M50 — Recycle (from Waves only)
Teaching unit M50 of the CALLERLAB (New) Mainstream Suggested Teaching Order, effective
1 September 2026. Prerequisites: Ocean Wave,
The unit title carries the restriction with it: at Mainstream, Recycle is from waves only.
Recycle
At a glance
| Starting formation | Ocean Wave — only |
| Ending formation | Facing Couples |
| Timing | 4 beats |
| Unit | M50 of 50 |
Animation
▶ Play this call — pause, step and scrub it: Watching the animations.
Dance action
"Ends Cross Fold. Meanwhile, each Center Folds behind the adjacent End and follows the End around,
adjusting to finish side-by-side in Facing Couples."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
What you do
The two dancers at the ends and the two in the middle do different things, at the same time.
- Look at the wave. Are you an End (on the outside) or a Centre (in the middle)?
- If you are an End, Cross Fold: step forward and walk a big semicircle, past the centre of the formation and past one position, until you are facing the spot you are heading for.
- If you are a Centre, Fold behind the End next to you, then follow that End round — walk almost a full circle behind them, staying on the inside of their turn.
- Come out side by side. As the turn finishes, the End and the Centre settle next to each other, both facing the same way.
You finish as Facing Couples — two pairs, each facing the other pair. The manual sums up the Centre's job in three words worth memorising: Fold, follow, face.
A Centre walks almost a full circle and finishes a small step back from where they started, beside the dancer they followed.
Timing
4 beats — two bars of music. Everybody is walking a circle of some size, so it flows if you move on the beat rather than stopping to think halfway round.
Styling
"As each End and adjacent Center begin to turn, they release their Mini-Wave handhold. They
smoothly establish a Couple handhold once they are approximately facing the same direction."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
Let go of the wave grip as you start to turn — holding on through the circle will drag you both off course. Pick up the ordinary couple handhold when you are nearly facing the same way, not before.
Restrictions
Recycle is defined from waves only. The manual gives the starting formation as Ocean Wave and is explicit about what that rules out:
"The Facing Couples Rule does not apply. From Facing Couples, the call Recycle has a different
definition that is not part of the Mainstream program."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
So if you are standing in facing couples, do not attempt the wave version. At Mainstream the caller will set up the wave first.
Common faults
| What happens | Why | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| You try it from facing couples | Assuming the call works anywhere | It is waves only. Wait for the wave |
| The Centres turn the wrong way | Forgetting which End to follow | Each Centre folds behind the adjacent End and follows that End |
| The Centres stop halfway round | Dancing a Fold instead of the follow | Keep walking — almost a full circle — then face |
| The pair drifts apart | Holding the wave grip too long | Release the Mini-Wave handhold as the turn begins |
| You finish in a line instead of facing couples | Not adjusting at the end | Each End and Centre settles side by side, pairs facing pairs |
Where you meet it
Recycle is the last unit in the teaching order, and it is a workhorse: it is one of the standard ways to get out of a wave and back into facing couples so the next call can start cleanly. You will meet it constantly once you can dance waves. See the course overview.
Related calls
- Fold / Cross Fold — the two halves of Recycle, taught on their own. See M48.
- Pass the Ocean — the usual way to build the wave Recycle starts from. See M35.
- Swing Thru — another call danced in a wave. See M33.
- Spin the Top — a wave call that keeps you in a wave rather than leaving it. See M46.
- Bend the Line — another way to turn a line into facing couples. See M20.
Also called / formerly
Recycle has always been called Recycle. The left-handed version is called from a Left-Hand Ocean Wave and is danced the same way, mirrored. There is a separate Facing Couples Recycle in other programs — as the manual says, it is not part of Mainstream, so if you hear it, it is not this call.
Manual source: Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026, page 47. Reproduced under the permission in sources and attribution.