Gallery 3 — Dance Is Life

Dance partners Abdiel and Kristine Bendul join hands in dance, in front of Bethesda Terrace in Central Park

Oral Histories

Dance is Life wouldn’t be here today without the legacy of Latin Hustle in New York City and the history of it being danced in Central Park—right where Dance Is Life began nearly 50 years later. Many of the dancers who will happily take you for a spin danced in that same spot decades ago as teens in the 1970s.

Photo by J Taylor Studios

DanceisLifeNYC · Sal Rentas on the Early Days of Latin Hustle in the Bronx

The Tradition of Latin Hustle in NYC’s Public Spaces

The roots of Latin Hustle formed in the public spaces of New York City, where anyone of any age or background could join, and do it for free. Here, “OG” dancer Sal Rentas shares where he partner danced when he was too young for the nightclubs, including basements, parks, and recreation centers, like the one at his grandma’s church, the Church of Blessed Sacrament in the Upper West Side.

Sal Rentas dances on skates at Hudson River Park's Pier 76

Sal on skates at one of NYC newest public spaces, Hudson River Park’s Pier 76. Photo by Angie Vasquez

DanceisLifeNYC · David Husney on Hustle x Hip Hop

The Relationship between
Latin Hustle + Hip Hop

Another “OG” dancer you’ll see at Dance Is Life, is artist David Husney. He is an expert in the history of Latin Hustle because he lived and danced it himself. Here, David describes the relationship between Latin Hustle and Hip Hop, both serving as an escape from gang violence in the city’s safe spaces, like St. Mary’s Church in the Bronx, where, for many of the original dancers like Willie Estrada and Billy Fajardo, “Hustle was life.”

David Husney and his pop-up public art installation where dancers make a collaborative painting with their feet.

David is not only a dancer, he’s also an artist and poet. You’ll often see him with his performance art piece, inviting partners to dance, and paint, with their feet. Photo by David D.G.Noble

· Peter Rodrigues on Latin Hustle in Central Park in the 1970s

The Legacy of Latin Hustle
inside Central Park

The “spinning top” of Latin Hustle, Peter Rodrigues, is known for his immaculate spins. Like many of the “OG” dancers who join us today, Peter discovered Latin Hustle as a teen and hasn’t stopped spinning since. Here, he describes the scene of Central Park in the 1970s, where Dance Is Life would launch nearly 50 years later, and bring the baby powder with us.