M18 — Star Thru
Teaching unit M18 of the CALLERLAB (New) Mainstream Suggested Teaching Order, effective
1 September 2026. Prerequisites: Facing Dancers,
Star Thru
At a glance
| Starting formation | Facing Dancers — a Boy facing a Girl |
| Ending formation | Couple |
| Timing | 4 beats |
| Unit | M18 of 50 |
Animation
▶ Play this call — pause, step and scrub it: Watching the animations.
Dance action
"Man places his right hand against Woman's left hand, palm to palm with fingers up, to make an
arch. As the dancers move forward the Woman does a one quarter (90 degrees) left face turn under
the arch, while the Man does a one quarter (90 degrees) turn to the right moving past the Woman."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
What you do
Stand facing your partner, a step or so apart.
- Make the arch. Reach forward and join your right hand to their left hand, palm to palm, fingers pointing up. It is a handshake held high — around eye level — not a grab.
- Both walk forward.
- The Girl turns left a quarter turn, under the arch. You are turning into the space beside your partner, not walking through them.
- The Boy turns right a quarter turn, passing behind.
You finish side by side, both facing the same way — a couple. Drop the arch and take an ordinary couple handhold.
The whole thing is one smooth movement, not four separate steps. From a squared set you can do it in about two seconds.
Timing
4 beats — two bars of music at a walking pace. In a singing call that is half of one 8-beat line of the tune, which is why callers can slip a Star Thru into a phrase without disturbing the dancers' feet.
Styling
"Hands are joined in raised position at approximately eye level, palm to palm, with fingers pointed
up to form an arch. The arch will be offset to the Man's right and Woman's left. … As the call is
completed, the hand grip should be readjusted to couple handhold."
The handhold is loose. The Boy steadies; the Girl supplies her own momentum. Do not push your partner through the turn.
Restrictions
The 2026 manual gives the starting formation as Facing Dancers (Man facing Woman). Two Boys facing, or two Girls, is not Star Thru — there is no Boy/Girl arch to make. When the square is arranged so that you are facing someone of the same role, the caller will use a different call.
Common faults
| What happens | Why | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| The arch collapses and you end up in a tangle | Both dancers are pulling | The arch is a hinge, not a lever. Keep it light and high |
| You finish facing your partner again | You turned back instead of through | The Girl turns left, the Boy turns right — you are swapping sides, not bouncing |
| You end up a step too far apart | Walking forward too far before turning | Turn as you walk; the turn is the last half of the forward step |
| Hands come down too early | Reaching for a couple handhold mid-call | Keep the arch until you are facing the same way |
Where you meet it
Star Thru arrives early — Class 5 — and then appears everywhere for the rest of your dancing. It is the standard way to turn a facing pair into a couple, and it is one of the few calls you will use in almost every tip you ever dance.
Related calls
- Slide Thru — the same shape with a different hand action. See M28.
- Box the Gnat — the same turn with a pull by instead of an arch. See M30.
- California Twirl — the arch-and-turn idea used to turn a couple around. See M27.
Also called / formerly
Star Thru has always been called Star Thru. You will hear "Star Through" in some regions; it is the same call.
Manual source: Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026, page 57. Reproduced under the permission in sources and attribution.