Dancers start from in the audience, beyond their corner's place.
Music starts.
Usually on beat 5 (though this may vary depending on the space), dancers start moving.
Beats 5-12: Dancers dance through the middle of the set, everyone passing right shoulders with their partner as they pass through the center to their “regular” place. (The trick is to “yield” to dancers coming from your left and “cut off” dancers coming from your right.)

Once the dancers are “in place”, they form a “basket” with their sticks: