Online Teacher Training: Creating Safer Spaces

Designed to fit in with your busy schedule, Bluesology Bite-Sized brings teacher training to you via short, easily accessible online sessions. Attend live, or sign up to receive session recordings so you can attend the training at a time that is convenient for you. Dance teaching is an art, and like any artist, we believe you must constantly refine your craft. These online training sessions will be hosted throughout the year by a variety of guest instructors and cover a range of interesting topics, helping you to evolve and improve as a dance teacher. The next workshop in the series is... ** CREATING SAFER DANCE SPACES with EDA ÖZDEK ** ABOUT EDA: Eda Özdek is a Brussels-based sociologist and researcher working on music, dance, gender, discrimination, and migration. She is also a proud alumna of Bluesology, with a long-standing passion for blues music and dance. She is trained and experienced in psychosocial support, confidential counselling on harassment and abuse, bystander intervention, consent, and safer-space development practices. Eda is the co-founder of Safe(r) Space Brussels, an initiative dedicated to supporting communities in building safer environments through practical frameworks, Codes of Conduct, and consent-based approaches. With years of experience as a researcher, teacher and organiser, her work focuses on boundary awareness, community care, and sustaining blues spaces in alignment with their African American cultural roots of dignity, expression, and mutual respect. WORKSHOP OUTLINE: This session explores how to create safer, respectful, and inclusive environments in blues spaces, with attention not only to students and participants, but also to the wellbeing of teachers and organisers while empowering cultural appreciation. Grounded in the African American roots of blues, where music and dance grew as practices of expression, togetherness, community and resilience, we approach safe space as a shared responsibility based on respect, consent, listening, and accountability. The training combines practical tools with community awareness, and is open to both teachers and non-teachers. Key themes include: - Foundations of safer spaces: consent, boundaries, respect, and shared responsibility - The role of teachers in shaping classroom culture and emotional safety - Care for teachers and organisers: preventing burnout, emotional overload, and role confusion - How teachers and organisers can set and communicate clear, healthy boundaries - Recognising, preventing, and responding to harmful or inappropriate behaviour - Power dynamics in dance spaces (teacher–student, organiser–participant, social influence) - Core terminology: consent, boundaries, accountability, code-of-conduct, community care This session emphasises that safe spaces are not about control or perfection, but about clarity, care, inclusivity and collective responsibility so blues spaces can remain true to their roots: human, respectful, expressive, and grounded in community. ***A Q&A session will take place at the end of the training. To protect confidentiality and ensure a safe learning environment, participants are kindly asked not to share specific names or identifiable personal cases during this discussion. ****The income from this training directly supports the creation of new safer-space tools, educational materials, and community guidance. ******************************* DETAILS Date: Thursday 12 March 2026 Time: 19:00-21:00 CET (Madrid) Where: Online via Zoom. Recordings will be available for 14 days after the workshop. Cost: €20 per person Follow this link to find out more and register: https://thebluesroom.com/br_event/bluesology-bite-sized/