Take your dance to the next level or what is known as Fusion Dance.  Fusion Dance is the ability to switch between 2 or more different dance styles in a seamless manner to the same song.  Skill and Mastery in a multitude of different dance styles is normally beneficial but not required to be able to do fusion dance.  Fusion Dance is composed of the different dance styles blended together as one unique dance.

Fusion Dance has been around for a while and come in different forms and flavors with associated names such as the following:

• Line Dancing + West Coast Swing
• Swango (Swing + Argentine Tango)
• Swustle (West Coast Swing + Hustle)
• Salsa + Lindy Hop
• SalTango (Salsa + Argentine Tango)
• BachataTango (Bachata + Argentine Tango)
• Night Club 2-Step (NC2S) + Argentine Tango
• Bachata + WCS + Argentine Tango
• Cha Cha + WCS
• Merengue + Hustle

There are different ways of doing Fusion Dance:

• Switching from one dance style to the next style but maintain timing according to the dance style being done.  An example is doing Swustle where you would maintain 6-count (double-triple-triple rhythm) or 8-count (double-triple-double-triple) rhythm when dancing WCS and maintain 3-count  timing when dancing Hustle
• Switching from one dance style to the next style but maintain timing to only one dance style.  An example is doing BachataTango where you would maintain the 4-count (step-step-step-tap) rhythm when dancing bachata and still maintain maintain the same 4-count bachata timing when switching to Argentine Tango.
• Dancing one style to a particular song genre.  An example is doing Swango where you would dance either Swing completely to Tango music (with beats) or dance Argentine Tango completely to Swing music while maintaining the rhythm according to the dance style being done.  Another good example is dancing NC2S to Zouk music.

Below are video clips of the different forms of Fusion Dance:

Albert & Melody

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BachataTango

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Swango

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Other Styles

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Country 2-Step is the Country Western version of the American style foxtrot but done in a more natural and relaxed manner at many of the Country Western dance bars in the USA.

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It is done to 4/4 timing and normally to country music (can also be done to Ballroom Quickstep and Rock & Roll music) ranging from 170-200 bpm.  It is a fast traveling progressive dance with many turns and moving counter-clockwise direction (aka “line of dance”).  The basic footwork timing is quick-quick-slow-slow with variations done in quick-quick-slow timing as well.

Performances:

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The name ‘Hustle’ was originally a Line dance which eventually evolved into a partner dance during the 1970s which is also known as the Disco Era.  It has its origins in Mambo which was first done in Hispanic communities of New York City and Florida in the USA.  It is also a swing-related dance done to disco or high energy music that has a continuous pulsing beat (for example, “Thump-Thump” sound).  Mostly done to Disco or Dance music, it can also be danced to Techno, Hip Hop, Rap and Merengue music.

Most people remember the 1977 movie “Saturday Night Fever” starring John Travolta which catapulted Hustle into the spotlight and became a national phenomenon in the USA.  It also launched the music careers of Van McCoy, the Bee Gees, Donna Summers and K.C. & the Sunshine Band who were able to capitalize on the success of the movie.  Television stations also got in on the action as they wanted to promote and fuel the popularity of Hustle.  For example, “American Bandstand” would feature Hustle exhibitions and “Dance Fever” would provide an outlet devoted to disco dance competitions.  People such as Billy Farjado, Eddie Vega and Lisa Nunziella became household names with the advent of Hustle.

Today, Hustle has evolved into a more modern and sophisticated style and generally divided into two categories: Los Angeles Style and New York Hustle.  The Los Angeles Style (aka Street Hustle) is usually a slotted dance done to faster music and very little styling for the follower whereas the New York Hustle (aka Latin Hustle) is a very rotational dance that travels all over the floor and is done to slower/medium tempo music with emphasis on footwork and arm styling.

Hustle is considered an Attitude dance with the follower being spotlighted as the Diva.  It is characterized by fast turns & spins and synocpated on the first count (&1).  It is also smooth, continuous and constantly moving.  There is no bounce on the syncopated step (the &1 count).  The emphasis is on fancy arm & leg styling with big presentation lines and tends to spotlight the follower more than the leader.  Although drops, lifts & aerial tricks were originally part of the dance, it is now used more for performances & competitions but not so much at the social level.

Hustle is done to 4/4 timing and ranging from 100 bpm to as high as 150 bpm.  The ideal range is usually between 100 to 125 beats per minute (bpm) for beginners.  The basic counts are either &1-2-3 or 1-2-&3 with the majority of people doing it to &1-2-3.  Using 3-1/2 beats of the music, four steps are taken by both partners using the ball-change with a walk-walk.  Because it is considered a 3-Count Hustle dance, the patterns can start on either the downbeat (odd counts) or upbeat (even counts) of the music.

Hustle is still a popular dance around different parts of the USA such as San Francisco and New York as well as in other parts of the world such as Russia.  Still popular within the West Coast Swing community, it is especially popular among the Gay community in the USA where you would see men dancing with other men.

For more information, check the following links:

Other Websites

http://www.i-h-d-a.com/
http://www.rahul.net/dhesi/hustle/

Video Websites

http://hustledance.net/

Video Performances:

Improvisation

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Choreographed

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Line Dancing is a choreographed dance with a repeated sequence of steps in which a group of people dance in one or more lines or rows without regard for the gender of the individuals, all facing the same direction, and executing the steps at the same time. Line dancers are not in physical contact with each other.

Links on the Origins of Line Dancing:

• Line Dancing – Wikipedia
• The History & Definition of Line Dancing
• Line Dancing Did not Originate in Texas 
• A History of Line Dancing
• Line Dancing – How Did We Begin?

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Nightclub 2-Step (NC2S) was created in the mid-1960s by Buddy Schwimmer and has its origins in Latin Rumba.  However, NC2S is much less structured than Latin Rumba because it was adapted for club-style environment and danced in a more casual, natural & relaxed manner.

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Considered the romantic dance for the WCS community, it is done primarily to Contemporary Ballad music but can also be done to those music used for Zouk or Kizomba as well.  One such popular song perfect for NC2S is “Lady in Red” by Chris DeBurgh.  Like Ballroom Waltz, NC2S is ideally suited for those romantic occasions (ie. Weddings, Valentines Day, Homecoming or Proms) for which they are intended.  And NC2S is also one of the easiest dances to master.

NC2S is done to 4/4 time music and to the rhythm of either Slow-Quick-Quick (SQQ) or Quick-Quick-Slow (QQS) with the Quick-Quick done to the drum rolls and the Slow done to the strong thump sound.  In other words, there is a side step (for the Slow) with a back rock step (for the Quick-Quick).

For information about NC2S, check the following links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightclub_two_step
http://www.lovemusiclovedance.com/niteclub.htm
http://www.argentine-tango.com/nightclub_two_step.htm
http://www.8secondssaloon.com/stepsheets/partner_dances/nightclub2step.html
http://www.dancelovers.com/nightclub_two_step_history.html
http://dancemuskegon.com/nightclub-2step/

Video Performances:

Improvisation

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Choreographed

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West Coast Swing (WCS) is a popular street dance derived from Lindy Hop and first introduced by Dean Collins from New York who came to Los Angeles back in the late 1930s.  It is also known as the “Official State Dance of California”.  WCS was coined with different names such as “Western Swing” but now known today as West Coast Swing with Los Angeles being the WCS mecca.  People from all over the world still flock to Los Angeles not only to take their dancing to the next level but to learn and dance with many of the top dancers in the word.

WCS is a slotted dance which uses compression/leverage techniques to create elasticity or what is sometimes referred to as the concept of the “rubber band effect”.  It is a smooth, sultry and sophisticated dance where dancers are able to improvise and syncopate their steps according to the timing of the beat, lyrics or various instruments being played in the music.  It can be danced to all genres of music and is fast becoming a worldwide dance phenomena.

Since its inception, WCS continues to evolve as trends in the music also change with time.  It can be danced to all forms of genre music and is very popular with all ages, young and old.  Originally danced to Blues and Jazz music during the Swing era, WCS is now done to Country, Disco, Funk, Hip Hop, Latin, Pop, R&B and many of the Modern music that you hear on the radio.  It is also popular with all ages, young and old.

WCS can be done to any music written in 4/4 time ranging from as slow as 80 beats per minute (bpm) to as fast as 140 bpm but ideally dance to those from 110 to 125bpm.  For faster music such as those used for Rock & Roll and Salsa, the best way to dance to this music is to do it to half-time rather than normal timing which will slow the rhythm by half and to a more acceptable manner so that it does not look like you are dancing in fast-forward motion.  Although not normally done to classical music which may or may not have any beats, you can still dance WCS to it as long as everything is done by feel and using the concepts of lead/follow techniques.

There is no one standard style when it comes to WCS.  Most of the old-timers still dance to what is known as the Traditional or Classic style with more emphasis on footwork while the younger generation are doing more of a Modern (aka “Funk” back in the early 2000s) style with emphasis on extensions and visual lines.

WCS is unlike many other dances which are normally done in 8 counts.  Most of the patterns first learned are done in 6-count or 8-count manners with the flexibility to shorten or extend counts once you start going beyond basics and getting into what is known as syncopated footwork that involves footwork and timing changes.  Below is an example of the breakdown for standard patterns being taught and learned at the beginner level:

For more information, check the following links:

History of WCS

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Coast_Swing
http://www.swingworld.com/history_wsc.htm
http://www.streetswing.com/histmain/z3wcs1.htm
http://www.ithacaswingdance.com/f_Link15_wcs.html
http://dancemuskegon.com/west-coast-swing/

Events Taking Place

http://www.usopenswingdc.com/
http://www.swingdancecouncil.com/ActiveServerPages/UpcomingEvents.asp
http://www.wcs-dancer.com/SwingClubDances.html

WCS Scene in Los Angeles

http://socalswingdance.com/
http://www.ocwcsdc.com/
http://www.topcatsdance.com/
http://haciendahotel.com/media/docs/menus/Hacienda_Dance_Calendar.pdf
http://www.westcoastswingdanceclub.org/
http://www.diamondswing.com/
http://www.ocdance.com

Video Performances:

Improvisation

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Choreographed

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Music Playlist: