M32 — Trade Family
Teaching unit M32 of the CALLERLAB (New) Mainstream Suggested Teaching Order, effective
1 September 2026. Prerequisites: Ocean Wave,
A Trade is two things swapping places by walking forward in a semicircle. The family has four members: couples trading, named dancers trading, dancers still holding hands trading, and partners trading. Learn the semicircle once and all four come easily.
a. Couples Trade
At a glance
| Starting formation | Two-Faced Line or One-Faced Line — also non-adjacent couples |
| Ending formation | The same formation you started in |
| Timing | 6 beats from a Two-Faced Line; 8 beats from a One-Faced Line |
| Unit | M32a of 50 |
Animation
▶ Play this call — pause, step and scrub it: Watching the animations.
Dance action
"Couples, each working as a unit, exchange places by walking forward in a semicircle. If the
Couples start facing in the same direction, the rightmost dancers in each Couple pass right
shoulders."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
What you do
- Stay in your couple handhold. You move as a two-person unit, not as individuals.
- Walk forward in a semicircle — a half circle — into the spot the other couple is standing in.
- If the two couples are facing the same way, the dancer on the right of each couple passes right shoulder to right shoulder.
You finish in the same shape you started in, but the two couples have swapped ends. Everyone is now facing the opposite direction from where they started.
Timing
6 beats from a Two-Faced Line, where the couples are side by side. 8 beats from a One-Faced Line, where one couple is behind the other and the walk is longer. Allow extra beats if the couples are not adjacent.
Styling
"Each Couple maintains their handhold. From a Two-Faced Line, Center dancers also maintain their
handhold."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
That last sentence catches people out: if you are a Center dancer in a Two-Faced Line you are already holding one hand with your partner and one hand with the dancer on the other side of the line. Keep both. The inner handhold flows round the semicircle with you.
Restrictions
The manual states that two couples may Trade only when they are facing the same or opposite directions, and that each couple must be directly to the right or left of the other. They do not need to be adjacent — a gap is fine. If there are four couples in a row, each outside couple trades with the nearby inside couple.
Common faults
| What happens | Why | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| You let go of your partner halfway round | Trying to walk as an individual | The handhold stays made for the whole semicircle |
| Center dancers drop the inner handhold | Not realising the other hand is also held | From a Two-Faced Line, keep both hands joined |
| You walk a full circle instead of a half | Over-turning | Semicircle: you stop as soon as you reach the other couple's spot |
| You finish facing the same way you started | Turning back at the end | The semicircle leaves you facing the opposite direction — do not correct it |
Where you meet it
Couples Trade is the standard way to move two couples past each other without breaking the line. It appears after Wheel and Deal, after Box Circulate, and anywhere a caller wants to change which dancers are the Centers. See the course overview for where this unit sits.
Related calls
- (Named Dancers) Trade — the same action for individual dancers. See M32b.
- Partner Trade — the same action for you and your partner. See M32d.
- Wheel and Deal — the other way to move a couple as a unit. See M26.
Also called / formerly
Callers add helping words such as "Center 4, Couples Trade", "Outside 4, Couples Trade" and "Couples Trade by the Right". The extra words say which couples or which shoulder, not a different call.
b. (Named Dancers) Trade
At a glance
| Starting formation | Mini-Wave, Couple, or non-adjacent dancers |
| Ending formation | The same formation you started in |
| Timing | 3 beats from a Mini-Wave; 4 beats from a Couple |
| Unit | M32b of 50 |
Animation
▶ Play this call — pause, step and scrub it: Watching the animations.
Dance action
"Two dancers exchange places by walking forward in a semicircle, passing right shoulders if they
start facing the same direction. Dancers end facing the opposite direction from their original
facing directions."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
What you do
- Wait for the name. The caller says who trades — "Boys Trade", "Girls Trade", "Centers Trade", "Ends Trade".
- If you are named, walk forward in a semicircle into the spot of the other named dancer beside you.
- If you and that dancer are facing the same way, pass right shoulders as you go.
- If you are not named, stand still. You are not part of the call.
You finish where the other dancer started, facing the opposite way. Everyone else has not moved.
Timing
3 beats from a Mini-Wave — a quick half circle. 4 beats from a Couple, where the handhold has to release and re-form. Allow more if the named dancers are not adjacent.
Styling
"From a Mini-Wave, dancers maintain their handhold."
"From a Couple, dancers swing their joined hands backward slightly as they release their handhold.
This gets them turning in the correct direction as they start moving forward."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
The little backward swing on the handhold is a starting handle. Do it and the semicircle turns the right way by itself.
Restrictions
The manual states that two dancers may Trade only when they are facing the same or opposite directions, and each dancer must be directly to the right or left of the other. They need not be adjacent. When the dancers are in a long line, the caller must say which dancers are meant — for example, "Each Side, Boys Trade".
Common faults
| What happens | Why | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| Dancers who were not named move too | Everybody assuming they are active | Only the named dancers move; the rest stand still |
| You turn the wrong way out of the semicircle | Skipping the backward hand swing | Swing the joined hands back as you let go — it points you the right way |
| You end up facing the same direction | Adding a turn | End facing the opposite way; that is the whole point of the call |
| You trade with the wrong dancer | Picking a convenient neighbour | Trade with the named dancer directly to your right or left |
Where you meet it
This is the everyday form of Trade. "Boys Trade" and "Girls Trade" appear constantly in singing calls, almost always from an Ocean Wave. Trade with no name at all means everyone Trade. See the course overview for where this unit sits.
Related calls
- Couples Trade — the same action for whole couples. See M32a.
- Right/Left Hand Trade — the same action without releasing hands. See M32c.
- Swing Thru — the common call that follows a wave Trade. See M33.
Also called / formerly
You will hear "Centers Trade", "Ends Trade", "Boys Trade", "Girls Trade", "Center 6, Trade" and plain "Trade". Plain "Trade" means everyone trades.
c. Right/Left Hand Trade
At a glance
| Starting formation | Mini-Wave |
| Ending formation | Mini-Wave |
| Timing | 3 beats |
| Unit | M32c of 50 |
Animation
No animation yet. There is no animation of this call.
Dance action
"Two dancers exchange places by walking forward in a semicircle while maintaining their hand
hold. All active dancers end facing the opposite direction from their original facing directions."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
What you do
- Keep hold of the hand you and your neighbour already have joined — right hand or left hand, whichever it is.
- Both walk forward in a semicircle past each other, still holding on.
- Stop in the other dancer's spot, facing the opposite way.
It is exactly a named-dancer Trade, except that you never let go. The curved path and the joined hands pass each other without a shoulder pass.
Timing
3 beats — the same as any Mini-Wave Trade. The handhold never breaks, so nothing slows you down.
Styling
"Dancers maintain their handhold."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
Keep the joined hands at a comfortable height between you and bend the elbows as you turn. The handhold becomes the hinge of the semicircle.
Restrictions
The manual states that "Trade by the Right" (or Left) means each pair who trade are in a Right-Hand (or Left-Hand) Mini-Wave — so the hand being held tells you which version the caller means. In some formations helping words are necessary to identify the pairs, for example "Trade by the Right" from an Alamo Ring.
Common faults
| What happens | Why | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| You let go of the hand and Trade normally | Old habit from (Named Dancers) Trade | This call is defined by the handhold staying made |
| You mix it up with Trade By | The two names sound almost the same | Trade By is an eight-dancer call with Centers and Outsides; this one is a two-dancer call |
| You end facing your partner | Half-turning | The semicircle finishes with you facing the opposite direction |
| You hold the wrong hand | Not listening for "by the Right" / "by the Left" | The side named is the hand you should already be holding |
Where you meet it
Right/Left Hand Trade is most useful from an Alamo Ring or an Inverted Line, where a caller needs to say exactly which dancers and which hand are meant. It is much rarer than the plain (Named Dancers) Trade. See the course overview for where this unit sits.
Related calls
- (Named Dancers) Trade — the same thing with the handhold released. See M32b.
- Trade By — an eight-dancer call with a confusingly similar name. See M39.
- Alamo Style — a formation where this call needs helping words. See M31a.
Also called / formerly
The manual notes that "Trade with the right hand" is sometimes used instead of "Trade by the Right", mainly because outside English-speaking countries dancers confuse "Trade by the Right" with "Trade By". If you hear either phrase, listen for the extra "hand".
d. Partner Trade
At a glance
| Starting formation | Couple only |
| Ending formation | Couple, facing the opposite direction |
| Timing | 4 beats |
| Unit | M32d of 50 |
Animation
▶ Play this call — pause, step and scrub it: Watching the animations.
Dance action
"Two dancers exchange places by walking forward in a semicircle, passing right shoulders as they
do so."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
What you do
- Let go of the couple handhold, swinging your joined hands backward a little as you release.
- Both walk forward in a semicircle, passing right shoulders with your partner.
- Stop on your partner's spot, still facing the same way you were going but now on the other side.
You finish as a couple facing exactly the opposite direction from where you started, with your partner on your other side. Take the couple handhold again.
Timing
4 beats — a comfortable walking half circle. It is the same shape and timing as (Named Dancers) Trade from a couple.
Styling
"Dancers swing their joined hands backward slightly as they release their handhold. This gets them
turning in the correct direction as they start moving forward."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
The backward swing is small — a few inches — but it is what turns the pair outward instead of inward. Without it dancers tend to bump.
Restrictions
The manual is firm here in three places. Partner Trade starts from a Couple only. It is improper when the two dancers are not adjacent. And in 2017 the Mainstream Committee voted to restrict Partner Trade to start from a Couple only — so if you are beside someone you are not partnered with, the caller will use Trade instead.
Common faults
| What happens | Why | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| You pass left shoulders and get tangled | Turning the wrong way | Always pass right shoulders |
| You end up facing each other | Walking a full circle | Stop at the opposite spot; you finish back-to-back with where you started |
| You drift a long way out of the set | Walking a wide, lazy arc | The semicircle is tight — your partner's spot is only one position away |
| You stay joined and drag your partner round | Forgetting to release | Let go, swing the hands back, then walk |
Where you meet it
Partner Trade is a short, tidy way to turn a couple around, and it is the Outsides' part of Trade By. You also meet it after a Double Pass Thru, as "Leaders Partner Trade". See the course overview for where this unit sits.
Related calls
- Couples Trade — the same action for two couples as units. See M32a.
- (Named Dancers) Trade — the same action for named individuals. See M32b.
- Trade By — the eight-dancer call that uses Partner Trade. See M39.
- California Twirl — another way to turn a couple around, using an arch. See M27.
Also called / formerly
The call is normally given as "Partner Trade". Helping words name the dancers rather than change the call, as in "Leaders Partner Trade" or "Boys Partner Trade".
Manual source: Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026, page 61. Reproduced under the permission in sources and attribution.