Eight Follower Ganchos. There are loads of types of Ganchos (or ‘Leg Hooks’), typically you start off with the 4 Common Ganchos that you see on a social dance floor quite frequently. As you grow into mastery over these there are Self Ganchos – Where the dancer (Lead or Follow) can Gancho themselves; There are Lead Ganchos, which don’t get a whole lot of play – Where the Lead self leads a Gancho onto and into the Follower’s open or free space between their steps; There are rotating Ganchos, as well as Volcada Ganchos, and lastly there are Gooey Ganchos, so named for their seemingly slow motion Gancho action. However one other class of Ganchos that is either misunderstood (for a good reason which we’ll get to in a moment) or just misused is a series of Follower Ganchos that for all intent and purposes look and feel like the 4 Common Ganchos mentioned above. However there is a very stark difference between those Ganchos, and what Tango Topics refers to as the Eight Follower Ganchos.
What is a Gancho ? In it’s simplest form, in the modern vernacular of Tango, it is a hooking of the free leg around your partner’s leg or thigh. More the thigh more than anything else. Secondarily, it is an interruption of the extension phase of the step, which can (not always) result in the lifting of the respondent’s leg either as a result of, or by deliberate intention to generate a “Gancho”.
What are the Eight Follower Ganchos ? The Eight Follower Ganchos are Ganchos that look very similar to the 4 Common Ganchos with one major difference: These Ganchos have NO invasion to them. In the 4 Common Ganchos the Lead is creating a Gancho (hook) by invading the Follower’s free space between their steps/legs, and as they do, the Lead continues their torso rotation while articulating their receiving Gancho leg. That receiving leg is the leg that is invading the Follower’s space. In the Eight Follower Ganchos, there isno invasion of the Follower’s free space. None. Further, and quite possibly, more importantly, this series of Ganchos is built off the Follower’s Over-Rotated Ocho which could be the beginnings of the Follower’s Back Sacada but is interrupted instead, and we end up with a Gancho and not a Sacada! It should be noted that in the 4 Common Ganchos we build the Gancho off the Follower’s Circular Back Ocho. In this case, we are extending that to the Over-Rotated Ochos. So instead of 90 degree rotations in Ochos, we’re looking at 180 rotations Ochos. Hence the reason they’re called Over-Rotated Ochos!
The Free Tip. This Gancho series is not easy for a variety of reasons, most notably because more than likely you have not studied your over-rotations. That’s it right there. Without study and practice of the Over-Rotations, then this entire series of Ganchos isn’t going to work. 🙁
About The Video. This video is 14m:09s in length in 7 sections. Both lead and follower vocabulary is combined and integrated into the video. There is virtually no technique instruction in this video. Please see 4 Common Ganchos for Technique instruction.
Introduction – 00:00:37
Setting Up The Follower – 00:02:50
The Other Follower Gancho – 00:01:05
The Weight Change Follower Gancho – 00:03:03
The Lead’s Forward Step Gancho – 00:01:41
The Awkward Follower Gancho – 00:03:07
Closure – 00:01:18