What is conflict?
Conflict is challenging for most of us. Often conflict has been badly modeled in our families and we fear the consequences. At the same time, we tend to hold on tightly to the ‘justified rightness’ of our own perspective and feel offended/ insulted by the other. Clearly it is tricky when both parties in a conflict are doing this!

Conflict, just like our dance practice, holds a great creative potential for us to learn to include a fuller and more compassionate view point. Most conflicts are presented as having just two sides, a pro and a con. However, there is always a third perspective from which the truth of each competing point of view can be appreciated.

Most conflicts involve a degree of reactivity and both parties being entrenched in their own view/ perspective on the issue. For both, there are often unspoken needs and fears
underneath the presenting perspective. It can help enormously to hear each other more fully and to practice including each-others perspectives, needs and vulnerabilities in the same way as we intend to do on the dance-floor.

Boundaries of the ICMTA Witnessing Service
ICMTA recognises that all member teachers have a professional responsibility to have an
appropriate level of supervision/mentoring for their work. In many cases this support will best provide the help needed to resolve teacher conflicts and relational challenges. The ICMTA Witnessing Service is not a replacement for supervision/mentoring.

The ICMTA Witnessing Service offers an open space for both parties to be heard, and hopefully hear each other better through a process of reflective listening. The intention is not to judge, attribute blame or decide what should or should not be done. Hopefully a mutually agreeable way forward for both parties will emerge from the process.

The witnessing service is offered to any ICMTA teacher member to support situations in conflict where the second party is willing to participate in the process, whether they are an ICMTA member or not. The second party must be a trained teacher of a conscious dance practice and not a student, as some students may not have the level of self-reflective responsibility required for the witnessing process.

In the case of a conflict between a teacher and a student, we would suggest you find a mediator, which is a service paid for by the involved parties.

If a student believes that a teacher has transgressed the ICMTA Code Of Ethics, they should refer to the ICMTA Grievance Procedure.

Overview of ICMTA Witnessing Service
(please see the ICMTA Witnessing Service document for a more detailed description and instructions to follow)
The ICMTA Witnessing Service offers from one hour to a maximum of three hours of witnessing support free of charge per membership year to all ICMTA teacher members requiring witnessing support.