Aviaozinho

little-airplane figure in modern forro

ForroLevel: Beginner1 min read3 citations

See it danced

Video demo

Demonstration tutorial on YouTube.

Aviaozinho, more formally spelled Aviãozinho in Portuguese, is a light open-position forro figure whose visual marker is the lateral extension of the arms, giving the couple an airplane-like outline while the basic pulse continues underneath[1]. It is most closely associated in the available sources with Forró Universitário and xote-derived social material, where a slightly more open frame allows decorative shapes and small turns more readily than in the closer embrace of traditional northeastern forro[2]. Mechanically, the leader opens the embrace without pulling the follower off balance, keeps a low elastic hand connection, and guides a modest side-to-side tilt or compact shared rotation; the follower mirrors the weight changes on the opposite foot, preserves her own axis, and lets the opened arms describe the shape rather than forcing the shoulders. The figure normally occupies one or two basic cycles rather than changing the meter. Forro itself developed from northeastern Brazilian social music and dance traditions and later circulated nationally and internationally, giving modern classroom scenes a context in which named figures such as Aviãozinho could be taught and repeated[3].

How it's danced

Lead and follow cues

CountForro/xote social count: the figure rides over one or two basic cycles, commonly counted 1-2, 1-2 or slow-quick-quick according to local pedagogy. The leader and follower keep mirrored weight changes throughout; any turn is staged across the cycle, for example about one quarter turn opening and about one quarter turn returning, rather than a single whip.

Lead

From a compact forro frame, the leader marks the normal basic with the left foot while the follower mirrors on the right. Over the first basic cycle, he opens the connection to a low two-hand or light open hold and lets both arms extend laterally. Over the second cycle, he may guide a small side tilt or shared turn of roughly one quarter turn out and one quarter turn back, returning the follower to a stable facing position without compressing the shoulders.

Follow

The follower keeps the same basic pulse on the opposite foot, beginning with the right foot when the leader begins with the left. As the hold opens, she allows the arms to extend from the back and elbows rather than lifting the shoulders. If a turn or tilt is led, she keeps her weight under her own center, follows the staged rotation in small increments, and returns to face the leader at the end of the same basic cycle named by the lead.

Song timingBest at relaxed to moderate xote and forro social tempos where the couple can keep a grounded basic while opening the frame, roughly 120-170 bpm depending on subdivision and local counting. At faster tempos, the base shape should be shortened and large turns avoided.

Learn first

Prerequisites

  • Forro basic step in closed and open hold.
  • Stable mirrored partner weight changes.
  • Comfortable release from closed embrace to open frame.
  • Gentle two-hand connection without shoulder tension.

Watch out

Common mistakes

  • Treating the arm extension as a lift from the shoulders instead of a supported lateral shape.
  • Pulling the follower into the figure before she has completed the mirrored basic weight change.
  • Adding a large spin that exceeds the compact staged rotation described for the base figure.
  • Letting the decorative airplane shape interrupt the pulse of the basic step.
  • Collapsing the frame on the return so the couple cannot reestablish closed or compact open position.

Don't confuse with

Easily confused moves

  • Not the song title "Aviãozinho" by Aviões do Forró; this card describes the danced figure.
  • Not a salsa cross-body lead or slot exchange; forro does not require a fixed linear slot for this figure.
  • Not a generic arm styling break; the name refers to the recognizable airplane-like partner shape inside the forro basic.

Around the world

Other names

  • Brazilian Forró Universitário / xote teaching scenes

    Aviãozinho

    Attested Portuguese spelling; literally 'little airplane'.

  • English-language and international forro classes

    Aviaozinho

    Unaccented spelling of the Portuguese name, commonly used when diacritics are omitted.

References

The bracketed numbers in the text show which source each fact comes from. Tap or click one to jump to that source in this list.

  1. 1.wikipedia.org
  2. 2.letsforro.com
  3. 3.queenslandforrofestival.com.au

How to cite this article

Choose a style and copy the citation.

APA

Bailar Editorial Team. (2026). Aviaozinho. Bailar Biblioteca. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/forro-aviaozinho

MLA

Bailar Editorial Team. “Aviaozinho.” Bailar Biblioteca, 2026, getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/forro-aviaozinho. Accessed 13 October 2026.

Chicago

Bailar Editorial Team. “Aviaozinho.” Bailar Biblioteca. Accessed October 13, 2026. https://getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/forro-aviaozinho.

BibTeX

@misc{bailar-move-forro-aviaozinho, author = {{Bailar Editorial Team}}, title = {{Aviaozinho}}, year = {2026}, howpublished = {Bailar Biblioteca}, url = {https://getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/forro-aviaozinho}, note = {Accessed: 2026-10-13} }

Editor-in-Chief: Paul Thomas Plawin

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