The Hustle became a signature social dance of the American disco era.
Unlike many earlier popular dances, the Hustle was generally performed with a partner and emphasized smooth, repeated patterns that suited the steady pulse of disco records. Its best-known forms included the New York Hustle, the Latin Hustle, and the Line Hustle, so the term refers to a family of related styles rather than one completely uniform routine.
The dance gained national attention during the 1970s through clubs, television, instructional records, and dance schools. Van McCoy and the Soul City Symphony’s 1975 instrumental hit “The Hustle” helped popularize the word, although the song’s choreography was not identical to every regional form of the dance.
The Hustle is often confused with the Twist because both became widely known social dances, but they belong to different eras and movement traditions. The Twist emerged in the early 1960s and was usually danced individually, while disco Hustle patterns commonly involved coordinated partners and turns.