John Travolta. White Suit. Legs apart. Finger pointing in the air. Who can ever forget the poster for Saturday Night Fever, the movie that epitomized the 1970s? Disco balls, polyester suits, and the Hustle were all the rage.
Or I should say, the Hustles, for there were actually several dances under the Hustle name, including a line dance and freestyle versions. What many people dont realize is that the Hustle had 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 them at the end of the movement to face the wall on their right, then they began the steps all over again. Why dance in a disco with flashing lights if you cant 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 1977and 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 70s, it was and is a lot of fun.
Just as the Hustle line dance was based on the Merengue, the partner version was based on Latin dances like the Mambo and Salsa, with a number of moves from American swing dancing thrown in for good measure. Freestyle dancing could be performed solo or with a partner (each performing solo around each other) or in classic ballroom style dancing in unison. The partner dance version survives today as the New York Hustle or Latin Hustle.
The Hustle is difficult to define because of its various expressions. Except for the fact that the male partner leads, there is little to specify or define. Other than the line dance versions, there are no identifying steps that identify it, whether you are dancing in a slotted or rotating pattern. There is a basic rock step motion, but if it gets lost in the mix of other movements, no one will notice. The very variety and flexibility of the Hustle is what makes it the Hustle, as steps are freely borrowed from other styles of dance. Basically, if youre dancing to disco music with a pulsating beat and spinning your partner around the floor, you are dancing the Hustle.
Anyone can learn to do the Hustle because there is bound to be at least one movement that can be mastered. So break out your favorite Bee Gees or Donna Summer album and Do 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. What many people dont realize is that the Hustle had 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 them at the end of the movement to face the wall on their right, then they began the steps all over again. Why dance in a disco with flashing lights if you cant 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 1977and 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 70s, it was and is a lot of fun.
Just as the Hustle line dance was based on the Merengue, the partner version was based on Latin dances like the Mambo and Salsa, with a number of moves from American swing dancing thrown in for good measure. Freestyle dancing could be performed solo or with a partner (each performing solo around each other) or in classic ballroom style dancing in unison. The partner dance version survives today as the New York Hustle or Latin Hustle.
The Hustle is difficult to define because of its various expressions. Except for the fact that the male partner leads, there is little to specify or define. Other than the line dance versions, there are no identifying steps that identify it, whether you are dancing in a slotted or rotating pattern. There is a basic rock step motion, but if it gets lost in the mix of other movements, no one will notice. The very variety and flexibility of the Hustle is what makes it the Hustle, as steps are freely borrowed from other styles of dance. Basically, if youre dancing to disco music with a pulsating beat and spinning your partner around the floor, you are dancing the Hustle.
Anyone can learn to do the Hustle because there is bound to be at least one movement that can be mastered. So break out your favorite Bee Gees or Donna Summer album and Do the Hustle!
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