The Line Hustle

Line dances don't really get all that difficult, but there are a few longer ones with more complicated and less repetitive step sequences.  One of these is the Line Hustle.  These instructions are taken from Carter Lovisone's The Disco Hustle (1979) and claim to be "the original form used as the basis for all variations of the Line Hustle."  I would take this claim with a grain of salt, since Lovisone's book came out several years after the dance's first wave of popularity in the mid-1970s.

This version of the Line Hustle is a fifty-two beat dance.  My favorite music for it is Van McCoy's 1975 hit, "The Hustle," a snippet of which is included below.  The song is available on several different compilations, including The Hustle & The Best Of Van McCoy.  I like to wait out the intro and start at the "do the hustle!" verbal cue.  But as usual with line dances, the Line Hustle will also work to just about any disco tune.

Note that the so-called "Charleston" section below bears no relation to the Charleston in its 1920s form.

The Line Hustle (52 beats)

Part one: backward & forward
1-2-3-4
Step back R, back L, back R, tap L next to R

5-6-7-8
Step fwd L, fwd R, fwd L, tap R next to L

Part two: open box
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8
R to side, L cross in front of R, R back, L to side, R cross in front of L, L back, R back, tap L next to R

Part three: forward & back with counter body
1-2-3-4
L fwd (L shoulder fwd), close with R (shoulders straight), R fwd (R shoulder fwd), tap L next to R (shoulders straight)

5-6-7-8
L back (R shoulder back), close with R (shoulders straight), R back (L shoulder back), tap L next to R (shoulders straight)

Part four: electric knees
(raise both arms above head for this section)
1&2&
Swivel diagonally to right and push knees and hips forward (1), then lock knees straight (&); repeat (2&), swiveling left on the final lock
3&4
Now aimed to the left, repeat push-straight-push (3&4); keep knees bent at the end for fast swivels
5-6-7-8
Swivel R, L, R, L keeping knees pushed forward

Part five: side steps
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8
R side, L close, R side, tap L next to R; L side, R cross front, L back, tap R next to L

Part six: Charleston
1-2-3-4
Tap R side, together, side, and close with weight

&5&6 (heel "clicks")
Swivel heels apart & together twice.  The heels come together on the strong beats; most people will do this automatically.  Swivels are easier if you rise up on the ball of the foot slightly.

7& [8]
Reach R leg straight back to tap R toe, lean forward, reaching toward floor with R hand (7); kick the lower R leg up (&); hold position

Part seven: finish
1&2
Lean back; tap R heel forward (1), kick R forward slightly (&), tap R heel again (2)

3-4
Lean forward; tap R toe back (3) then swivel 1/4 clockwise (right) on L foot, tapping R heel forward (4)

Start again from the beginning.  Repeat as many times as needed for the music, making a quarter turn at the end of each repetition.