Panamericano
Forró partner figure
ForroLevel: Improver1 min read3 citations
See it danced
Video demo
Panamericano is a named figure within forró rather than a separate dance style, and it is described in teaching material as a partner movement built around opening space, outward travel or spin, and a return to marking.[1] The leader releases the closed, chest-oriented frame enough to create a side opening while keeping a responsive hand connection, often called a live hand, so the invitation remains continuous rather than thrown.[1] The follower accepts the opened space by moving away from the shared center, rotating in stages as led, then re-collecting toward the leader for the closing mark; descriptions of the figure emphasize ceding and occupying space between the partners.[2] Its timing is not a salsa-style slot count but a forró phrase over the music’s steady duple pulse, with some instruction describing five small marking steps to finish the movement.[1] The figure belongs to a dance culture rooted in Northeastern Brazil that later spread across Brazil and into international forró scenes, especially in Europe.[3]
How it's danced
Lead and follow cues
CountForró duple-pulse phrasing rather than salsa On1/On2 counting: mark the basic, open the pathway, send the follower outward, receive the return, then finish with five small marking steps as taught in the Panamericano description.
Lead
From close or semi-open forró hold, maintain the basic marking pulse, then open a side path by yielding space from the torso and guiding with a live, toned hand. Lead the follower outward first, allow any rotation to build in stages rather than as a snap, then draw the connection back toward the shared center and settle into five compact marking steps to close the phrase.
Follow
Keep the forró marking pulse under the body and respond to the opened side path by moving outward through the space offered by the leader. Let the turn happen progressively through the connection, then return toward the leader without collapsing the arm or rushing the final marking steps.
Song timingBest at moderate forró social tempos where the follower can travel outward, rotate, return, and complete the five marking steps without rushing; very fast arrasta-pé-like tempos make the figure harder to place cleanly.
Learn first
Prerequisites
- Comfortable close and semi-open forró embrace.
- Basic forró marking in a steady duple pulse.
- Responsive hand tone without pulling.
- Simple outward follower turns.
Watch out
Common mistakes
- Throwing the follower outward with the arm instead of opening space with the body and maintaining a live hand.
- Starting the rotation too abruptly, which turns the figure into a disconnected spin rather than a staged exchange of space.
- Letting the follower travel too far from the shared axis, making the return and five-step close late.
- Dropping the marking pulse while concentrating on the outward turn.
- Re-closing the embrace before the follower has completed the outward-and-return pathway.
Don't confuse with
Easily confused moves
- Salsa cross-body lead: both involve opened space, but Panamericano is not a fixed slot exchange and should not be counted as salsa On1 or On2.
- Generic underarm turn: Panamericano includes the outward spatial conversation and closing mark, not just a hand-raised spin.
- Forró basic saída: Panamericano is a named figure with outward action and return, not merely leaving close embrace.
Around the world
Other names
Brazilian forró
Panamericano
Attested as the figure name in supplied forró teaching material.
English-language forró instruction
Panamericano
The supplied English descriptions retain the Portuguese/Spanish-form name rather than translating it.
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.youtube.com
- 2.youtube.com
- 3.wikipedia.org
How to cite this article
Choose a style and copy the citation.
Bailar Editorial Team. (2026). Panamericano. Bailar Biblioteca. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/forro-panamericano
Bailar Editorial Team. “Panamericano.” Bailar Biblioteca, 2026, getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/forro-panamericano. Accessed 13 October 2026.
Bailar Editorial Team. “Panamericano.” Bailar Biblioteca. Accessed October 13, 2026. https://getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/forro-panamericano.
@misc{bailar-move-forro-panamericano, author = {{Bailar Editorial Team}}, title = {{Panamericano}}, year = {2026}, howpublished = {Bailar Biblioteca}, url = {https://getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/forro-panamericano}, note = {Accessed: 2026-10-13} }
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