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The Bronx Reclaims Its Rhythm: New Exhibition Revisits Dance Revolution of 1970–84
- Damian Ali
- 10 hours ago
- 3 min read
A crowded dance floor during a 1974 Hustle Jam at St. Mary’s Recreation Center in the Bronx. Courtesy of Willie Estrada / The Bronx County Historical Society.
In the Bronx of the 1970s, the headlines were loud, and the buildings were quieter than they used to be. If you were not watching Norman Lear’s Sanford and Son or The Jeffersons, or learning hard lessons from MASH*, you were outside, turning trains into moving art and sidewalks, school gyms, and community centers into stages.
Now the Bronx County Historical Society is putting part of that history back where it belongs: at the center of the story.
When The Bronx Moved: Histories of Dance, 1970–84 opens February 28 at the Museum of Bronx History, revisiting the dance forms that emerged during one of the borough’s most scrutinized decades and went on to reshape global culture.
The exhibition runs through September 2026 and features archival photographs, video, flyers, period clothing, sound recordings, oral histories, and memorabilia documenting the rise of the Hustle and Latin Hustle scenes, Rocking, Burning, Breakin’, and Boogying, also known as Popping and Locking.
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Mott Haven History Keepers gathers at the Mott Haven Library, hosted by The Bronx County Historical Society. Read: DJ Charlie Hustle Brings Bronx History to Life in Mott Haven
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Dancers Lucky and Vinny face off during a Rock battle in the Bronx in the 1970s. Courtesy of Willie Estrada / The Bronx County Historical Society.
“This exhibition is a powerful correction to the record,” says Dr. Steven Payne, Director of The Bronx County Historical Society and a co-curator of the exhibition. “It argues that in our most challenging decades, The Bronx wasn't just surviving—it was the epicenter of a cultural renaissance that redefined dance and music for the world. We define ourselves by our movement, and this is the proof.”
The timing of that movement matters. In 1977, during a World Series game at Yankee Stadium, announcer Howard Cosell declared that “The Bronx is burning,” cementing a national narrative of decline. That same year, President Jimmy Carter toured the South Bronx, a visual shorthand for urban crisis.
But a few years earlier, on August 11, 1973, at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, DJ Kool Herc hosted what is widely recognized as the birth of hip hop, pioneering the “Merry-Go-Round” technique that extended breakbeats for dancers. At St. Mary’s Recreation Center, Hustle parties helped redirect neighborhood energy away from gang violence. Crews like the Rock Steady Crew and the New York City Breakers would later carry Bronx-born styles onto international stages.
The New York City Breakers perform at the Kennedy Center in 1983, bringing Bronx breaking to a formal theater audience. Courtesy of Bboy London Reyes / The Bronx County Historical Society.
The exhibition brings together pioneers and scholars, including A1 Bboy Sasa, Al Boogie, Bboy London, DJ Charlie Hustle, Dr. Steven Payne, and the late Willie Estrada, an original pioneer of the Latin Hustle and Rock cultures of the 1970s South Bronx and author of The Dancing Gangsters of the South Bronx. Their collective work positions dance not as a side note to history, but as evidence of civic invention.
The show also tracks how Breakin’, once a Bronx street form, reached the Olympic stage in 2024, underscoring how far these movements traveled.
An opening celebration will be held on February 28 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Museum of Bronx History, located at 3266 Bainbridge Avenue. Monthly public programs through September will include panel discussions with dance pioneers, live demonstrations, film screenings, and community workshops.
When The Bronx Moved: Histories of Dance, 1970–84 is supported by New York State Senator Gustavo Rivera and the New York State Council on the Arts, with support from the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
For a borough often reduced to a soundbite, When The Bronx Moved offers something more precise: proof that in an era defined by crisis coverage, young Bronx residents were building a global language with their bodies.