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The Panqué (Pancake) figure, also called Siete (7) in the Miami Rueda tradition of “Salsa Racing” and “Salsa Lovers”, is a unique basic figure of one count of eight. It is unique in the sense that it has its own set of steps we don’t see in any other basic figure, and it is unique because it doesn’t fit in easily on the “Partner Circle”. The Lead and the Follow don’t step Panqué on an “arch”, the figure is rectangular in nature like “forward and back” and the open-break version of Guapea.

The Follow’s Panqué steps:

1. Step forward on “1” and pivot 180 degrees around the foot like a half Pirouette.
2. Step in place on “2”.
3. Tap on “4”. Ready to do the same one more time to finish the figure.
4. Step forward on “5” and pivot 180 degrees around the foot like a half Pirouette.
5. Step in place on “6”.
6. Tap on “8”. Ready to move forward.

Tapping is optional but common for the Panqué figure.

The Follow should step Panqué as described as precise as possible almost in a mechanical fashion. It is beneficial for the dance that both the Lead and the Follow have a clear and common understanding of what exactly is the default form of Panqué. It is a perfect square, a quadrat. First and second half of the figures are identical.

In loose, dynamic dancing with a lot of movement, the Panqué figure is likely to be distorted to the extend that it can be hard to recognize the figure. This is not necessarily bad but often a creative variation depending on where the Follow is coming from and on where she is going next and on the interaction with the Lead.

We can safely play with the Pancake figure as long as we know the generalized, optimized basic version by heart and can find back to it at any time. The better we know the basic figures the more we can stretch and squeze them and depart from their basic form for creative purposes and combine them in new ways.

In social dancing we have thousands of Pancake figures even for the basic Pancake of one count of eight. But when we present Panqué in a tutorial, when we teach it at beginner and intermediate level, it is important to present a solid, generalized, optimized Panqué figure.

Video #1. Jesper shows the Follow’s basic Pancake steps.

A Lead should know how the Follow steps Pancake as good as the Follow in order to lead the Follow into perfect Pancake figures.

Use sideways start position

Even the basic Panqué can be surprisingly difficult in social one-on-one dancing, especially if the Follow hasn’t been doing it for a while. Panqué requires precise leading a little similar to a handheld Vacilala: The hand movement of the Lead is often too soft, and the Follow doesn’t get it, or it is too strong, making the beginning of the figure awkward, overturning the Follow.

If a Lead is using handheld Vacilala a lot, it can be quite difficult suddenly to lead a Follow into Panqué. My advice is that it helps a lot to introduce Panqué early in a dance.

Video #2, start of Pancake from Open Position:

Note: I should make a better video.

The second advice is not to start from the start position of open position, Face-to-Face. Instead the Lead should open up the start position, make it wide open. The couple should stand side-by-side like at the start of a Paseo Walk. Vacilala can also be started from that position but somehow it is less likely for the Panqué to be mistaken for the start of a handheld Vacilala.

If a Follow is used to Pancakes, the Lead can of cause also start them more directly, Face-to-Face, or the Lead can make the Follow almost walk into them by herself from e.g. Paseo and Reína.

Just doing one full Panqué and get back to the start position of open position, like from Guapea into Panqué into another Guapea is no big deal. In advanced social dancing we should almost always continue the full Pancake figure directly into something other than Guapea. Since it is recommended often to start Panqué sideways from a wide open start position, it is also logical to get back into this position and continue e.g. into a Paseo Walk.

Video #3 Starting Panqué starting from a wide open start position and finishing into the same position:

The basic Panqué is a wonderful structural figure that can be used for Playfulness or to enhance many walks like Paseo. I wouldn’t trade the basic Panqué for any of the Panqué Complicado figures.

After the Panqué halfway position I sometimes continue into Panqué con Coca-Cola leading the Follow forward on a curved line. I also use several other Pancake figures: Good Pancake figures.

Follow’s free hand

For Panqué there are no rules for where the Follow should have her free arm and hand except for what is natural and logical in the situation. At the start of a Pancake the Follow’s free arm and hand is likely by her hip, arm bend around 90 degrees. If the Follow ends up like that at the end of the halfway position, no one can blame her. That is where her free arm and hand normally is.

When the Follow pivots around at the beginning of Panqué, the arm is likely to swing a little out by the momentum of the half turn. Some Follows might force it back into the hip position or place it on stomach, heart or by the left shoulder. A Follow can ever bring her free arm over her head with a Hair Comb gesture and place her hand on top of her left shoulder or just place it by the left shoulder. All these options for what to do with the free arm and hand are based on what most Followers actually do in hundreds of videos.

Some moves choreographed moves like Siete Loco violates the Follow’s right to choose for herself. This has nothing to do with social one-on-one dancing based on leading and following.

See this tutorial: Follow’s free hand in Pancake halfway position

How to use Panqué

Panqué have probably always been used in its basic form in social one-on-one dancing but its popularity comes from Rueda de Casino, where we see surprisingly many Pancakes often with an element of fun and even a little naughty like Panqué con Chocolade. Siete moves plays a major role in the Miami based Rueda tradition from where they have spread into social one-on-one dancing where many of them are not leadable. This “Siete” Rueda tradition constitutes a paradigm, a specific mindset for how to use Pancakes.

In the Miami tradition, the basic Panqué figure is just an almost boring stationary figure. The basic Panqué is just preparation for more complex Complicado versions.

It has taken me years to unlearn this Rueda tradition that doesn’t make sense to me in social one-on-one dancing unless you just want to dance like a one-couple Rueda with the Lead as move caller, practicing moves on a string!

I believe in a completely different way to use Pancakes. A different paradigm. For me Pancake is a wonderful advanced way to move that can be incorporated into many types of walks and especially into the Paseo Walk. Pancake is an advanced way to make walks richer. If a Follow expects and prepare for Siete Loco each and every time she receives a basic Pancake figure, she undermines the Lead’s ability to use Pancake as a creative, playful figure.

Advanced Pancakes

The classic Panqué figure starts from Open Position or from what I call the wide open start position. But we have always had dancers starting Pancake figures from almost anywhere in a dance. I like to start Pancake from inside a Paseo walk, from Reína and from the end of Casino Clásico walks

Video #4 shows an example of how Pancake can start from Reína. The Follow almost walk into Pancake by her own momentum. This is very different from the traditionel half-turn Pancake.

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