Every week, you’ll find on our blog class notes and a summary video from our Wednesday and Sunday tango group classes.

These video and notes are meant to help our students remember what they’ve done in class.

Theme: Ganchos

Although ganchos are now widely used in milongas, they were originally risqué stage tango moves. They're very common on Strictly and as a result are what comes to non-dancers' minds when they think of tango. In this class, we saw a couple of basic and more advanced ganchos, for you to pepper your dance with some of these little bursts of energy.

Summary video



 

Beginners & Improvers: Ganchos from parada

Leaders

  • As soon as the follower steps forward, make sure you slightly ground her with your embrace to make sure she doesn’t collect. She should have her weight in the middle.
  • To lead the gancho, you need to do two things simultaneously. This is what I call “flick and trap” 🙂 Flick: you need to return your partner to her axis on her back leg by shifting your embrace to the right. This is the lead for the gancho. Trap: you need to create a block for her leg to wrap around, by lifting your heel off the floor and bending your knee.
  • When leading the gancho, make sure you don’t bend your torso forward too much or you might knock your partner off axis.

Followers

  • For the gancho, first transfer your weight half way between your legs and then come back to your left leg for the gancho. Don’t try and do the gancho with your weight in the middle as you’ll lose your balance: first return your axis to the back leg.
  • For the flick, keep your foot on the floor until your thigh touches his. It is very important that you do not kick from the knee, you must touch his thigh before bending your leg or you might kick him… 🙁 When your thigh touches his, only then, flick your leg, trying to “bite” his leg with yours. You should try and put pressure on both sides of his leg.
  • Keep your foot pointed and winged out in the gancho.

 

Beginners & Improvers: Gancho from backward ochos (one side / both sides)

Leaders

  • After your partner steps, position your foot behind hers and lead the gancho in a similar manner as the basic one: flick of the torso and bent knee.
  • All other advices apply: make your partner lean on you and walk around her in a perfect circle (as much as possible!).

Followers

  • All ganchos use the same technique: foot travels on the floor and leg bends only when hitting the leaders’s thigh.

 

See you soon on the dancefloor,

Nati y Bruno