Where did the Hustle Come From?

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.

There were several dances under the Hustle name that included a line dance and a freestyle version. And many people don’t know that the Hustle line dance actually based on the Merengue set to a disco beat. Dancers moved in unison with steps that turned the line a quarter turn to the left at the end of the movement and then started all over again.

Sometime around 1970 the Hustle was created in New York City and when Van McCoy and the Soul City Symphony recorded “The Hustle,” it created a Hustle and line dance phenomenon. Other line dances include the Continental Walk and the Bus Stop which later merged into the LA Bus Stop Hustle. But the most popular line dance today is the Electric Slide. The movie “Saturday Night Fever” featured both the line and partner dance versions of the Hustle. The movie made dancing cool and every guy want to be John Travolta.

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.

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.

Tony and Melanie have been choreographing, educating, performing and composing amazing choreography for over three decades. The run New York City’s top-notch dance center If you interested in kcurrentlying more about any dances make sure you check out their website. They are currently teachingdance lessons in NYC