But they have fundamentally different timing and expectation.
You can break down both dances into a series of 2-beat movements. In 4-count hustle these would start on the downbeat, and finish on the upbeat. In Modern Jive they would start on the upbeat and finish on the downbeat. (In my view that difference alone makes them completely different dances, as an upbeat and a downbeat are completely different.)
I usually talk about expectation in relation to what you do from one 2-beat movement to the next. However the expectation of what you do within each 2-beat movement is even greater.
In Modern Jive the follower would expect the direction of travel (or turning) to be continuous throughout the 2-beat movement, and any significant changes of direction to be between these 2-beat movements. So to move backwards and then forwards (as at the start of the first move) would take 4 beats, ie 2 beats to go back, then the change in direction, and 2 beats to go forward. They would not expect to be led backwards on the first beat of a movement, and forwards on the second beat, as you would do in 4-count hustle. This is a significant difference. If you know you are doing a rock step, even if you fully commit your weight, you will not take your centre over your foot. You will stop short so that you are ready to take a step forward a quarter of a second later. If however you are expecting to take two steps back, you take your centre over your foot and beyond, so that you can do the second step in the same direction.
Thinking about it in more detail, how would you lead the rock step. As I'm sure you know, in the far more common 3-count hustle you never go into leverage to lead the lady to step forward. (Many hustle followers would just walk off the floor if you pulled them.) Would you go into leverage in your version?
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