I’ve spent more than 20 years running a professional performance business. During that time I’ve worked as a performer, instructor, producer, and business owner. I’ve seen the incredible side of the performing arts—the creativity, community, and collaboration—but I’ve also seen the conflicts that can arise when professional relationships break down.

One thing that often gets lost in these conversations is this:

Performance art is still a business.

Whether you’re a belly dancer, musician, actor, circus artist, magician, fire performer, or any other professional entertainer, once money changes hands and services are being offered, you’re operating a business. Businesses don’t exist outside the law simply because they’re creative. They are subject to contracts, employment laws, defamation laws, discrimination laws, and the legal principles that govern every other profession.

Lately I’ve seen a growing attitude that the court of public opinion should be treated as if it were the same thing as due process. It isn’t.

Social media is not a courtroom.

Facebook posts are not investigations.

Comment sections are not evidence.

Being widely believed does not automatically make an accusation true, just as being accused does not automatically make someone innocent. Both things can exist at the same time.

That doesn’t mean people should stay silent.

If someone has had a genuinely harmful experience with a performer, producer, or organization, they absolutely have the right to speak up. They have the right to report misconduct, warn others about poor business practices, and decide they no longer wish to work with that individual. Those are personal and professional decisions that every performer is entitled to make.

Communities also have every right to hold people accountable when there is credible evidence of unethical behavior.

But accountability should not replace fairness.

When serious accusations are made, they deserve to be investigated. That investigation should include giving the accused person an opportunity to respond. Facts should be gathered. Evidence should be examined. Witnesses should be heard. Context matters.

Due process exists for a reason.

It doesn’t exist to silence victims or protect bad actors. It exists because history has repeatedly shown that people can be falsely accused, misunderstandings can occur, stories can be incomplete, and emotions can sometimes outweigh facts. A fair process protects everyone—including those who come forward with legitimate complaints.

Unfortunately, social media often encourages the opposite. Information spreads faster than facts. Reputations can be destroyed overnight. Once a narrative takes hold, many people stop asking questions altogether.

That’s a dangerous place for any professional community.

Supporting someone who comes forward with concerns does not require abandoning critical thinking. Believing that complaints should be taken seriously does not mean we should skip the investigation. Likewise, asking for evidence or allowing someone to respond should never be mistaken for excusing harmful behavior.

These ideas are not mutually exclusive.

As professionals, we should strive to create an environment where people feel safe reporting misconduct while also respecting the legal and ethical principles that protect everyone involved. We can encourage transparency, promote accountability, and insist on professionalism without turning every allegation into a public trial.

The performing arts deserve better than mob justice.

Our industry is built on trust, reputation, contracts, collaboration, and professionalism. Like every other profession, we should expect concerns to be addressed seriously, investigated fairly, and handled with integrity.

Because at the end of the day, performance art isn’t exempt from the law simply because it’s art.

It’s a business.

And businesses should operate with both accountability and due process.