the 2009 New York Hustle Congress
"After a night of hustle dancing, you just can't feel bad about anything that's going wrong in your life," says Lori Brizzi, head of the annual, Labor Day weekend, New York Hustle Congress. It's a cheap high, a free drug. The story about getting hooked on hustle isn't unique, and it isn't over. Many dancers talk about its ability to uplift.
Brizzi was a principal in Pierre Dulaine's American Ballroom Theater, where she danced for six of her younger years. She made connections while the hustle was new. As a two time Zachary's winner, she gained respect on the social dance floor. She did not set out to be a leader, but push-came-to-shove when she returned to the dance to remedy the pain of a broken heart.
Salsero David Melendez invited Brizzi to start the Hustle Congress next door to his New York Salsa Congress on the third floor of the New York Hilton. The simultaneous congresses connected when Melendez was alive. Now John 'Choco' Knight presides over the Salsa Congress. They are separate and unequal. Salsa is much more popular and that Congress is hugely attended. The critics and reporters are there. Renowned hustle dancers drift over. They always come home. Said Robin Amante, who has been dancing the hustle since 1973, "Your first dance is always ingrained in whatever else you do."
They are New York cool— magnanimous and with deep, intense feeling.
Brizzi’s hustle events include a few Salsa and West Coast Swing contests. This Congress is the typical mix. After dinner break Saturday evening, on the hustle end of the New York Hilton' third floor, only a handful of amateur couples are competing in the rounds. The best of these have their own style, invented steps and flourishes, and lots of character. For example, Phillip Spinka and Nancy Price, who won first place in Intermediate WCS and second place in Advanced Hustle, or Lori Saladino and Joseph Badgeley, first place Intermediate Hustle winners.
Ron Bess, of 'Dance-Talk' fame, is master of ceremonies, on the dais, behind a table full of the tall trophies that glamorous champion dancers will eventually carry off. Billy Marti 'Prince of Hustle' shows off the young, glittering Erica Smith. They take second place in the Jack & Jill.
Roberto Pagan and his partner Rosa Paredes have a special twist to their moves. They are short and travel just a little. Pagan and Paredes are quintessential hustle dancers. Watching these quick, sharp, mesmerizing pros makes your insides melt into one big lump. They are New York cool— magnanimous and with deep, intense feeling. Pagan loudly congratulates the amateurs. See the Congress website for complete results.
The first New York Hustle Congress coincided with Katrina, which kept some staff from getting to it. Brizzi started the Circle of Love dance, with suggested $10 donations going to the Louisiana dancers. Male and female circles rotate, with the chance to dance with stars and hustle legends. A David Melendez Inspiration Award celebrates VIPs in the hustle community.
The 2009 circle, 'Hustle for Hounds,' raised money for Louie's Legacy, animal rights activist Brizzi's pet project this year. This year DJs Nelson "Paradise" Roman, Johnny Ortiz, and Bobby Morales split the prize. Aunt Barbara and Officer Smitty added some 'realness.' Bess reported sightings of So You Think You Can Dance finalists Pasha and Anya, Louis Salgado from "In the Heights," and more star quality.
