The Cabeceo

We've caught your eye across the milonga. Like any good tango, this starts with consent — nothing optional runs until you say so.Cookies only with your yes. What we store. ·

Skip to content
Tangopedia
Search
Search for “”
Find recordings of “”
OrchestrasSingersSongs
Browse

People

  • Orchestras
  • Orchestras today
  • Singers
  • Composers and lyricists
  • Musicians
  • Dancers
  • Couples

Music

  • Songs A–Z
  • Every recording
  • TangoValsMilonga
  • Radio
  • Tango By Year
  • The cover wall
  • Record labels

Time

  • Years
  • Eras
  • Decades
  • On this day

Places

  • Buenos Aires
  • Cities
  • Milongas tonight
  • Where an orchestra is danced

Events

  • Festivals
  • The Mundial

Ideas

  • Charts and maps
  • Listening lessons
  • New to tango?
  • Glossary
  • The map
ExploreContributeSign in

Topic

Gancho

The gancho is a figure in Argentine tango [1][2]. It is described as a hooking action in which one dancer's leg briefly wraps around the partner's leg from a bent knee and then releases [1][3].

Key facts

Key facts

Category
Figure[1][2][3][4]
Definition
A hooking action where one dancer's leg briefly wraps around the partner's leg from a bent knee and releases[1][2][3][4]

The gancho is classified as a figure of Argentine tango [1][2][3][4]. Sources describe it as a hooking action in which one dancer's leg briefly wraps around the partner's leg from a bent knee and then releases [1][2][3][4].

The term appears in tango terminology and glossary listings, which define it as a figure [3][4].

Dance notes

The action of the gancho starts from a bent knee, from which one dancer's leg briefly wraps around the leg of the partner [1][2]. The hook is brief, and the leg releases after wrapping [3][4].

What we don't know yet

  • Origin of the gancho is not verified in the dossier and is omitted
  • No dated history or development of the figure
  • No information on which dancer (leader or follower) typically performs the gancho
  • No information on variations, entries or exits of the figure
  • No information on use in social dancing versus stage tango or on floor etiquette
  • No related entities listed in the dossier
  • No reliable year is given for any event related to the figure
  • No source excerpts available to quote

References

How Tangopedia works

  1. en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.orgSource page
  2. en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.orgSource page
  3. austintango.org · austintango.org
  4. www.tarbesentango.fr · tarbesentango.fr
Data: recordings, facts and sources

No published facts yet. Facts appear here, each with its source, as they are collected.

Listen

No recordings to play yet.

Ask Tangopedia

Answers only from cited facts, each with its source.

T
Tangopedia

An open, sourced encyclopedia of tango, built from the recordings themselves. Every fact links its source.

Free to read, for everyone. A membership keeps it growing. See the plans

200,142 sourced facts

Explore

  • Explore
  • Random article
  • Years and decades
  • Places
  • Topics
  • The whole map
  • DJs
  • Bibliography
  • Source collections

Contribute

  • Suggest a fact
  • Your activity
  • Suggest a topic
  • Live edits
  • Report a mistake

About

  • How it works
  • How we know
  • For agents and programs
  • Open data & API

Browse

People

  • Orchestras
  • Orchestras today
  • Singers
  • Composers and lyricists
  • Musicians
  • Dancers
  • Couples

Music

  • Songs A–Z
  • Every recording
  • TangoValsMilonga
  • Radio
  • Tango By Year
  • The cover wall
  • Record labels

Time

  • Years
  • Eras
  • Decades
  • On this day

Places

  • Buenos Aires
  • Cities
  • Milongas tonight
  • Where an orchestra is danced

Events

  • Festivals
  • The Mundial

Ideas

  • Charts and maps
  • Listening lessons
  • New to tango?
  • Glossary
  • The map

Our sites

  • TangoTube
  • TangoCloud

Legal

  • Terms
  • Privacy
© 2026 Tangopedia
EnglishEspañol
Every fact links its source