[Fried Noodle]

Well, it's going to come up some time, so I might as well start it off.
As far as I have heard uprocking is not to be mixed with bboying under any circumstance. To me, it seemd rockers felt pretty strongly about this issue, especially about the typical "uprock" many bboys would be doing as a diss during battles (you've seen it, no doubt).

Myself, I was pretty oblivious to this until PJAY71 pointed it out to me on bboyworld, and I know that many other bboys have no clue about this either. I used to think it was no problem, and mixing everything was just a part of dance always evolving.

Anyway, what's your opinion: Should uprock be incorporated in bboying or not?

[PJAY71]

No it shouldn't - it's a fact not an opinion.

See, in the beginning Breakers/Bboys used to Toprock before a they hit the floor for footwork etc. Now Toprock has become it's own dance it seems. However, alot of this "Toprock" is not traditional Bboy style, it's more of a mix of House step, Hip Hop and watered down Uprock. Some of it is dope when done right with style... others just look soulless.

When you see Bboys trying to perform "Jerks" in there Toprock... that's what it is - they are trying to perform Jerks... not Uprock. Why? Because Uprock has so much more to it than simple Jerks and Burns. Not to mention that the rules are different, as well as, the judging. So even though if they were performing dope Jerks and Burns they still wouldn't be Uprocking. Uprock is very traditional like Salsa and there's really nothing to add to it - just to learn it correctly with your own style. Mixing dosen't mean evolving... to me it's just a way for cats to think they are "next-level", when they are really missing alot.

Hope this helped, peace.

[FlYgUy64]

^^^ what he said. i think you can incorporate some elements of uprocking into your toprock, (e.g. jerks) but just because a toprocker incorporated some jerks it doesn't mean hes uprocking

[Tito74]

Great question.
Very controversial among bboys and Uprockers.
What if salseros say- salsa should not be incorporated in Uprock. Is that a fair statement?
Me personally, I love to dance. Whether its b-boying, salsa or merengue.
If its dope- Its Dope!

[PJAY71]

Ehh... not the same thing Tito. You won't find Uprockers Rocking in a Salsa or Hustle contest... see what I mean? More importantly, most Uprockers can dance Hustle and Salsa fluently whereas most Bboys can't Uprock fluently - let alone know when it is proper to execute. Even though Uprock steps are within Toprock, dosen't mean it can be performed in a battle. It come down to the rules and judging, not the love of dance or what looks good.

Another important thing to know is that Rubberband R.I.P, the creator of this dance, was a Salsero and Hustler. When creating Uprocking he took some of Salsa/Hustle steps and performed it to Funk & Soul music. Because of this, a new dance was formed - The Rock Dance aka Uprock. This wasn't accidental... he intended to create this dance to this music. - comment by King Uprock ; )

[Stevearnell]

Personally i'd say that what ever dance you feel goes best with the track your throwin down to is cool. Uprock, toprock etc.

[PJAY71]

As stated... it dosen't matter how you feel personally. It should be kept separate when battling.

[Mogwai]

I think the slight misunderstanding here is Pjay means during a judged battle for example whereas those who like to mix it up are meaning just relaxed gigging battles.

e.g. During training hammer throwers and javelin-peeps might battle for friendly competition but - it wouldn't happen in the olympics cos yo just couldn't judge it.

[PJAY71]

Right... it's on you if you wanna do Jerks and Burns in a Cypher while the DJ is spinning "A Tribe Called Quest" song - be my guest... it's your reputation not mine. But if I'm judging a Bboy battle - I'll take points off for cats mixing Breakin & Uprock.

[theb]

word to pjay

i wanna be an ill rocker one day!

[PJAY71]

Hope you come to NYC soon Noni ; )

[Licris]

Is it ok to perform burns in toprock for a battle situation?

[PJAY71]

Burns in Toprock???

The reason Toprock became so creative and/or more of a dance in itself is because of cats seeing how dope Uprock Freestyle was. So little by little they incorporated it into Bboy Toprock, as well as, House steps. Because in the beginning Toprock was very simple and short then cats went straight into their Footwork etc.

Let's not make this difficult to understand. There are "Burns" that you can do while Toprocking BUT it should be kept "Bboy". Attempting to perform Jerks and Burns like a Rocker in a Bboy battle is wack and shows a cats limitations in his own dance arsenal.

With all the flavor and moves a Bboy should posses, why would he have to resort to Uprock moves in a battle?

Peace

[Licris]

Sorry if I sound too lost. I really want to understand the difference between burning as a bboy and as an uprocker but I haven't been exposed. The only burns I see around here(New Zealand) don't have any style. Is there a way I can learn about burning properly? if you can't explain it can you point me in the right direction. Or am I stuck with what I've got?

I love it all but I still don't know alot of right from wrong.

EDIT: NZ still has dope bboys and bgirls I just ain't seen any good burns. Peace

[PJAY71]

Yeah... you don't have to be sorry. I understand what you mean.

Well, you're not gonna find any footage on Uprock Burns unless you purchase King Uprock's DVD. But even with that I wouldn't suggest you go around practicing the Burns you see on the DVD. There's no one, (true Uprocker), in your country to guide you with the hands-on practice you would need.

As far as "Bboy Burns"... I don't know what to tell you. A Bboy can Burn another Bboy with moves rather than gestures - even though Bboys can perform gesture-Burns as well. Maybe you can post this on one of the Bboy sections on this site. I'm sure someone can help you there.