Carl Charles
New York's “King of the Hustle”
Carl grew up in the rainforest of Guyana (South America). Always fascinated by dance, he would sneak out of the house to see local parties. By age seven he was performing both African dance and the fun "new" dances of the 1960s (remember the bugaloo, the mashed potato, the penguin, and the funky chicken?).
In 1972, after Guyana gained independence from British rule and entered a period of political unrest, he moved with his family to New York City. As a teenager, he did the same thing he had done in Guyana — he snuck into the local clubs to watch people dance (this time, they were dancing the Hustle and Salsa). He learned both the leaders' and followers' steps and taught his sister so that he could have a partner for practice. He and his sister became a local sensation and were asked to perform at clubs and parties.
Although he never stopped dancing, performing, and teaching, he also studied computer science, managed the IT departments of several Wall Street firms, and founded his own IT consulting firm during the 1980s and father to a wonderful daughter Rebecca.
In 1996 he left the corporate world to teach and compete full-time. He co-founded the popular Perpetual Motion Dance Company, which performed in New York and Florida. He also created, choreographed, and starred in the 1997 PBS special “Touch Dancing,” which covered the basics of Merengue, Tango, and other Latin dances. In 1998, after winning or placing in numerous competitions, he won the premier Hustle competition in New York and was crowned “King of the Hustle” at Lincoln Center. In 2005 he performed at the first held Dance Music Award in New York City. In 2007 he was inducted to the Disco/Hustle competitors Hall of Fame.
Today he lives and teaches in the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area. He is currently developing his own network television dance program, “Carl Charles and the World of Dance.”
ChARLes
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