The Hustle (brief History and Dance Steps)

The Hustle is for the most part an American dance, with some Latin origins. The term The Hustle can be a bit misleading, because there are actually several dances that fit under that category. The most well know form of the Hustle was popularized in the 1970's after its conception due in large part to the commercial success of the movie Saturday Night Fever. There is still much debate as to the exact origins of the Hustle, but it is widely believed to have originated in New York City in the mid 1970's during the disco era and gained popularity throughout the decade. In 1975 The Hustle dance craze went main stream when the song by the same name, "The Hustle" by Van McCoy and the Soul City Symphony, topped the billboard singles chart. The dance quickly became the most popular dance in America and only gained popularity with the release of the movie Saturday Night Fever in 1977. Even though the dance originated in NY, it became quite popular internationally and had spread across America by the mid to late 1970's. Unfortunately, for as popular as this dance became it seemed to live and die with the disco dance craze of the 1970's, and by the early 1980's The Hustle craze had died down and the dance became all but extinct. Recently the dance has popped up again all over the country, with slight changes made to match the music of today.

One of the things that made The Hustle an instant hit was how easy the dance was to do. The basic steps to The Hustle were simple enough for most people to grasp almost right away and with a little work the steps could be mastered and then the dancer could add a little bit of their own flare into the dance to really make it look good. The basic steps are as follows:

1. Start with your feet in closed position.

2. Step back with your right foot.

3. Follow with a step back with your left foot.

4. Step back again with your right foot.

5. Close your left foot to your right foot.

6. Step forward with your left foot.

7. Step forward with your right foot.

8. Step forward with your left foot.

9. Close your right foot with your left foot.

10. Step to the left with your left foot.

11. Step to the left, crossing behind your left foot, with your right foot.

12. Step to the left with your left foot.

13. Close your right foot to your left foot.

14. Step to the right with your right foot.

15. Step to the right, crossing behind your right foot, with your left foot.