when the bronx moved:
dance foundations in 1970
As the Salsa revolution reached a fever pitch in New York, a new, faster partner dance evolved directly from its DNA, perfectly tailored for the burgeoning Disco era: the Latin Hustle. The dance originated around 1972 among Puerto Rican teenagers in the South Bronx as a respectful alternative to the slow-grinding “500” dance popular at house parties. The early five-step pattern quickly accelerated, incorporating elegant turns, an added sixth step, and intricate footwork during musical breaks.
Its journey from basement parties to the mainstream was cemented at an important community incubator: St. Mary’s Recreation Center. There, starting in the summer of 1974, Hustle pioneers like former gang warlord Willie Estrada worked with staff to create a safe haven. Gang members checked their colors at the door, and for a time, these twice-weekly parties reduced neighborhood gang violence. Although the St. Mary’s parties ended after the fatal stabbing of dancer Rubberband, the Hustle was already taking over local clubs like Club 310 1/2 and larger downtown spots like the Roseland Ballroom.
Above: Dancers Willie Whip and Norma at a Hustle jam at St. Mary’s Recreation Center, c.1974. Courtesy of Willie Estrada.
Characterized by rapid spins, sophisticated arm leads, and dramatic dips, Hustle was a display of swirling sophistication. Dancers dressed to impress in sleek polyester, high-waisted pants, and halter tops, transforming the floor into a scene of fierce but graceful style competition. Propelled by songs like Van McCoy’s 1975 hit “The Hustle,” the dance had already conquered New York’s club scene by the mid-1970s, just in time for the full-blown emergence of Disco—expressed classically by the release of Saturday Night Fever (1977)—and establishing The Bronx’s command of a polished, theatrical stage even as rawer forms evolved nearby.
The Blues Magoos, late ’60s. Originally formed as The Trenchcoats at DeWitt Clinton High School in The Bronx, The Blues Magoos were one of the first to record what became known as “psychedelic rock” and achieved commercial success with the release of the hit single “(We Ain’t Got) Nothin’ Yet” in 1966, charting 5 in the U.S. Courtesy of Peppy Castro.
In 1967, Bronxite Felix Pappalardi wrote the famous Cream song “Strange Brew” with Eric Clapton and Gail Collins before joining up with Mountain and making some of the heaviest music at the famous Woodstock Festival in 1969. He is pictured here playing a mellotron. Billboard, May 4, 1974, public domain.
Peppy Castro of The Blues Magoos, pictured here tuning his guitar in the late ’60s, not only pioneered psychedelic rock. When the original lineup of The Blues Magoos dissolved, Peppy reformed the band and took it in a direction of Latin-infused rock, influenced by his Columbian background on his father’s side, releasing Never Goin’ Back to Georgia in 1969. Because of a hold-up with the record label, the Latin rock Blues Magoos album came out after Santana’s groundbreaking Self-Titled, but it was technically recorded first. Courtesy of Peppy Castro.