Silk and Spice Rising Performer Agreement

This form serves to outline all relevant information for festival conduct, in terms of what we expect from those involved in this show as well as what we commit to providing to you. A downloadable version for your reference will be emailed to you upon completion.

About the Festival and the Organization:
Silk and Spice Rising is a new pan-Asian performance arts festival and the first offering from Silk and Spice Arts, a Los Angeles County area performance arts organization specializing in the celebration of the cabaret and nightlife arts.

Conceptualized in the spring of 2021 by Tas Al-Ghul, the executive producer of Vamptastic Productions, the Silk and Spice Rising festival will be debuting in May 2024 and will be a celebration of pan-Asian cabaret and nightlife performance artists.

All members of the pan-Asian (AAPI/AAPIDA/AANHPI) performance arts community are encouraged to apply (including but not limited to: burlesque artists, drag artists, exotic dance artists, traditional dancers, pole artists, aerialists, sideshow performers, comics, magicians/illusionists, musicians, storytellers, etc) with priority given to community members who are Black Asian, black/kalo Asian, South Asian, plus size, trans, queer, and/or disabled.

About the Production Company:
Vamptastic Productions seeks to foster a safer space for creating, performing, and experiencing art, while working towards undoing systems of oppression via artistic endeavours. Given that, we encourage performers of color especially to submit acts to our shows, as well as performers who experience any form(s) of systemic oppression, including but not limited to those who have historically been erased and suppressed in the world of burlesque as a result of discrimination due to sizeism, colorism, classism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, ageism, spiritual philosophies, etc.

Questions/Concerns? Please feel free to contact us at silkandspicearts@gmail.com

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PERFORMER CODE OF CONDUCT

(The language herein is based on Lily Divine Productions’ Anti-Oppressive Space and Performance Guidelines, thank you for allowing us to use it as a reference/resource!)

1) We welcome all adult (21+) applicants who seek to join us in our mission of fostering a safer creative and collaborative space for the development and sharing of the burlesque arts, while also maintaining a commitment to the creation of performance art within a nurturing and supportive framework. This framework includes a consciousness of issues related to systemic oppression and a commitment to working on the reduction of the perpetuation of oppressive dynamics by holding ourselves and each other accountable through calling in via honest and compassionate communication, as well as a special focus on holding space for those who are marginalized by mainstream society; this includes but is not limited to performers representing a diversity of performance styles, gender identities, orientations, sizes, races, ethnicities, spiritual beliefs, and abilities.

2) All participants must adhere to all local and state laws as well as the guidelines of the affiliated venues and production staff; failure to do so will result in dismissal.

3)  All participants agree to help promote the festival and the production company as specified:
3-5 social media posts tagging the festival/producer/production company in the six weeks leading up to the show, with at least one being the week before the festival and at least one being mid-week during the week of the festival
share social media posts in which the performer is tagged by the festival
like and engage with social media posts from the festival as much as possible

5)  All participants agree to send at least 2 hi-res photos for promotional purposes. Please ensure that photos are individual photos and that you have the appropriate rights and releases necessary to use any photos you submit for promotion on social media.

General/Logistics:
• Please adhere to all deadlines, meetings, and call times. If there is an issue, please contact us right away.
• All participants must adhere to all local and state laws as well as the guidelines of the affiliated venues and events; failure to do so will result in removal from the event and an alternate may be placed in the removed participant's place
• Please be aware that, during the time of your involvement during the festival, you are considered to be a representative of our organization and thusly do commit to conducting yourself in a lawful and ethical manner that is in keeping with the mission of this production, to the best of your ability, both in person and online (especially in terms of social media). This is not meant to be a policing guideline, but rather a commitment we take as an organization to contribute to and be involved with our communities in ways that support the best possible outcomes for all involved. In the event that a previous transgression comes to the attention of the festival production team, an immediate and thorough investigation will be conducted by the appropriate qualified team members which may result in limited participation in or removal from the festival, at the production team's discretion and at the participant's potential expense.
• Payment: Payment will be made as soon as possible and no later than Friday, May 10th, 2024. Please specify in the form whether you prefer Venmo, Zelle, or PayPal.

Regarding Maintenance of Safer Spaces:
• The perpetuation of systemic oppression (including but not limited to: racism, ageism, homophobia, sexism, transphobia, ableism, colorism, sizeism, or prejudice based on ethnicity, nationality, class, gender, gender presentation, language ability, or religious affiliation) is unacceptable and will be addressed by the production staff – privately if possible, and in a kind and compassionate but firm manner.  We request that you please be aware of the space you take up and the positions and privileges you bring, including racial, class, and gender privilege.
• Please respect people’s names/pronouns. If you don’t know, ask!  Also, please check in about other words that folks may or may not be okay with (lady, girl, miss, sir, boy, man, etc) and remember that these things are subject to change! What is okay for someone one day might not be okay the next - please respect this.
• Please refrain from diet talk, fat shaming, body shaming, etc.  This includes “Wow, you look great, did you lose weight?”
• Vamptastic Productions aims to foster sex positivity, so:
    -Please refrain from sex-worker negativity/stripper shaming.  
    -Regarding consent: part of being a sex-positive space is ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to express whether they consent to touch/language.  We ask that you all respect each other’s physical and emotional boundaries; always get explicit verbal consent before touching someone or crossing boundaries, to ensure we all do our best to respect one another’s experience and to hold space for folks who may be survivors or otherwise uninterested in being part of that conversation or behavior.
• Please recognize that we try not to judge or to put each other down. This is meant to be a supportive environment, so please refrain from gossip and negative talk about each other/community members backstage. There are plenty of alternative spaces to talk about frustrations offline and out of the dressing room.
• We recognize that working against oppressive dynamics can be energy consuming and daunting, so please reach out to us (silkandspicearts@gmail.com, wearevamptastic@gmail.com) at any time for help with these issues.

Legal Considerations:
• General - I understand that my participation and/or involvement in the 2024 Silk and Spice Rising Festival to be held at The Crown Theatre in Pasadena, CA as well as virtually online from Saturday 5/4/24 through Sunday 5/5/24 carries with it, as an event in which physical activities are occurring, the potential for certain risks, some of which may not be reasonably foreseeable. I further acknowledge that these risks could cause me, or others around me, harm, including, but not limited to, bodily injury, damage to property, emotional distress, or death.  I am a willing participant in the 2024 Silk and Spice Rising Festival. By signing this agreement, I agree to release, indemnify, and hold harmless The Crown Theatre/Silk and Spice Arts/Vamptastic Productions, as well as all its employees, agents, representatives, successors, etc. from all losses, claims, theft, demands, liabilities, causes of action, or expenses, known or unknown, arising out of my participation in the 2024 Silk and Spice Rising Festival.
 
• Venue - We pledge that the venue for this event is equipped with proper sound and lighting capabilities, with all appropriate licenses and permits, and that the venue is sufficiently well-maintained and inspected to provide a reasonable safe and secure event space.

• Videography/Photography - Participants shall permit photography and videography, per the following: The undersigned hereby authorizes or assigns to use their name, video, or photograph(s), or facsimile, for promotional purposes or trade in connection with the promotion of Silk and Spice Arts/Vamptastic Productions and its productions or events, now or in the future.  Nota Bene: Materials involving nudity or pasties/g-string are exempt from this release and will not be used without explicit written permission of all parties involved.

• Confidentiality - The undersigned pledges to not share or replicate the language and information used in email correspondence with Vamptastic Productions and herein without consent and proper credit given to Silk and Spice Arts, Vamptastic Productions, and references from Lily Divine Productions, with the exception of legal counsel.

• Interpretation/Governing Law - This agreement shall be governed by the laws and in the courts of the State of California and by the laws of the United States, excluding their conflicts of law principles. Any dispute or legal proceeding regarding the agreement shall take place in Los Angeles County, in the State of California.

• Severability - If any portion of agreement is in conflict with any applicable law, such portion will become inoperative, but all other portions of agreement will remain in force.

• Indemnification - Participant indemnifies and holds production harmless for any claims of property damage/loss or bodily injury suffered by cast and crew members.

• Breach of agreement - In the event that any section of this agreement is breached, production team reserves the right to terminate this agreement immediately.
 
• Force Majeure - In the event the production cannot reasonably be put on because of unpredictable occurrences such as an act of nature, government, or illness/disability, we may negotiate a substitute show on the same terms as this agreement save for the time of production. No further damages may be sought for failure to perform because of force majeure.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and get a better understanding of how we function as a performing arts organization. Please feel free to email us with any questions, comments, reflections, or concerns relating to this or anything else about this event or our organization. We look forward to seeing the amazing art you all create!