I'm new to this site and like it very much. I was wondering if someone could tell me when and why the basic step to Hustle changed. I am a dancer from back in the Disco Days and we did Hustle with a coaster step, counting the entire basic 1, 2 and 3. I was out of the dance scene for 26 years and am now back. I was shocked to see how Hustle is now being taught (And 1, 2,3) and wondered if anyone could tell me why it was changed. Thanks for any info!!

I'm not sure when it changed, but in the end it doesn't make much difference, because no matter how you count 3 count hustle, you are not on a consistent downbeat. When in closed position I would feel more comfortable counting +1,2,3,{starting with the coaster step or rock}. But if I started with a two hand hold {like I might with 4 count hustle} I would be more apt to start 1,2,+3. {forward back and step}
Hope this helps.

Your reference , I beleive, is to Latin hustle. The change to the " 3 " count, came about in 1980 .

It is a bastardised version of E. Coast swing.-- it became popular with the younger set, primarily because of the speed, and it also gave the chain schools another dance, to market, under the same banner .

My apologies if this duplicates, but when I hit "post" originally my message was lost...

The Latin Hustle we were taught by a big hustle dancer from back in the 70s has a 6-count basic step: 123&456 point replace coaster (back,together,fwd)step step. He showed us several steps which have anywhere from 6 counts, to 8,10,12 and more counts to them. We've improvised several steps ourselves, either converted from another dance or ones we've made up. Some West Coast steps convert fairly easily, with modification.

We were also taught the New York (or 3-count) Hustle with the coaster as 12&3, but I've noticed a few other studios doing &123.

There's also a slower 4-count hustle that I've seen that has no syncopation. Just 1234. Usually reserved for those who find the 3-count too fast.

J

The correct rhythm for Latin hustle--

Double time ( tap step)-- single time, ( walk walk ) and triple step, akin to a coaster or fan .

It has been quite a while since I danced the hustle on a regular basis (1986-1992), but I was taught the count the timing as 1, 2 and 3. Unless it has changed, I learned the same was as the message posted by Annie.

The states has a different " take "

many use-- and -- 1.2.3.

The " street " form of hustle, as it is called, was based upon the Amer. style e.coast swing . Simpler than Latin, but appreciably faster .

I'm a hustle competitor and teacher in NYC, and most of my teachers danced hustle in NY in the 70's. None of them knew swing- east coast or west coast. They knew salsa, and other latin dances. They hustled in latin clubs (ever notice how much latin percusion is in disco songs?)

One stage in the development did look like a bad, wide wcs push break, but believe me, they had no idea what that move is.
There was a period when it seemed to change every week or so (I'm told), but eventually they hit on the quick back and forth 3 count thing.
Any time you do the same dance for a long time, you find cool new things in it, so the people who danced it in the 70's looked different decades later.

It's grown.

What they know or didnt know is not relevant ( they probably dont know that the majority of salsa variations come from ballroom )yet they still dance it .

I attended the 1st hustle ( latin ) convention in the U.S.( all teachers ) in the mid seventies -- its basic was premised on WCS... BUT.. with a different time sequence..and, it was ( and still is in some locales ) being taught until the late 80s.

"I attended the 1st hustle ( latin ) convention in the U.S.( all teachers ) in the mid seventies -- its basic was premised on WCS... BUT.. with a different time sequence..and, it was ( and still is in some locales ) being taught until the late 80s."

You have to be very careful to read between the lines of something like this to see the range of possible true meanings.

For example "it's basic was premised on WCS" could mean literally that.

Or it could mean that people who were already dance teachers described to each other this new thing invented in the clubs by using the context of what they already knew as a teaching community, and said to each other "well, it's kind of a like a WCS ... except that ..."