M15 — Separate Family
Teaching unit M15 of the CALLERLAB (New) Mainstream Suggested Teaching Order, effective
1 September 2026. Prerequisites: Facing Couples,
Separate
At a glance
| Starting formation | Couple — the couple must be active or designated |
| Ending formation | facing dancers on the outside of the set, or whatever the next command makes |
| Timing | 2 beats, plus the time to travel around the outside |
| Unit/part | M15a of 50 |
Animation
▶ Play this call — pause, step and scrub it: Watching the animations.
Dance action
"The dancers turn back-to-back and start walking forward in opposite directions around the outside
of the square away from each other until they meet another dancer. The call ends here unless
further instructions are given (for example, 'and come back home')."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
What you do
You are one of a couple, and the caller has named you — usually as Heads or Sides.
- Turn back-to-back with your partner. You are now facing opposite ways.
- Each of you walks forward around the outside of the square, away from each other — one of you goes one way, the other goes the other way.
- Keep going until you meet another dancer on the outside. That meeting is the end of a plain Separate.
- Wait for the rest of the command. "Separate" on its own is almost always followed by an instruction: "and come back home", "Around 1 to a Line", "and Star Thru".
If your couple was in the centre facing out when the call was given — after a Square Thru 2, for example — step forward first, then do the same thing.
Timing
2 beats for the turn and the start of the walk. Everything after that is travelling, and its timing depends on how far the caller sends you.
Styling
"Those not active move into the center to get out of the way of the Actives. Men's arms in natural
dance position; Woman's skirt work optional."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
If you are not active, step towards the middle so the active dancers have a clear path round the outside, and stay out of their way.
Restrictions
The manual states that the couple must be active or designated — Separate is never something the whole square does at once. The manual also notes that from a squared set, "Heads Square Thru 2; Heads Separate …" would be improper, because a couple starting in the centre must be facing out of the square before they can separate.
Common faults
| What happens | Why | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| Both dancers walk the same way | "Back-to-back" was not set properly | Face opposite directions before you move; you travel away from each other |
| You walk off and keep going | Waiting for an instruction that already came | Listen for the whole command — "Separate and come back home" is one instruction |
| The inactive dancers block the path | Nobody moved into the middle | Inactive dancers step in to clear the outside |
| You meet your own partner | One dancer went the wrong way round | You should each meet somebody else first |
Where you meet it
Separate is taught in unit M15, in Class 4 of the course, and the two Around applications that follow are taught in the same unit. It is the family's way of sending two dancers out to work the outside of the square.
Related calls
- Pass Thru — what the actives usually do just before Separate. See M7.
- Separate Around 1 or 2 to a Line — the most common continuation. See part b below.
- Separate Around 1 or 2 and Come into the Middle — the other continuation. See part c below.
Also called / formerly
"Heads Separate", "Sides Separate" and "Separate and …" are the everyday phrasings. The 2026 manual says Boys and Girls; older material says Men and Women.
Separate Around 1 or 2 to a Line
At a glance
| Starting formation | after a Separate |
| Ending formation | usually Facing Lines; occasionally inverted or three-and-one lines |
| Timing | 8 beats (Around 1); 10 beats (Around 2) |
| Unit/part | M15b of 50 |
Animation
▶ Play this call — pause, step and scrub it: Watching the animations.
Dance action
"After a Separate, the Active dancers walk around the outside of the set passing the designated
number of Inactive dancers. The Inactives act as stationary objects (referred to as goal-posts) and
do not change their facing direction."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
What you do
- Do the Separate first — turn back-to-back with your partner and walk out.
- Count the inactive dancers you pass. "Around 1" means pass one inactive dancer; "Around 2" means pass two. You and your partner each count for yourselves.
- If you meet your partner on the way round, pass right shoulders, exactly as in Pass Thru.
- When you have passed your last inactive dancer, join the line. If the count leaves you between the inactive dancers, squeeze in and become a Center of the line; if it leaves you outside them, stand at the end and become an End.
- Face so that the line faces its opposite line — you finish in Facing Lines.
The inactive dancers stay where they are, facing the same way, but they step forward a little to give you room and step back again after you have passed. The manual calls them goal-posts.
Timing
8 beats for Around 1, 10 beats for Around 2 — the extra two beats are the extra dancer you walk round.
Styling
"Those not active move into the center to get out of the way of the Actives. Men's arms in natural
dance position; ladies' skirt work optional."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
Restrictions
The manual gives a worked example of an improper sequence: "Heads Pass Thru; Separate Around 2 and stand behind the Sides" is not proper "because each active dancer didn't go around the second inactive dancer at all." The count must be real: you actually walk round the dancers you claim to have passed.
Common faults
| What happens | Why | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| You end in the wrong place in the line | Miscounted the goal-posts | Count only the inactive dancers you pass, not your partner |
| You and your partner collide | No shoulder rule applied | Pass right shoulders, like a Pass Thru |
| The lines are ragged | Nobody squared up at the end | Face your opposite line and stand shoulder to shoulder |
| The goal-posts wander | They tried to walk the call too | If you are not active, stand still and let the actives count you |
Where you meet it
Around 1 or 2 to a Line is taught in unit M15, in Class 4 of the course. It is one of the standard ways to get from a squared set into facing lines, and callers use it in zeroes and get-outs constantly.
Related calls
- Separate — the call that always comes first. See part a above.
- Separate Around 1 or 2 and Come into the Middle — the same walk, a different finish. See part c below.
- Bend the Line — what often happens to the lines you just made. See M20.
Also called / formerly
You will hear "Squeeze In — Make Lines" and "Hook On to the End — Make Lines" for the two ways of joining the line. "Split 2, Separate Around 1 to a Line" is a longer, more explicit phrasing of the same call.
Separate Around 1 or 2 into the middle
At a glance
| Starting formation | after a Separate |
| Ending formation | Around 1: Double Pass Thru or Trade By, among others; Around 2: two couples at home with two active couples facing in |
| Timing | 8 beats (Around 1); 12 beats (Around 2) |
| Unit/part | M15c of 50 |
Animation
▶ Play this call — pause, step and scrub it: Watching the animations.
Dance action
"When the Active dancers pass their last Inactive dancers, they will either squeeze in between and
through the Inactive dancers … to come into the center of the set and take the next call, or will
continue forward in a semicircle around their last Inactive dancers to end in the center of the
set, ready to take the next call."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
What you do
- Do the Separate, then walk round the outside counting inactive dancers — the same walk as Around 1 or 2 to a Line.
- Pass your last inactive dancer, then head for the middle instead of the line. Either squeeze through the gap between the inactive dancers (they slide apart and back together to let you through, as in Split Two) or curve on round and come in from the other side.
- Stop in the centre of the set, ready for the next call. You do not stay in a line — you are a free couple in the middle.
- The inactive dancers finish on the outside, back where they started, and they do not take part in the next call.
The classic phrasing is "… and Come into the Middle with a Right and Left Thru" — you walk in and immediately do the named call with the couple who is waiting there.
Timing
8 beats for Around 1, 12 beats for Around 2, measured for the whole sequence from the Pass Thru that starts it.
Styling
"Those not active must counter-dance. For example, moving forward to provide room when the Actives
are on the outside, sliding apart and together when being split, and moving back to place so as to
finish on the outside."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
Counter-dancing is the whole job of the inactive dancers here: make room as the actives pass, close up again behind them, and finish where you began.
Common faults
| What happens | Why | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| You join a line instead of coming in | Old habit from Around 1 to a Line | This time you finish in the centre, not in a line |
| The inactives drift off their spots | They followed the actives in | Inactive dancers stay on the outside and finish at home |
| The actives stop on the outside | Lost track of where the middle is | Keep walking until you are in the centre of the set |
| Nobody knows whose turn it is next | The actives arrived late or out of sequence | Come into the middle promptly; the next call is yours |
Where you meet it
Around 1 or 2 and Come into the Middle is taught in unit M15, in Class 4 of the course. Callers use it to bring a couple into the centre ready to work with the whole square.
Related calls
- Separate Around 1 or 2 to a Line — the same walk with a line at the end. See part b above.
- Right and Left Thru — the call most often waiting in the middle. See M10.
- Split Two — the squeeze-in action the manual compares this to. See M22.
Also called / formerly
You will hear "Separate Around 2 and Come Down the Middle" and "Come into the Middle with a Right and Left Thru". They describe the same finish.
Manual source: Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026, page 52. Reproduced under the permission in sources and attribution.