Contributing and Submissions
Community growth without losing clarity
The Saber Standard is designed to support both:
- stable official standards
- community creativity and experimentation
This means schools, instructors, choreographers, and performance groups are encouraged to create original movement libraries using Saber Standard Notation.
At the same time, not every contribution automatically becomes official baseline material.
This page explains the current contribution philosophy.
What can be contributed?
Examples of possible contributions include:
- original choreography
- CM submissions
- notation examples
- diagrams
- teaching notes
- glossary improvements
- clarification proposals
- corrections
- rules feedback
- printable resources
- beginner teaching material
- notation edge cases
- timing conventions
- archival documentation
Schools can remain independent
Using the Saber Standard does not require a school to give up:
- branding
- curriculum
- choreography ownership
- teaching style
- internal ranking systems
- performance themes
Schools can publish choreography written in Saber Standard Notation while still maintaining their own identity.
Contribution categories
Contributions may eventually fall into different categories.
| Category | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Official | Approved baseline standard material |
| Extended | Official expansions beyond the beginner baseline |
| Community | Independent choreography or contributed material |
This structure allows experimentation without destabilizing the core notation standard.
Example
A school might contribute:
- KS-A Crosswind Exchange
- KS-B Twin Spiral
- KS-C Temple Crossing
These sequences could be publicly documented in Saber Standard Notation while remaining part of that school’s independent choreography library.
The choreography does not become "owned" by the standard simply because it uses the notation language.
Current contribution philosophy
At this stage of development, the project prioritizes:
- clarity
- consistency
- stable terminology
- readable notation
- beginner accessibility
- long-term preservation
Large changes to the notation system itself should be approached carefully.
Suggested future submission process
As the standard matures, a future submission process may include:
- Public proposal submission
- Notation formatting review
- Terminology review
- Safety review
- Community testing
- Classification as Official, Extended, or Community
The exact process is still evolving.
CM submission format
A proposed Choreography Movement should be submitted with the following fields.
| Field | Required |
|---|---|
| Proposed CM name/ID | Yes |
| Category | Yes |
| Saberist A sequence | Yes |
| Saberist B sequence | Yes |
| Telegraph | Optional |
| Lesson/purpose | Yes |
| Safety notes | Yes |
| Video reference | Optional |
Attribution philosophy
Whenever reasonably possible:
- contributors should be credited
- schools should retain attribution
- historical versions should remain documented
- choreography origins should remain visible
One long-term goal of the Saber Standard is preservation, which includes preserving authorship and historical context.
Future possibilities
Future community systems may include:
- choreography repositories
- revision history
- public archives
- notation libraries
- printable collections
- cross-school collaboration
- federation partnerships
- community review systems
The current focus is establishing a stable and understandable foundation.
Key principle
The Saber Standard should remain open enough to encourage participation, but structured enough to remain readable and durable over time.