Hustle is the fast-turning, disco-born partner dance that still fits the upbeat songs you hear today. The hustle dance lessons Alhambra students take at Fred Astaire Dance Studios start with the count and one easy turn, and build from there at a pace that feels good.
Co-owner Jonathan Roberts is a former World and US Ballroom champion, 7 seasons on Dancing With the Stars.
Start with simple foundations.
Solo students and couples are welcome.
Personalized coaching at your pace.
Practice timing and confidence
Smooth turns at pop-song speed.
Hustle is the partner dance made for fast, fun music. It is full of smooth, continuous turns and a light, easy connection, and its rhythm fits today’s dance-pop just as well as it fit the disco era. When the DJ picks up the pace, Hustle dancers are the ones who stay on the floor.
Dance feel: spinning, slick, upbeat.
Best for: club-goers, wedding guests, WCS and salsa dancers adding range.
Lesson options: private, group, beginner.
Hustle is a New York-born partner dance from the disco era, danced to four-four music with a syncopated and-one-two-three count, constant rotation, and fast underarm turns. Beginners learn the basic count and simple turns at friendly speeds first.
Hustle fills the gap salsa and swing leave: when the music is high-energy dance-pop, hustle is the partner dance that fits.
Hustle answers a specific problem: the music is fast, everyone is standing still, and nobody knows what to do with it.
The hustle count comes quickly with the right teacher. After that you are turning, and turning is the part that looks hard and is not.
Hustle is the rare partner dance that works on the songs couples actually hear at parties. You learn to lead and follow through constant rotation, and it stays playful the whole time.
Most social floors run on upbeat four-four music. Hustle is the partner dance built for exactly that, which means you are never sitting out the fast songs.
Hustle is the dance you use at the reception once the first dance ends and the DJ opens the floor. For full choreography and planning, see our Wedding Dance and First Dance Lessons pages.
You have been to enough receptions to know how few guests can partner dance to fast music. A little hustle and you can be the couple enjoying the dance floor instead of watching it.
Hustle is built on continuous rotation, wheel turns, and spin technique. If turning is the part you chase in every other style, this is the dance that gives you all of it.
Hustle lessons are about more than memorizing steps. You will learn how to hear the timing, move with balance, connect with a partner, and feel more natural on the dance floor.
The syncopated and-one-two-three that makes hustle work. Odd on paper, obvious the moment you feel it.
The step you dance in place and the step that sends your partner out to arm’s length. Everything else grows from these two.
The fastest way to look like you know what you are doing. Learned at a friendly speed first, then brought up to tempo.
Both partners rotating around a shared center. This is where hustle starts to feel like flying.
Hustle almost never stops turning. You learn to keep the wheel moving without losing the count or your balance.
Fast music leaves no time to talk. The connection through the hands has to say everything, and it can.
Spotting, posture, and a clean center. The skills that turn a wobbly spin into a controlled one.
Knowing when to drive and when to settle. Hustle at pop-song tempo rewards restraint more than effort.
Dance-pop is built in obvious phrases. You learn to hear the breaks and hit them instead of counting through them.
The point where a fast song stops being a reason to leave the floor and starts being the reason you stay.
Best for: Personalized coaching, couples, beginners, technique-focused students
Private Hustle lessons give you focused attention and a lesson path shaped around your goals, pace, comfort level, and preferred use case.
Best for: First-time students and anyone who wants a low-pressure start
Beginner lessons can introduce Hustle timing, basic steps, posture, and partner connection without assuming previous experience.
Best for: Partners who want to learn together
Couples can use Hustle to build connection, coordination, and a fun, energetic way to move together.
Best for: Practice, repetition, confidence, and social comfort
Group classes can help you reinforce timing and movement in a supportive studio environment.
You do not need dance experience to begin. You do not need to know the music, the steps, or the difference between Hustle and other Nightclub styles before your first lesson. Your instructor can start with your goals and help you learn simple foundations at a comfortable pace.
What to know before you come in:
Tell us what you want Hustle for: parties, weddings, a partner activity, or just to own the dance floor.
Start with a few simple foundations so you can feel how Hustle works.
Build timing, posture, frame, footwork, and partner connection at your pace.
As your comfort grows, add turns, movement, musicality, and confidence for real dance settings.
Fred Astaire Dance Studios, Alhambra is a friendly place to learn Hustle, whether you are brand new or adding range to your salsa and swing. We are at 2121 Orange Street, Unit C, Alhambra, CA 91803, with students coming from San Gabriel, Monterey Park, San Marino, and Pasadena. We are open Monday to Friday, 12pm to 9pm, and closed on weekends. Call (626) 342-7909 or visit the contact page to plan your first lesson.
Students often appreciate a Hustle lesson experience that feels clear, patient, welcoming, and personal. The right lesson should help you feel more comfortable with the music, your timing, your partner, and the next step.
Yes. Hustle is taught in private lessons, beginner lessons, and group classes at Fred Astaire Dance Studios, Alhambra. Most people begin with an intro lesson so an instructor can help you find the count and see how you move. From there, each lesson builds on the last at a pace that feels right for you. The studio is on Orange Street in Alhambra.
Yes. Modern dance-pop runs on the same four-on-the-floor beat disco did, and hustle fits right on top of it. House, funk, and upbeat wedding playlists all work well. The costumes went away, but the dance did not. It simply moved from the discotheque to weddings, parties, and social dance nights.
Hustle is very learnable. Your instructor starts with the count, then builds turns one step at a time. The spinning look is easier than it seems, because both partners share the rotation instead of one person balancing alone. What takes longer is controlling your speed, which is the difference between spinning and spinning well. That part is a lot of fun to work on.
No. Instructors partner with solo students, and group classes rotate partners so everyone dances with everyone. Coming on your own is completely normal. Dancing with several different partners also helps, because you stop leaning on habits and start reading real connection with any partner.
Disco classics, modern dance-pop, house music, and upbeat wedding playlists. If a song has a steady beat you can nod along to and a tempo that makes standing still feel wrong, it is probably a Hustle song. That covers a big share of what plays at receptions, parties, and clubs around Los Angeles on any given weekend.
Comfortable clothing and smooth-soled shoes that spin freely. Leather or suede soles are ideal, but a clean sneaker with a worn sole works for a first lesson. Avoid rubber-soled running shoes, since hustle asks you to turn constantly and grippy soles fight you the whole way. Bring water. You will move more than you expect.
The beat never stopped. Book your intro lesson and catch it.
No experience required. No partner required. Start with your goals and comfort level.
