M22 — Split Two
Teaching unit M22 of the CALLERLAB (New) Mainstream Suggested Teaching Order, effective
1 September 2026. Prerequisites: Facing Couples,
Split Two
At a glance
| Starting formation | Eight Chain Thru — or, in general, a couple or tandem facing a couple or mini-wave |
| Ending formation | The active dancers back to back with the dancers they split; everyone else where they started |
| Timing | 2 beats, plus whatever the caller says next |
| Unit | M22 of 50 |
Animation
▶ Play this call — pause, step and scrub it: Watching the animations.
Dance action
"The Active or directed dancers move forward between the two Inactive dancers (splitting them). The
Inactive dancers move apart to let them through then move back together."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
What you do
Split Two is half a call on its own. It tells you how to travel; the caller's next words tell you where you are going, so listen through it.
- Find out who is active. The caller normally names them: "Centers Split Two", "Heads Square Thru 4, Split the Outside 2". If you were not named, you are inactive.
- If you are active, walk forward. Go straight ahead, between the two inactive dancers. Do not turn yet. You end up with your back to the pair you just walked through.
- If you are inactive, open the gap. Move apart — away from each other — far enough for a whole couple to walk between you, then close up again behind them.
- Stop and be ready. Split Two is timed at 2 beats and then it is over; the next call starts immediately from where you are standing.
From an Eight Chain Thru this is the move that turns the two facing lines into columns, so the caller can then say "Around 1 to a Line" or "Both Turn Left and Promenade". See Passing Rule for the general habit of passing right shoulders whenever you meet someone.
Timing
2 beats — half a bar. This is one of the shortest calls in the programme. The manual writes the timing as "2 plus next call", which is a reminder that Split Two is almost never danced alone: it is the first half of a figure, and you should already be moving into the next call as you finish it. See Timing and music.
Styling
The manual gives no separate styling note for Split Two. In practice the styling is the styling of walking through a gap: keep your couple handhold, move as a unit, and give the inactive pair room rather than brushing past them. The inactive dancers keep their own couple handhold and step apart and back together in time with the music, not ahead of it.
Common faults
| What happens | Why | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| You and your partner get separated going through the gap | You let go, or one of you turned early | Move as one couple, holding the couple handhold, straight through the middle |
| You bounce off the inactive dancers | They closed the gap before you were clear | The inactive dancers wait until the active couple is through, then step back together |
| You turn left or right without being told | Looking for somewhere to go | Split Two only takes you forward. Wait for the next call for the direction |
| You walk into the wrong gap | You misheard who is active | Only the named dancers are active. Everyone else stays put and opens up |
Where you meet it
Split Two is taught in Class 6, alongside Square Thru. You meet it constantly in singing calls, where it is the opening half of figures such as "Split Two, Around 1 to a Line" or "Split the Outside Couple".
Related calls
- Separate — send one couple round the outside instead of straight through. See M15.
- Pass Thru — a straight pass with no gap to open. See M7.
- Dive Thru — a couple ducks under an arch rather than through a gap. See M29.
- Wheel and Deal — a common follow-on once the lines have become columns. See M26.
Also called / formerly
You will hear the callers' short forms more often than the manual's name: "Split the Outside Couple", "Split the Outside 2", and even "Couple #1 Split Couple #3". They are all Split Two. The manual notes that when a number is used, "the count is of Inactive dancers passed by the Active dancers".
Manual source: Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026, page 54. Reproduced under the permission in sources and attribution.