The Evolution of Hustle Dance and Its Primary Styles

Hustle is considered a social dance. You can dance it anywhere, anytime. Ever heard a familiar tune in a subway or on a bus and felt the urge to move, but didn't know how?

If that situation has happened to you more than once, definitely come to hustle. There, regardless of your experience or body type, you'll learn not only to move calmly and beautifully at any moment, wherever you are, but also to stop feeling embarrassed about yourself, your body, and your impulse.

Hustle originated in America around the 1960s, almost simultaneously with Latin dance. However, Latin dance was designed strictly as a partner dance, originally intended for well-trained dancers and of course for the stage—to be showcased to the public and critics.

Hustle, on the other hand, is entirely a social dance. While it was envisioned as a partner dance, most people end up dancing it solo. But that doesn't spoil the dance; it only adds sociality, fire, and above all, variety.

Since hustle emerged a bit later than Latin tango, it borrowed its music. This added a touch of metropolitan chic to the simple dance. Most of the partner moves and poses also came from there.

However, the clothing is very different. Instead of red or other bright, revealing dresses, hustle is danced in something more casual. You'll often see a girl in a top and jeans, and a man in street clothes instead of a suit or tuxedo.

There are no subdivisions into styles in hustle. It itself is almost like a style of tango. But that doesn't prevent the dance from being new, original, and unique every time. It all depends on the dancer, their experience, and freedom of movement. Often, the desire to dance strikes in the most unexpected places.

And if you're dancing with a partner in class but they're not around, why not grab the first person you meet and lead them into a dance?

Given that hustle is designed exactly this way, the first thing taught is leading your partner. Both men leading women and women leading men.

The main element in hustle is improvisation—joint improvisation with your partner. You need to feel the rhythm of the song and each other for the dance to be harmonious and sensual. But in hustle, you shouldn't stick to one style; sometimes you need new music for growth, or new clothes.

Dancing sometimes with a partner, sometimes alone, helps make your dance fuller and richer. So the main rule in hustle is bold improvisation, a flight of fantasy, and basic knowledge of combinations and the rules of movement combinatorics.

In fact, hustle originated in ancient times, when our ancestors, hearing any music—birds singing or cicadas chirping—would start dancing. They were already laying the foundation for modern hustle.

Such a free dance quickly overcame distance barriers and reached Russia by the 1970s and 1980s. Due to the greater reservedness of the people and harsher weather conditions, the dance took longer to adapt.

But every person craves freedom inside, so soon Moscow hustle emerged, which acquired a stage direction. Thanks to Moscow, hustle battles, shows, and competitions developed.

Now all professional dancers can shine even on the world stage. So if you want to dance not only for yourself but also for an audience, come to Moscow and participate in hustle festivals and competitions. And if you're a connoisseur of refined street dance, come as a judge.

They say hustle is always the same, despite always being different. But in reality, it's very diverse. Each country has its own style, characteristics, and manner of dancing. And even if you've never danced before, hustle probably already lives in your heart.