M12 — Ladies Chain Family
Teaching unit M12 of the CALLERLAB (New) Mainstream Suggested Teaching Order, effective
1 September 2026. Prerequisites: Facing Couples,
Ladies Chain, (Ladies Chain 3/4)
At a glance
| Starting formation | Facing Couples — a Normal Couple facing a Normal Couple |
| Ending formation | Facing Couples, with the Girls swapped |
| Timing | 6 beats from Facing Couples; 8 from a Static Square |
| Unit/part | M12a of 50 |
Animation
▶ Play this call — pause, step and scrub it: Watching the animations.
Dance action
"Women step toward each other and Right-Hand Star 1/2 (or Right Pull By). Each Man Courtesy Turns
the Woman coming toward him to end in Facing Couples."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
What you do
- Girls, step toward the middle and join right hands with the Girl opposite.
- Turn a half turn by the right — a small right-hand star of two — and let go. (If there are only two of you chaining, this is a right pull by: take right hands and walk past each other.)
- Boys, step to your right as your own partner leaves, so that the Girl coming toward you has somewhere to land.
- Boys, take the Girl in a Courtesy Turn — left hands joined in front, right hands joined behind — and turn her to face the couple you came from.
- Let go and re-form a couple handhold. You are now facing the same two dancers, but each Boy has the other's partner.
The call is finished when both new couples are standing still and facing each other. Ladies Chain 3/4 is the same call with the Girls turning three-quarters in the star instead of a half, which sends them further round the set.
Timing
6 beats from facing couples, 8 beats from a Static Square. The star or pull by is the quick part; the Courtesy Turn is where the music tells you to slow down.
Styling
"Each Man releases his partner and sidesteps to the right while turning his right shoulder slightly
toward the center of the formation blending into the Courtesy Turn. Women use skirtwork for the
Courtesy Turn (and in the Star, if used)."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
Restrictions
The manual says "Two Ladies Chain is improper if either Couple is sashayed or same-gender." A Courtesy Turn is a Boy turning a Girl under a particular handhold, so the call needs a Normal Couple on each side. When the square is not arranged that way the caller uses a different call.
Common faults
| What happens | Why | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| You finish facing your own original partner | You walked past the Girl coming toward you instead of taking her | Boys: after the star, the Girl you turn is the one coming toward you, not the one you started beside |
| The two Boys collide | Neither stepped aside after the star | Boys sidestep right as soon as their partner leaves, then blend into the Courtesy Turn |
| The star wobbles and stalls | Gripping too tightly and leaning back | A star of two is light — palms only, no pulling |
| The Girls' skirtwork gets in the way | Both hands used for the turn | Skirt in the left hand only if it is comfortable; the handhold always comes first |
Where you meet it
Ladies Chain is taught in unit M12, in Class 3 of the course. It is the first call that moves dancers across the square and back, and callers use it constantly to change who is standing beside whom.
Related calls
- Right and Left Thru — the same hand action, but the Boys do the crossing. See M10.
- Courtesy Turn — the half of this call you must know first. See M9.
- Four Ladies Chain — every Girl chains at once. See part b below.
- Chain Down the Line — the chain done from a line. See part c below.
Also called / formerly
"Two Ladies Chain", "Head Ladies Chain", "Head Ladies Chain Across" and "Ladies Chain Across" all mean this call. Older material says Ladies where the 2026 manual says Girls.
Four Ladies Chain, (Chain 3/4)
At a glance
| Starting formation | Static Square of Normal Couples, or an infacing circle of four Normal Couples |
| Ending formation | Static Square of Normal Couples |
| Timing | 8 beats; 10 for the 3/4 version |
| Unit/part | M12b of 50 |
Animation
▶ Play this call — pause, step and scrub it: Watching the animations.
Dance action
"All four women Right-Hand Star 1/2 (or 3/4, if designated). All Courtesy Turn to face the center
of the set."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
What you do
- Girls, step into the middle and make a four-handed right-hand star.
- Turn the star a half turn — or three-quarters, if the caller says "3/4" — and let go as you meet the Boy who is now in front of you.
- Take that Boy in a Courtesy Turn and finish facing the middle of the square.
- Let go and re-form a couple handhold.
Every Girl has moved one position round the square, so every Boy has a new partner for the moment. Four Ladies Chain; Chain Them Home (or Chain Those Ladies Over and Back) is the call done twice, which puts everybody back where they started.
Timing
8 beats, or 10 beats for the 3/4 version. The extra beats in the 3/4 version are the extra quarter of the star.
Styling
"Women use a palm or finger-tip star. … each Lady to pick up and hold a bit of the right edge of
her skirt, or an arm's length of a long skirt, as she reaches into the star."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
The star is a palm or fingertip star, not a forearm grip — four dancers turning quickly, not a wrestling match. The Boys use the same styling as in Ladies Chain.
Restrictions
As with Ladies Chain, the manual states that "Four Ladies Chain is improper if any Couple is sashayed or same-gender." Every Courtesy Turn needs a Boy and a Girl.
Common faults
| What happens | Why | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| The star falls apart | Four dancers pulling in different directions | Palms or fingertips only, and turn together on the same beat |
| You finish facing out of the square | The Courtesy Turn was left half done | The turn finishes facing the centre of the set |
| You end up beside your own original partner | The star stopped short, or went too far | Half means half: meet the Boy opposite, not the one next door |
| Everybody drifts towards the middle | No one is holding their own weight | Keep the star in one place; your own feet carry you round |
Where you meet it
Four Ladies Chain is taught in unit M12, in Class 3 of the course. It is the standard way to give everybody a new partner without leaving the squared set, and it opens a great many singing calls.
Related calls
- Ladies Chain — the two-couple version. See part a above.
- Right and Left Grand — the other way to move everyone round the square. See M6.
- Courtesy Turn — the finishing move, shared with every call in this family. See M9.
Also called / formerly
"All Four Ladies Chain", "Four Ladies Chain Across", "Chain Those Ladies Over and Back" and "Four Ladies Chain; Chain Them Home" all describe versions of this call.
Chain Down the Line
At a glance
| Starting formation | a general line with the Centres holding right hands |
| Ending formation | Facing Couples |
| Timing | 8 beats |
| Unit/part | M12c of 50 |
Animation
▶ Play this call — pause, step and scrub it: Watching the animations.
Dance action
"Centers Turn 1/2 by the Right while ends adjust as necessary. Then the ends Courtesy Turn the
centers to finish in Facing Couples."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
What you do
- The two dancers in the middle, a Boy and a Girl holding right hands, turn a half turn by the right — a right arm turn — and let go.
- The two on the ends step sideways to make room for the middle dancers to come out.
- Each end takes the middle dancer who comes to them in a Courtesy Turn.
- Finish in Facing Couples. Each middle dancer has swapped ends of the line.
At Mainstream the Girls are always the middle dancers and the Boys the ends, because a Courtesy Turn is a Boy turning a Girl.
Timing
8 beats. The right arm turn is quick; the two Courtesy Turns take the rest.
Styling
The manual gives Chain Down the Line no separate styling of its own; it uses the styling of the Courtesy Turn that finishes it.
"Women use skirtwork for the Courtesy Turn."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
Keep the Courtesy Turn handhold — left hands joined in front, right hands joined behind — and keep the ends of the line steady while the centres turn.
Restrictions
The manual is explicit: "At Mainstream, Chain Down the Line starts only with women as centers and men as ends because Courtesy Turn is restricted to men turning women." If the caller wants the Boys in the middle, this is not the call.
Common faults
| What happens | Why | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| The middle dancers walk instead of turning | The right arm turn was skipped | Join right forearms and really turn the half turn before letting go |
| The ends are in the way | Nobody adjusted sideways | Ends step out of the path as the middle dancers turn |
| You finish as a line, not facing couples | The Courtesy Turn was not completed | Turn the incoming dancer all the way round to face the other couple |
| The Boys try to be centers | The call was mis-heard | At Mainstream, centers are the Girls |
Where you meet it
Chain Down the Line is taught in unit M12, in Class 3 of the course, once you know Courtesy Turn. It is the family's way of working from a line rather than from facing couples.
Related calls
- Ladies Chain — the same star-then-turn idea from facing couples. See part a above.
- Courtesy Turn — the finishing move. See M9.
- Bend the Line — the other common call from a two-faced line. See M20.
Also called / formerly
You will hear "Ladies Chain Down the Line"; it is the same call. Older material says Ladies and Men where the 2026 manual says Girls and Boys.
Manual source: Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026, page 40. Reproduced under the permission in sources and attribution.