Contribution guidelines

These aren't rules enforced by software — they're the habits that keep a community wiki useful. When in doubt, edit boldly; everything is versioned and nothing is ever lost.

Describe, don't prescribe

• Write what dancers actually do and what is commonly taught — not what you believe is correct. “Most teachers cue the tuck on 3” beats “the tuck must happen on 3.”
• When scenes disagree, say so. Disagreement is information, not a problem to resolve.
• Prefer video evidence over assertion — link a clip with timestamps.

Roles, not genders

• Write about leaders and followers — never assume the gender of either. Anyone can dance either role, and at most events plenty of people do.
• Use they/themfor a generic dancer: “the follower turns under their own arm,” not “under herarm.”
• Terms like “the man's side” or “the ladies' line” appear in older curricula — if a historical name matters, record it as an alias and explain it, but write the description itself in role language.
• When labeling videos, the leader/follower tags describe who danced which role in that clip — nothing more.

Names and aliases

• Names collide across scenes and eras — that's a feature. Pick the most widely recognized name for the page title and list every other name you've heard as an alternative name.
• One page per pattern. If you think two pages describe the same move, raise it in the discussion section rather than blanking either page.

Editing well

• Leave an edit summary — one sentence about what you changed and why. Future editors (including future you) will thank you.
• Improve rather than replace. If a description has a wrong detail, fix the detail; wholesale rewrites erase other contributors' perspectives.
• Disagree in the discussion thread, not by revert-warring. Every page has one.
• Videos of yourself or your students are welcome when they genuinely demonstrate the move — this is a reference, not an ad. Label dancers and events accurately.

Writing for learners

• Lead with the shape (counts, geometry, connection), then technique notes, then common variations and mistakes. Look at Sugar Push for the house pattern.
• Say which counts things happen on — “the redirection on 3&4” is teachable; “then you redirect” isn't.
• Markdown is supported: use ## headings, lists, and bold sparingly.

Questions about any of this? Start a discussion on the move page you're editing, or read about the project.