Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Policy

At Lone Star Circus, a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace is one where all contractors, employees, and volunteers, whatever their gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, age, sexual orientation or identity, education, or disability, feel valued and respected. We are committed to a nondiscriminatory approach and provide equal opportunity for employment and advancement in all our productions, shows, classes, programs, and worksites. We respect and value diverse life experiences and heritages and ensure that all voices are valued and heard.

We are committed to modeling diversity and inclusion for the entire arts industry of the nonprofit sector, and to maintaining an inclusive environment with equitable treatment for all.

To provide informed, authentic leadership for cultural equity, Lone Star Circus strives to:

• See diversity, inclusion, and equity as connected to our mission and critical to ensure the well-being of our staff and the arts communities we serve.
• Acknowledge and dismantle any inequities within our policies, systems, programs, and services, and continually update and report organization progress.
• Explore potential underlying, unquestioned assumptions that interfere with inclusiveness.
• Advocate for and support board-level thinking about how systemic inequities impact our organization’s work, and how best to address that in a way that is consistent with our mission.
• Help to challenge assumptions about what it takes to be a strong leader at our organization, and who is well-positioned to provide leadership.
• Practice and encourage transparent communication in all interactions.
• Commit time and resources to expand more diverse leadership within our board, staff, committee, and advisory bodies.
• Lead with respect and tolerance. We expect all employees to embrace this notion and to express it in workplace interactions and through everyday practices.

• Pursue cultural competency throughout our organization by creating substantive learning opportunities and formal, transparent policies.
• Generate and aggregate quantitative and qualitative research related to equity
  to make incremental, measurable progress toward the visibility of our diversity, inclusion, and equity efforts. Once the content is curated it will be added to our website so others can access it.
• Improve our cultural leadership pipeline by creating and supporting programs and policies that foster leadership that reflects the diversity of American society.
• Pool resources and expand offerings for underrepresented constituents by connecting with other arts organizations committed to diversity and inclusion efforts.
• Develop and present sessions on diversity, inclusion, and equity to provide information and resources internally, and to members, the community, and the arts industry.
• Develop a system for being more intentional and conscious of bias during the hiring, promoting, or evaluating process. Train our hiring team on equitable practices.
• Include a salary range commensurate with national circus averages.
• Advocate for public and private-sector policy that promotes diversity, inclusion, and equity. Challenge systems and policies that create inequity, oppression, and disparity.

Coach Guidelines-LSC

• Ensure all students have checked themselves in before class starts.

• As a coach, you must sign out each student as they leave class.

• Coaches can not leave the gym until every student has been picked up.

• Teach only safe and supported skills that the student is physically prepared for.

• Prepare for class with the intent that some of the students may want to participate in the competition and/or end-of-year show. Teach them jaw-dropping skills for the competition and help them build artistic acts for the show.

• If any of your students will be participating in the show, you as the coach must be present for their rehearsal the week before and their show. This is for their safety because only you will know what their act should or should not look like.

• You are the coach, not the students. If you see something dangerous happening, then you need to be firm and put an immediate stop to it.

• For the show, the majority of students participating will not have a solo. We just sadly do not have enough time to accommodate this for everyone, so start thinking of who would make the best groups. There may be an audition for a solo act for the students in teams. This must be a fully prepared act with artistry and they need to start with their music and end with it.

• The younger students will only perform an act on a hammock. No drops will be allowed for the younger students. Any drops that would like to be added must be approved and must play a part in the artistry of the piece. There will not be a heavy focus on drops for the show.

Here are some important dates: Kids shows: May 2, 3, 4
May 4th, 2025 will be the designated LSC show Rehearsals for the shows: April 28, 29, 30 & May 1
May 1st, 2025 will be the rehearsal day for all LSC students Please plan to put these dates in your calendar.

Lone Star Circus Arts Center, Inc. (offices)
12232 Snow White Drive Dallas, TX 75244

214.206.1449