes to teaching, I would apply what I have learnt from this intimacy workshop by making sure that I am up to date on the school’s safe guarding policy, that I know who the safeguarding officers are and the protocol that I need to follow if there is an issue. In addition to this I will always strive to ensure that my classroom is a safe space for children and teachers. With the children, when learning about any topic I would make sure that no child felt uncomfortable knew that they could talk to me at any time, or if not I would help to find someone that they did feel comfortable confiding in. I believe that by teaching children about consent from a young age will mean that it is just a natural instinct for them. Something that I have seen online, and would like to implement in my classroom would be that every morning when the class line up to come in they would indicate to me how they would like to be greeted, whether this be a high five, a wave, a hug or a fist bump (as long as I am still complying with the school’s policies) so that the children know I am listening to what they want but they also understand that you should always get someone’s consent when it comes to physical touch.