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.
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Video Performances:
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