M16 — Lead Right / Lead Left
Teaching unit M16 of the CALLERLAB (New) Mainstream Suggested Teaching Order, effective
1 September 2026. Prerequisites: Couple,
Lead Right / Lead Left
At a glance
| Starting formation | Couple |
| Ending formation | Couple, normally facing another couple |
| Timing | 4 beats |
| Unit | M16 of 50 |
Animation
▶ Play this call — pause, step and scrub it: Watching the animations.
Dance action
"Directed Couple(s), working as a unit, move forward along a 90-degree arc to face the Couple (or
wall) to their right (for Lead Right) or to their left (for Lead Left)."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
What you do
You and your partner are a couple, standing side by side in a couple handhold. The caller names you — usually Heads or Sides.
- Turn as a pair, not as two people. You both rotate the same amount, and the handhold stays joined.
- Walk forward along a quarter-circle — 90 degrees — to your right for a Lead Right. For a Lead Left, the quarter-circle goes to the left.
- Stop when you are facing the next couple (or the wall, if there is no couple there) and settle into a couple handhold again.
Picture a clock face: if you were facing twelve o'clock at the start, a Lead Right finishes you facing three o'clock, and a Lead Left finishes you facing nine o'clock.
Most often the caller says "Heads Lead Right" from a squared set. The Heads lead out and end facing the Sides on the right; that arrangement is called an Eight Chain Thru formation, and it is the usual doorway into the Square Thru family.
Timing
4 beats — two beats to make the turn, two to arrive and settle.
Styling
"A Couple handhold is maintained throughout the call. Outside hands in normal dance position."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
Keep the joined hands low and relaxed; this is a walk round a corner, not a swing.
Common faults
| What happens | Why | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| The couple drifts apart | Each dancer turned a different amount | Move as one unit; the joined hands are the pivot |
| You end facing back into the square | You turned the wrong way, or turned too far | A Lead Right is a quarter turn to the right; check the ending facing before you stop |
| The handhold breaks | Arms used to push or pull | Keep the hold light and let your feet do the walking |
| You stop short of the facing couple | Walking the arc instead of the full quarter | Finish your arc, then check: there should be a couple straight in front of you |
Where you meet it
Lead Right and Lead Left are taught in unit M16, in Class 4 of the course. This is one of the first calls that moves a couple away from the squared set, and it is the usual way a caller gets the square into an Eight Chain Thru formation.
Related calls
- Veer Left / Veer Right — the same quarter-turn idea, but the couple keeps moving forward. See M17.
- Right and Left Thru — the usual first call after a Lead Right. See M10.
- Star Thru — another way to turn a facing pair into a couple. See M18.
Also called / formerly
You will hear "Lead Out to the Right" and "Couple #1 Lead Out to the Right". Some callers say "Lead Out" with no direction and let the flow of the previous call suggest it; when the direction matters, say it.
Manual source: Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026, page 41. Reproduced under the permission in sources and attribution.