In the 1970s movie "Saturday Night Fever" John Travolta defined an era with his white suit dancing with his legs apart with a finger pointing in the air. Everyone loved dancing under a disco ball, wearing a polyester suit and doing the Hustle.
Or I should say, the Hustles, for there were actually several dances under the Hustle name, including a line dance and freestyle versions. Many people don't realize that the Hustle came from Latin origins set to a disco beat. The Hustle line dance steps were based on the Merengue. Dancers moved in unison with steps that turned the line a quarter turn to the left at the end of the movement, then they began the steps all over again. Why dance in a disco with flashing lights if you can't see all of it at some point while you are dancing?
New York is said to be the birthplace of Hustle sometime around 1970. Van McCoy and the Soul City Symphony recorded The Hustle (a single off the Disco Baby album in 1975) that set the world on an international Hustle binge. Other line dances included the Continental Walk and the Bus Stop, which later turned into the LA Bus Stop Hustle. The most popular line dance today is the Electric Slide, danced to the song of the same name. The movie Saturday Night Fever was released in 1977 and it featured both the line and partner dance versions of the Hustle. The movie made dancing cool, even for men, as all the guys wanted to be John Travolta. Although disco has been ridiculed since the 70's, it was and is a lot of fun.
As the Merengue influenced the line dance version of the Hustle, the Mambo and Salsa, with some American Swing dancing influenced the partner version. Freestyle dancing could be performed solo or with a partner or in classic ballroom style dancing. The partner dance versions are known as either the New York Hustle or the Latin Hustle.
Because of its various expressions, the hustle is difficult to define. And other than the male partner leading, there is little else to define. There are no specific steps to identify it whether you are rotating or slotting. And this very variety and flexibility is what makes the Hustle as movements are borrowed from other style of dance. Anyone can learn to do the Hustle because there's bound to be at least one movement that can be mastered.
Or I should say, the Hustles, for there were actually several dances under the Hustle name, including a line dance and freestyle versions. Many people don't realize that the Hustle came from Latin origins set to a disco beat. The Hustle line dance steps were based on the Merengue. Dancers moved in unison with steps that turned the line a quarter turn to the left at the end of the movement, then they began the steps all over again. Why dance in a disco with flashing lights if you can't see all of it at some point while you are dancing?
New York is said to be the birthplace of Hustle sometime around 1970. Van McCoy and the Soul City Symphony recorded The Hustle (a single off the Disco Baby album in 1975) that set the world on an international Hustle binge. Other line dances included the Continental Walk and the Bus Stop, which later turned into the LA Bus Stop Hustle. The most popular line dance today is the Electric Slide, danced to the song of the same name. The movie Saturday Night Fever was released in 1977 and it featured both the line and partner dance versions of the Hustle. The movie made dancing cool, even for men, as all the guys wanted to be John Travolta. Although disco has been ridiculed since the 70's, it was and is a lot of fun.
As the Merengue influenced the line dance version of the Hustle, the Mambo and Salsa, with some American Swing dancing influenced the partner version. Freestyle dancing could be performed solo or with a partner or in classic ballroom style dancing. The partner dance versions are known as either the New York Hustle or the Latin Hustle.
Because of its various expressions, the hustle is difficult to define. And other than the male partner leading, there is little else to define. There are no specific steps to identify it whether you are rotating or slotting. And this very variety and flexibility is what makes the Hustle as movements are borrowed from other style of dance. Anyone can learn to do the Hustle because there's bound to be at least one movement that can be mastered.
About the Author:
Tony Meredith and Melanie LePatin have been dancing, teaching, creating and developing fantastic choreography for over 30 years. The run New York City's top-notch dance center If you interested in knowing more about any dances make sure you check out their website. They are now teachingdance lessons in NYC
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