M49 — Tag the Line Family
Teaching unit M49 of the CALLERLAB (New) Mainstream Suggested Teaching Order, effective
1 September 2026. Prerequisites: General Line,
This unit is a family with two lettered parts, and each part gets its own call card below. Both start the same way: everyone turns to face the middle of the line and walks forward, passing right shoulders. The difference is when you stop.
a. Tag the Line (In / Out / Left / Right)
At a glance
| Starting formation | General Line |
| Ending formation | Back-to-back Tandems; with a direction given, it depends on the direction — "Tag the Line, Face Right" ends in a Right-Hand Two-Faced Line |
| Timing | 6 beats |
| Unit | M49 of 50, part a |
Animation
▶ Play this call — pause, step and scrub it: Watching the animations.
Dance action
"Each dancer turns 90 degrees, in place, to face the center of the Line (some dancers think of this
as turning toward the far end of the Line) and then walks forward, passing right shoulders with all
dancers in the other half of the Line, until the last dancers in each half have passed each other.
If a facing direction is given, each dancer then turns 90 degrees, in place, toward the specified
direction."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
What you do
- Turn in place to face the centre of your line. Turn the short way — toward the middle, not the long way round.
- Walk forward. Everyone walks at the same time, straight past each other.
- Pass right shoulders with every dancer coming the other way, obeying the Passing Rule.
- Keep walking until the last two have passed. Not until you have passed one person — until the end dancers have gone by each other.
- Stop. You are now standing back to back in two Tandems — two dancers facing one way, two facing the other, in a single line.
If the caller adds a direction — "Tag the Line, Face Right" or "Tag the Line, Face In" — then after you stop you turn 90 degrees, on the spot, to face that way. "In" means toward the centre of the set; "Out" means away from it.
Timing
6 beats — three bars of music. The animation runs over five and a half beats, so the track finishes a little inside the third bar.
Styling
"Arms in natural dance position, hands ready to assume appropriate position for the next call. If the
Centers start holding right hands, a flowing type of movement can be achieved by taking a slight
step forward while turning toward the center of the Line."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
Keep your arms down as you walk. The hands come up again only when the next call starts.
Restrictions
This is a four-dancer call. From a General Line of eight, the phrase "Each Side" or "Each Four" is helpful but not required.
The manual records one clear restriction: the application from a line of two dancers is improper at Mainstream — that version has its own name and lives in another program.
The direction given does not have to be the same for everyone. "Tag the Line, Boys Face Left, Girls Face Right" is legal.
Common faults
| What happens | Why | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| Everyone stops after passing one person | Thinking of it as a Pass Thru | Walk until the last dancers in each half have passed |
| You pass left shoulders | Forgetting the passing rule | Right shoulders, every dancer, every time |
| You turn the long way to face the centre | Turning outward | Turn in place, the short way, toward the middle |
| After "Face Right" you are in the wrong spot | Turning and walking at the same time | Stop first, then turn 90 degrees on the spot |
Where you meet it
Tag the Line is one of the standard ways to convert a line into columns or into facing lines, and it appears constantly near the end of the teaching order. See the course overview.
Related calls
- Fraction Tag — the same walk, stopped early, below.
- Double Pass Thru — the same right-shoulder passing, but from columns rather than a line. See M24.
- Trade By — another line-to-line call that uses right shoulders. See M39.
- Wheel and Deal — often used to turn what Tag the Line leaves behind. See M26.
Also called / formerly
You may hear "Tag the Line All the Way", which is simply Tag the Line with no direction. The directions In, Out, Left and Right are the four common endings.
b. Fraction (1/4, 1/2, 3/4) Tag
At a glance
| Starting formation | General Line |
| Ending formation | 1/4 Tag ends in a Right-Hand Single 1/4 Tag; 1/2 Tag ends in a Right-Hand Box Circulate; 3/4 Tag ends in a Right-Hand Single 3/4 Tag |
| Timing | 1/4 Tag: 3 beats; 1/2 Tag: 4 beats; 3/4 Tag: 5 beats |
| Unit | M49 of 50, part b |
Animation
▶ Play this call — pause, step and scrub it: Watching the animations.
Dance action
"Each dancer turns 90 degrees, in place, to face the center of the Line (some dancers think of this
as turning toward the far end of the Line) and starts walking forward, as necessary passing right
shoulders with dancers from the other half of the line. For 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4, dancers stop at a
Right-Hand Single 1/4 Tag, Right-Hand Box Circulate, and Right-Hand Single 3/4 Tag formation,
respectively."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
What you do
The start is the same as Tag the Line: turn in place to face the middle, then walk forward, passing right shoulders.
- Turn to face the centre of the line.
- Walk forward, passing right shoulders.
- Stop when the caller's fraction is done — a quarter, a half, or three-quarters of the way.
The fraction tells you how much of the line you have walked through:
- 1/4 Tag — you walk a quarter of the way and stop in a Right-Hand Single 1/4 Tag.
- 1/2 Tag — you walk half the way and stop in a Right-Hand Box Circulate.
- 3/4 Tag — you walk three-quarters of the way and stop in a Right-Hand Single 3/4 Tag.
Because you stop part way, the four of you are no longer in a straight line — you are in a wave or a box, still holding right hands.
Timing
3 beats for a 1/4 Tag, 4 beats for a 1/2 Tag, 5 beats for a 3/4 Tag. The animation draws Half Tag over three and a half beats, just inside the four the manual asks for.
Styling
"If the centers start holding right hands, a flowing type of movement can be achieved by taking a
slight step forward while turning toward the center of the Line."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
Keep the right-hand grip you formed as you passed. A Fraction Tag finishes with hands joined, unlike the full Tag the Line, which finishes hands-free back to back.
Common faults
| What happens | Why | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| You dance a full Tag the Line | Habit from the previous unit | Listen for the fraction — it tells you where to stop |
| You stop, then keep drifting forward | Momentum | Stop where the fraction puts you, and set your feet |
| The four of you end up in a straight line | Walking to the end anyway | A Fraction Tag finishes in a wave or a box, not a line |
| You let go of the right hand | Thinking all Tags finish hands-free | Keep the right-hand hold; that is the formation you finish in |
Where you meet it
The fractions are most often heard as "Half Tag" and "Quarter Tag", and they are the standard way to get from a line into a wave or a box ready for the next call. See the course overview.
Related calls
- Tag the Line — the full version, above.
- Extend — the step forward out of a 1/4 Tag. See M36.
- Pass the Ocean — another way into the same wave formations. See M35.
- Scoot Back — a common next call from a 1/4 Tag. See M47.
Also called / formerly
Callers nearly always abbreviate: "Half Tag" for Half Tag the Line, "Quarter Tag" for a quarter. The manual records that "Tag the Line One-Quarter" is strongly discouraged, because the call takes only three beats — the fraction alone says it faster.
Manual source: Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026, pages 60–61. Reproduced under the permission in sources and attribution.