Photography and videography by Kylie Cooper | Reporting by Brendon Kiley

From disco days to Seattle dance parties, the hustle brings us together - The Seattle Times

 

Dancers from Seattle, Los Angeles, New York and Vancouver, B.C. converged in a dimly-lit, pulsing red club in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood on December 10, 2022 for Hustle & Soul's Warming Up The House hustle battle. The next day, they all gathered again for the organization's hustle workshop and dance party to celebrate the weekend.

​

Hustle is a partner dance created by Puerto Rican gang members in the South Bronx that spread and peaked during the days of disco. When the AIDS epidemic hit, hustle lost major traction; many of its pioneers had been gay men who died in those years.

​

But those who remained held on and continued dancing. Though nobody is quite sure how, hustle began growing in popularity again in the 2010s and hasn't slowed down since.

 

When asked what keeps them coming back to hustle, the dancers at Hustle & Soul's events were in agreement: being able to express one's self — with a partner.