The Bus Stop

(L. A. Hustle, Pasadena Line Walk, Line Hustle, Continental Walk, The Roach, The Walk)

(1975)

Introduction

The Bus Stop is an early disco line dance that debuted at a small disco in Los Angeles in the summer of 1975. It became a national hit in the spring of 1976 when it hit the East Coast under the name Bus Stop [KL78].

The Dance

The Footwork

Starting right foot, walk backward three steps (1, 2, 3) and touch left to side (4).^{b, c}
Starting left foot, walk forward three steps (5, 6, 7) and touch right to side (8).^{b, c}
Starting right foot, walk backward three steps (1, 2, 3) and touch left to side (4).^{b, c}
Starting left foot, walk forward three steps (5, 6, 7) and touch right to side (8).^{b, c}

Starting right foot, step side (1), cross in front (2), side (3), and touch left to side (4).^{b, c, d, f}
Starting left foot, step side (5), cross in front (6), side (7), and touch right to side (8).^{b, c, d, f}
Jump forward with both feet (1), jump back with both feet (3).^a
Jump forward with both feet (5), jump back with both feet (6), click heels twice while flapping elbows downward ("chicken style") as you click (7, 8).^{e, g}

Touch right toe forward twice (1, 2), back twice (3, 4).
Touch right toe forward once (5), back once (6), to the right side, (7), and hitch right knee forward, turning 90° to the left (8).

Repeat, facing new wall (90° to the left of the first wall). [DO75, AP76]

Regarding the style, Karen Lustgarten writes that "the body's motion is highly stylized. Think strut: Swing your arms, with a lift of the shoulder and elbow. Try marching in place, swinging your arms and body from side to side—then play it down a little. When you do the steps, you should be swinging. Lift your knees and pick up your feet in a deliberate way; don't just shuffle." [AP76]

Alternate Versions:

One source notes that there are many variations of the L. A. Hustle. Here are a few, which apply to the corresponding superscripts above:

^a One version replaces the jumps with: "forward (1), together (2), back (3), together (4), forward (5), together (6)," and then the heel clicks (7, 8) [JW75].
^b One version adds a clap to the fourth count of all of the strutting steps [RH76, BW77, JJ78].
^c One version touches closed on the fourth count of all the strutting steps, rather than out to the side [RH76, BW77]. Another version kicks instead of touches [AC78, JJ78].
^d The second step of the lateral struts can also be together or crossed behind, rather than crossed in front [RH76, BW77, AC78]
^e One version replaces this eight count with a six count: "side right (1), close left to right (2), side left (3), close right to left (4)" then the heel clicks (5, 6) [BW77, JJ78]. Another version of this version has three side-closes to make it a square eight count [AC78].
^f One version replaces the lateral struts with three-step pivots to the right and to the left [BW77]. Another version adds this after the lateral struts [AC78].
^g One version has a single heel click (out, in) without chicken arms in place of the double heel click [AC78].
One source notes that other teachers begin the dance on at different parts (i.e., on the forward walk, or the double touches) while keeping the basic cycle of the dance intact [AC78].

The Formation

Solo dancers, evenly spaced, all facing the same direction.

Sources

JW75 — Jann S. Wenner (ed.). (1975). "Dancing Madness." Rolling Stone. New York.
DO75 — Dancing Oasis (dance), Gillette Madison Co. (music). (c. 1975). Hustle, Bus Stop and Line Dances [Instructions on Back of Record Sleeve]. Gillette, NJ.
RH76 — Rosemary "Red" Hallum, John Lampkin. (1976). Disco and Soul Dances [Instruction Booklet Accompanying Record]. Freeport, NY.
AP76 — Abe Peck (ed.). (1976). Dancing Madness. New York.
BW77 — Betty White. (1977). How to Hustle [Instruction Booklet Accompanying Record]. New York.
AC78 — Ann I. Czompo. (1978). Disco Hustle! Homer, NY.
JJ78 — Janet J. Jasek. (1978). Disco Lovers Guide to Dance. South Bend, IN.
KL78 — Karen Lustgarten. (1978). The Complete Guide to Disco Dancing. San Francisco.
RM78 — Roy Madrid. (1978). Disco... You Should Be Dancing. Los Angeles.

For more dance descriptions, see our three books on dancing:
The Book of Mixers: 100 Easy-Teach Dances for Getting Acquainted (2022) by Richard Powers and Nick & Melissa Enge,
Cross-Step Waltz: A Dancer's Guide (2019) by Richard Powers and Nick & Melissa Enge, and
Waltzing: A Manual for Dancing and Living (2013) by Richard Powers and Nick Enge.

For full-length teaching videos, visit: University of Dance.

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