M19 — Circulate Family
Teaching unit M19 of the CALLERLAB (New) Mainstream Suggested Teaching Order, effective
1 September 2026. Prerequisites: Waves,
Box,
Couples Circulate
At a glance
| Starting formation | Two-Faced Lines |
| Ending formation | Two-Faced Lines |
| Timing | 4 beats |
| Unit/part | M19a of 50 |
Animation
▶ Play this call — pause, step and scrub it: Watching the animations.
Dance action
"Each Couple works as a unit to move forward to the next position, following the General Box
circulate path."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
What you do
You are in a Two-Faced Line: you and your partner side by side, your couple back to back with the other couple, all four of you facing outwards.
- Stay with your partner. The couple is the unit here, not the individual.
- Walk forward to the next couple's position, following the rectangle the four of you make. The couple who are facing out at one end of the box travel round and end where the other couple started, and the other couple do the same.
- Finish facing the same way couples face in a two-faced line — each couple facing outwards again.
The couple who has the shorter distance to travel takes shorter steps so that both couples arrive together.
Timing
4 beats. A full circulate is a walk of one position.
Styling
"All dancers maintain a Couple handhold for Couples Circulate. Couples traveling the shorter
distance should adjust with shorter steps to coincide with those traveling the longer distance.
Those traveling the longer distance should not rush."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
Keep the couple handhold and stay level with your partner. The two couples in the box must arrive at the same moment.
Restrictions
No call in the Circulate Family can be used with the Ocean Wave Rule or the Facing Couples Rule. A circulate needs the formation it names; dancers cannot step into it from a nearby formation the way other calls allow.
Common faults
| What happens | Why | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| The couples collide | One couple hurried the longer path | The shorter-path couple takes shorter steps; nobody rushes |
| You split from your partner | Circulating as an individual instead of a couple | Couples Circulate moves the couple; keep the handhold |
| You finish facing the wrong way | Half a circulate, or one too many | One position forward, facing out, is the whole call |
| The box loses its shape | Couples took different size paths | Keep the rectangle; walk the path, do not cut across |
Where you meet it
Couples Circulate is taught in unit M19, in Class 5 of the course. It is the first circulate most dancers meet, and it appears in almost every tip that uses two-faced lines.
Related calls
- (Named Dancers) Circulate — the same path for individual dancers. See part b below.
- All Eight Circulate — everybody circulates. See part c below.
- Bend the Line — the other standard call from a two-faced line. See M20.
Also called / formerly
Couples Circulate has always been called Couples Circulate. Many callers shorten it to "Couples Circ" in a singing call; it is the same call.
(Named Dancers) Circulate
At a glance
| Starting formation | general Lines (Ocean Waves, Two-Faced Lines) or general Columns |
| Ending formation | the same formation you started in |
| Timing | 4 beats; 2 if the circulate has the effect of a Pass Thru |
| Unit/part | M19b of 50 |
Animation
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Dance action
"Designated dancers move forward to the next dancer position, following their General Lines or
General Columns circulate path. A dancer looking out of the formation walks in a 180-degree arc and
finishes in the next position on the other side, looking in. Others walk forward one dancer
position."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
What you do
The caller names a group — Centers, Ends, Boys, Girls, Everyone — and only they move.
- Find your circulate path. In a line, the path runs along the line; in a column, it runs along the column. The manual's diagrams call these the General Lines and General Column paths.
- Walk forward one dancer position.
- If you are the dancer on the end looking out of the formation, you do not just walk: you travel round a half circle — 180 degrees — and finish in the next position on the far side, facing back in.
- If you are not named, stand still. You are the fixed point everyone else moves around.
Two dancers travelling in opposite directions along the same path pass right shoulders, exactly as in the Passing Rule.
"Circulate" on its own means Everyone Circulate, unless the previous call made it obvious that only some dancers are still active.
Timing
4 beats — or 2 beats when the circulate has the effect of a Pass Thru, which happens when dancers travel past each other rather than round a path.
Styling
"Arms should be held in natural dance position and ready to assume appropriate position for the next
call."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
Restrictions
The manual states it is improper for a named circulate to make a moving dancer end on the same spot as a dancer who is standing still — "from Columns, 'Ends Circulate'", for example. From Columns, "Centers Circulate" is proper only when the caller makes clear that the centres stay in the centre.
Common faults
| What happens | Why | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| The wrong dancers move | "Centers" and "Ends" confused | In a wave or line, centers are the middle two of the four; ends are the outside two |
| The end dancer walks straight off the line | Ignoring the 180-degree arc | The dancer looking out turns half round as they travel |
| Two dancers crash | Nobody applied the shoulder rule | Opposite directions on one path pass right shoulders |
| Movers end up on top of standers | The named group cannot legally reach that spot | Listen for the caller to name a different group, or a Box Circulate |
Where you meet it
Named Circulate is taught in unit M19, in Class 5 of the course, right after Couples Circulate. Callers use it to move half the square at a time and to set up the next formation.
Related calls
- Couples Circulate — the couple version. See part a above.
- All Eight Circulate — everybody moves. See part c below.
- Split Circulate — halve the formation and circulate within each half. See part e below.
Also called / formerly
You will hear "Centers Circulate", "Ends Circulate", "Girls Circulate", "Boys Circulate" and "Everyone Circulate". The manual also lets a caller name a number — "Center 4 Circulate", "Outside 6 Circulate".
All Eight Circulate
At a glance
| Starting formation | general Lines or general Columns |
| Ending formation | the same formation you started in |
| Timing | 4 beats; 2 if the circulate has the effect of a Pass Thru |
| Unit/part | M19c of 50 |
Animation
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Dance action
"All dancers Circulate."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
What you do
- Everybody moves at once. There is nobody to stand still for.
- Follow your own circulate path — along the line if you are in a line, along the column if you are in a column.
- The dancer looking out of the formation turns a half circle and comes back in on the far side.
- Finish in the same formation you started in, facing the same way, with a different dancer in each position.
The manual warns against a common piece of bad teaching: it is improper to say that All Eight Circulate always means "ends stay ends and centers stay centers." That is true from Ocean Waves and Two-Faced Lines, but it is not true from Columns. From Columns, All Eight Circulate is the same thing as Single File Circulate.
Timing
4 beats, or 2 when the movement has the effect of a Pass Thru.
Styling
"Same as for (Named Dancers) Circulate (item b. above)."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
In other words: arms in natural dance position, hands ready for the next call.
Restrictions
As with every circulate, the Ocean Wave Rule and the Facing Couples Rule do not apply. The manual also notes that from Columns, All Eight Circulate is the same as Single File Circulate — callers should use the more descriptive name.
Common faults
| What happens | Why | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| You keep your "role" out of habit | Believing ends stay ends in every formation | In Columns, everybody simply moves one place along the column |
| The wave loses its handholds | Letting go because everyone is moving | Keep arms in dance position and rejoin hands in the new wave |
| You and a neighbour cross awkwardly | Ignoring the shoulder rule | Opposite directions on one path pass right shoulders |
| The whole square drifts | Nobody kept the shape | Circulate inside the formation; do not travel beyond it |
Where you meet it
All Eight Circulate is taught in unit M19, in Class 5 of the course. It is the simplest way to keep a formation's shape while changing who stands where.
Related calls
- Couples Circulate — the version for two-faced lines, and the more usual way to call this from there. See part a above.
- Single File (Column) Circulate — identical to this call from Columns. See part d below.
- (Named Dancers) Circulate — the version where only some dancers move. See part b above.
Also called / formerly
The manual writes the call as All 8 Circulate; most callers say "All Eight Circulate". Both are in use.
Single File (Column) Circulate
At a glance
| Starting formation | Columns only |
| Ending formation | Columns |
| Timing | 4 beats; 2 if the circulate has the effect of a Pass Thru |
| Unit/part | M19d of 50 |
Animation
▶ Play this call — pause, step and scrub it: Watching the animations.
Dance action
"All dancers Circulate."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
What you do
You are in a Column: a line of dancers, one behind the other, all facing along the column.
- Walk forward one dancer position, along the column.
- The dancer at the front — the one looking out of the formation — travels round a half circle and finishes at the back of the same column, facing back in the way the others are.
- Keep your facing. A column circulate does not turn anybody round except the dancer at the front, who turns through 180 degrees to rejoin the column.
You will hear this called "Circulate" when the square is already in columns, because there is only one circulate it can mean; "Column Circulate" and "Single File Circulate" say it explicitly.
Timing
4 beats — or 2 when the movement has the effect of a Pass Thru.
Styling
"Same as for (Named Dancers) Circulate (item b. above)."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
Restrictions
The manual gives the starting formation as Columns only. As with every circulate, the Ocean Wave Rule and the Facing Couples Rule do not apply.
Common faults
| What happens | Why | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| The front dancer stops dead | Forgetting the 180-degree arc | The front dancer turns half round and joins the back of the same column |
| Dancers swap columns | Walking into the neighbouring column | Stay in your own column |
| The column concertinas | Different step sizes | One position, even steps, everybody together |
| The column turns into a line | Facing lost during the walk | Keep facing along the column; only the front dancer turns |
Where you meet it
Single File Circulate is taught in unit M19, in Class 5 of the course. Columns are where Wheel and Deal and the tag calls begin, so this circulate shows up constantly in later figures.
Related calls
- All Eight Circulate — the same thing from Columns. See part c above.
- Couples Circulate — the two-faced-line version. See part a above.
- Wheel and Deal — the standard way out of columns. See M26.
Also called / formerly
The manual's index writes it as Single File Circulate; the call map and many callers say Column Circulate. In columns, plain "Circulate" means this call.
Box/Split Circulate
At a glance
| Starting formation | Box for Box Circulate; general Lines or Columns for Split Circulate |
| Ending formation | the same formation you started in |
| Timing | 4 beats; 2 if the circulate has the effect of a Pass Thru |
| Unit/part | M19e of 50 |
Animation
▶ Play this call — pause, step and scrub it: Watching the animations.
Dance action
Box Circulate: "Each dancer moves forward to the next position, following the General Box
circulate path."
Split Circulate: "Divide ('split') the formation in half. Dancers in each half move forward to
the next position, following the General Box circulate path."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
What you do
Box Circulate. Four of you are in a small two-by-two box. Each dancer walks forward to the next position in that box, following the rectangle it makes. The two dancers who are facing out travel round and come back in on the other side; the two facing in walk straight forward. The box keeps its shape and you end in a different position inside it.
Split Circulate. The caller divides a larger formation — a line of eight, or a column of eight — into two halves. Each half is a box, and each half circulates as above. The two halves do the same movement side by side and do not cross into one another.
The manual allows Box Circulate only after a group of four has been named — "Heads Touch a Quarter; Heads Box Circulate", "Centers Box Circulate". Once the four dancers are identified, Box Circulate and Circulate are the same thing, and many callers just say "Circulate".
Timing
4 beats, or 2 when the movement has the effect of a Pass Thru.
Styling
"Same as for (Named Dancers) Circulate (item b. above)."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
Arms in natural dance position, hands ready for the next call.
Restrictions
The manual states that Box Circulate is proper only after specifying a group of four dancers (or, rarely, groups of four). "Split Circulate" is the preferred name when the whole formation is being divided. As with every circulate, the Ocean Wave Rule and the Facing Couples Rule do not apply.
Common faults
| What happens | Why | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| You circulate round the whole square | Confusing Box Circulate with All Eight | Box Circulate moves you inside your own group of four, nothing more |
| The two halves of a split merge | Nobody kept the halves apart | Each half is its own box; do not cross the middle |
| You end facing the wrong way | Missing the 180-degree arc for the outward-facing dancer | The dancer looking out turns a half circle and comes back in |
| Nobody knows who is in the box | The group was not identified | Wait for the caller to name four dancers, or to say "Split Circulate" |
Where you meet it
Box and Split Circulate are taught in unit M19, in Class 5 of the course. They are the calls that make small groups of four work independently, and they are the reason a caller can move one corner of the square without touching the rest.
Related calls
- (Named Dancers) Circulate — the general named-group version. See part b above.
- All Eight Circulate — everybody, all at once. See part c above.
- Split Two — the other way to divide a formation in half. See M22.
Also called / formerly
The manual handles these as two separate cases under one heading and calls them Box Circulate and Split Circulate. You will also hear "Centers Box Circulate" and "Split Circulate".
Manual source: Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026, page 25. Reproduced under the permission in sources and attribution.