Uprock
Encyclopedia
Uprock, or Rocking as it was originally referred to, also known as Rock, is a soulful and competitive urban
street dance
, performed in synchronization to the beats
and rhythms of soul
, rock
and funk
music, but was mostly danced to a specific and exclusive collection of songs that contained a hard driving beat. An example of such a song is the uprock classic "It's Just Begun" by noted jazz
musician Jimmy Castor
. The dance consists of foot shuffle
s, spins, turn
s, freestyle movements and more characteristically a four point sudden body movement called "jerk".
. The "winner" of these mock battles was usually the individual who was able to choreograph
and execute his or her burns creatively and even artistically to the rhythm and syncopation
of the music.
In this sophisticated and rhythmic form of Rock-paper-scissors
, one would have to dance thoughtfully as to not step forward and inadvertently get one's head "sledge hammered
". Although it is common knowledge that uprocking is supposed to be a mock battle, those who are less professional sometimes get carried away with the dance which can result in real violence.
circa in the late 1960s. A precursor and influence to this form of dance was gang culture. Throughout the very late 1960s and mid-1970s, New York was home to street gangs.
As rocking/uprocking developed, body movements called "jerks" and hand gestures called "burns" (as defined above in this article), would be added to emulate a fight against an opposing dancer. Being skillful in this new dance form, Apache would get the better of his opponents by skillfully using burns. Dancers throughout New York City
in all Boroughs continued to invent new movements and gestures to create a street dance. Many gang members began to perform this dance. It became commonplace to see gang members hanging out in corners dancing against each other. Rocking/uprocking became a competitive dance that caught on very quickly.
and was no longer considered a "gang" dance. It evolved and became a local dance performed by adolescent men throughout the New York City
. Some say it originated in the South Bronx
in the late 1960s. However, it is now more widely excepted that the Dance Culture itself spread throughout New York City into all Boroughs because the best dancers danced mostly at Manhattan
Clubs, where everyone took notice of the different styles and incorporated some of the moves into their own style of dancing.
It was common to see this form of dance at block parties, teen dances and festive
gatherings, and in particular at St. Mary's Recreation Center in the South Bronx, where dancers from all over the city would come and dance every Tuesday and Thursday until October 2, 1974 when Rubberband one of the most popular dancers City from back in those days got stabbed to Death over an argument over a Dollar.
Some of the best dancers, from the South Bronx, hung out at a club called The 310 and a half, with names like Papo Rubberband, Mexico, Electrico, Mike Dominquez, Lil Richie, Dee Dee, Enoch and Papo, Willie Marine Boy, Willie Wip, Moses Martinez. They were part of the Latin Symbolics Dance Company. Competition was common in Manhattan clubs, such as The Foot Steps, The Bon Sua, and the Starship Discovery became the clubs where intense rock dance contests took place. Popular clubs were The Red and White, The Kontiki, The Footsteps, the Ice Palace, The Boombamacao, The Ipanima, Roseland, The Fresh, the Ruby Fruit. In Brooklyn
, The Salsa and The Orange Peel were popular clubs.
In Brooklyn, you had Dancers like Lil Dave, Bushwick Joe, Chuck, Apache, Vinny, Noel, Blackie, Sammy, and several others who actually danced at the New York Clubs and contributed to this dance culture as much as anyone else throughout New York City.
Some competitions created problems because of the disrespectful style of battling which was soon gone from the South Bronx because of the fights that would break out during some competitions. Brooklyn however kept that style of Rock Battle Dancing alive, where it still exists today. Though many battles would end peacefully, several others did not, which is the reason why The Bronx stopped that style of Rock Dancing very early on, and it evolved into a more disco
style.
. Two of the better known groups of dancers were "Touch Of Rock" and "Dynasty." One was not required to be part of any particular group in order to dance or compete and there were many individuals who were considered independent. Also, not all uprockers focused on "battling" and instead perfected what were then known as "routines" wherein two dancers would perform a designed repertoire of movements that matched or coincided with each others steps.
The first 4 man Rock Routine was choreographed by Willie (Marine Boy) Estrada who was the leader of the Latin Symbolics Rock Team who were called The Rock Masters in the mid 1970s. The Latin Symbolics where known for having some of the best dancers in all categories throughout New York City
, and were considered the Innovators of the Latin Hustle. Some uprock competitions prizes were earmarked for "best routine." Two such independent dancers that became well known for "routine-ing" were known as simply Enoch and Papo from The Latin Symbolics Dance Team from the Bronx in the early 1970s.
Uprock was taken seriously by some of its participants and supporters as it was an integral part of socializing. Prize money, women, bragging rights
were all coveted and to the better and popular dancers went the spoils. Mimicking gang
mentality where a member from one gang would successfully take the "colors" (jacket with gang insignia) from a member of a rival gang, dancers would sometimes compete for their respective shirts, however this practice was mostly done in Brooklyn, where the dance remained a bit primitive with the mind set of burning the other dancer with disrespectful hand gestures. Similar to gang idiosyncracy
, this was considered a particularly severe humiliation, thus, it was considered one of the highest stakes in a battle. If you lost your shirt, you would sometimes lose your nickname and/or your crew's name.
While other Rock Dancers throughout the City had critical acclaim from dancing in City Wide Rock Competitions Brooklyn Rockers kept their beloved style of Jerks and Burning in Brooklyn in local competitions. However, a few dancers from Brooklyn competed in competitions against the better dancers from other boroughs at contests in clubs like The Bon Sua, The Footsteps, Latin Times and the Starship Discovery in Manhattan where they placed in the top 3. One of the biggest City Wide Rock Contests was hosted by The Hoe Ave Boys Club on 174th St. in the Bronx in 1977. Dancers from all Boroughs competed and it was won by Hector Barrios and Pete Martinez from the Rock Masters executing a routine Choreographed by Willie (Marine Boy) Estrada of the Latin Symbolics Dance Company, and Leader of the Rock Masters.
dance called the Hustle
. Some talented rockers preferred the gracefulness of dancing with women that the Hustle provided, as opposed to the adversarial and sometimes dangerous climate of competing against another male dancer. By the mid-1980s and into the 1990s uprock began to fade into history. At the same time, another competitive form of urban dance called breaking all but replaced uprocking. As many uprockers became grown men with adult responsibilities, it seemed that the culture of uprock would become a distant memory, but it has not.
Experienced uprockers are usually familiar with the songs that they dance to and use the lyrics and sounds of the music to out-do their opponent. The music is the guideline for when to execute a jerk, burn, or freestyle. The dancer uses the music's lyrics or sounds in his or her favor in order to create the physical narration of the mock battle that manifests.
It becomes monotonous if not redundant should a rocker utilize burn after burn while dancing. Really good dancers tend to maintain uprocking as an art form and not just an all out burnfest. There should be a constant give and take of burns and jerks in order to give each opponent the space to burn the other, but also exhibit dance moves.
Opposing dancers can also face off in a line formation called the "Apache Line". In contrast to the circle formation in breakdancing, the Apache line allows multiple opposing dancers or crews to face each other and execute their burns. Back in the 1970s it was a fascinating display to watch. Each uprocker must keep in his/her line formation while battling. One form of Apache line competition utilized rotation positioning. In other words, dancers would battle until either he is tapped to step out by another rocker, or the opponent has been worn down.
These days, in the initiation of a new rocker who intends on joining a particular crew, an Apache line is created. Borrowing again from gang culture social protocol, the new uprocker must battle each member on the Apache line. The new rocker must dance down the center of the Apache Line and battle each rocker while maintaining a discipline in the use of jerks, burns and freestyle for which he is then evaluated.
This style of dancing was done mostly in Brooklyn
, other Boroughs had different ways of doing things, and the Bronx faded out this style of dancing Rock at an early point. Brooklyn continues to dance along the same mind set and rules which existed when they first started battling each other.
of "rocking" as in "rocking" the opponent was used. An example would be in describing a triumphant boxer
or fighter
by saying, "He rocked that dude."
Another school of thought is that it was called "Rock" because early on rockers danced mainly to a specific range of rock and roll
songs that fell into a category that would be more accurately categorized as a hybrid of rock/funk
. Examples of songs that fell into this genre would be "It's Just Begun" by Jimmy Castor, and the live version of "Sex Machine" by James Brown. These and many other songs were not quite soul
nor rock and roll, yet, they provided the kind of hard driving beat that fueled the uprock style of dance.
A dance hall flyer announcing a "Rock Contest", would confuse some who were not familiar with the term rocking as it related to this specific form of dance. Individuals would show up at an organized party event expecting a rock concert
having mistaken the event as a "rock and roll dance". After about a decade since its inception, "Rocking" became known as "Uprocking". It was the same dance with a different name.
Urban culture
Urban culture is the culture of towns and cities. In the United States, Urban culture may also sometimes be used as a euphemistic reference to contemporary African American culture.- African American culture :...
street dance
Street dance
Street dance, more formally known as vernacular dance, is an umbrella term used to describe dance styles that evolved outside of dance studios in any available open space such as streets, dance parties, block parties, parks, school yards, raves, and nightclubs, etc...
, performed in synchronization to the beats
Beat (music)
The beat is the basic unit of time in music, the pulse of the mensural level . In popular use, the beat can refer to a variety of related concepts including: tempo, meter, rhythm and groove...
and rhythms of soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, rock
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
and funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
music, but was mostly danced to a specific and exclusive collection of songs that contained a hard driving beat. An example of such a song is the uprock classic "It's Just Begun" by noted jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musician Jimmy Castor
Jimmy Castor
Jimmy Castor is an American pop and funk musician. He is best known as a fun disco/funk saxophonist, with his biggest hit single being 1972's million seller, "Troglodyte ".-Career:...
. The dance consists of foot shuffle
Shuffle
Shuffling is a procedure used to randomize a deck of playing cards to provide an element of chance in card games. Shuffling is often followed by a cut, to help ensure that the shuffler has not manipulated the outcome.-Shuffling techniques:...
s, spins, turn
Turn
Turn may refer to:In music:* Turn , a sequence of several notes next to each other in the scale* Turn , an Irish rock group* Turn LP, a 2005 rock album by Turn* Turn , a 2004 punk album by The Ex...
s, freestyle movements and more characteristically a four point sudden body movement called "jerk".
Use of gestures
Although women participated in this style of dance, it was usually danced by two men facing each other. The underlying philosophy of uprocking was to undermine the "opponent" with hand gestures called "burns". One would "burn" one's opponent with a variety of these hand gestures that would mimic an action that would be considered detrimental to the dancer's adversary. Two examples of typical and fundamental burns are the bow and arrow, and the shotgunShotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
. The "winner" of these mock battles was usually the individual who was able to choreograph
Choreography
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
and execute his or her burns creatively and even artistically to the rhythm and syncopation
Syncopation
In music, syncopation includes a variety of rhythms which are in some way unexpected in that they deviate from the strict succession of regularly spaced strong and weak but also powerful beats in a meter . These include a stress on a normally unstressed beat or a rest where one would normally be...
of the music.
In this sophisticated and rhythmic form of Rock-paper-scissors
Rock-paper-scissors
Rock-paper-scissors is a hand game played by two people. The game is also known as roshambo, or another ordering of the three items ....
, one would have to dance thoughtfully as to not step forward and inadvertently get one's head "sledge hammered
Sledgehammer (disambiguation)
A sledgehammer is a large manual impact tool which has a metal head distinguishing it from a mallet with head made of softer material. The term may also refer to:-Automobiles:* Sledgehammer Corvette, an 880hp Corvette modified by Callaway Cars Incorporated...
". Although it is common knowledge that uprocking is supposed to be a mock battle, those who are less professional sometimes get carried away with the dance which can result in real violence.
History
Uprock evolved in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
circa in the late 1960s. A precursor and influence to this form of dance was gang culture. Throughout the very late 1960s and mid-1970s, New York was home to street gangs.
As rocking/uprocking developed, body movements called "jerks" and hand gestures called "burns" (as defined above in this article), would be added to emulate a fight against an opposing dancer. Being skillful in this new dance form, Apache would get the better of his opponents by skillfully using burns. Dancers throughout New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in all Boroughs continued to invent new movements and gestures to create a street dance. Many gang members began to perform this dance. It became commonplace to see gang members hanging out in corners dancing against each other. Rocking/uprocking became a competitive dance that caught on very quickly.
Early 1970s
By the early 1970s uprocking shed its social stigmaSocial stigma
Social stigma is the severe disapproval of or discontent with a person on the grounds of characteristics that distinguish them from other members of a society.Almost all stigma is based on a person differing from social or cultural norms...
and was no longer considered a "gang" dance. It evolved and became a local dance performed by adolescent men throughout the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Some say it originated in the South Bronx
South Bronx
The South Bronx is an area of the New York City borough of The Bronx. The neighborhoods of Tremont, University Heights, Highbridge, Morrisania, Soundview, Hunts Point, and Castle Hill are sometimes considered part of the South Bronx....
in the late 1960s. However, it is now more widely excepted that the Dance Culture itself spread throughout New York City into all Boroughs because the best dancers danced mostly at Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
Clubs, where everyone took notice of the different styles and incorporated some of the moves into their own style of dancing.
It was common to see this form of dance at block parties, teen dances and festive
Festival
A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
gatherings, and in particular at St. Mary's Recreation Center in the South Bronx, where dancers from all over the city would come and dance every Tuesday and Thursday until October 2, 1974 when Rubberband one of the most popular dancers City from back in those days got stabbed to Death over an argument over a Dollar.
Some of the best dancers, from the South Bronx, hung out at a club called The 310 and a half, with names like Papo Rubberband, Mexico, Electrico, Mike Dominquez, Lil Richie, Dee Dee, Enoch and Papo, Willie Marine Boy, Willie Wip, Moses Martinez. They were part of the Latin Symbolics Dance Company. Competition was common in Manhattan clubs, such as The Foot Steps, The Bon Sua, and the Starship Discovery became the clubs where intense rock dance contests took place. Popular clubs were The Red and White, The Kontiki, The Footsteps, the Ice Palace, The Boombamacao, The Ipanima, Roseland, The Fresh, the Ruby Fruit. In Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, The Salsa and The Orange Peel were popular clubs.
In Brooklyn, you had Dancers like Lil Dave, Bushwick Joe, Chuck, Apache, Vinny, Noel, Blackie, Sammy, and several others who actually danced at the New York Clubs and contributed to this dance culture as much as anyone else throughout New York City.
Some competitions created problems because of the disrespectful style of battling which was soon gone from the South Bronx because of the fights that would break out during some competitions. Brooklyn however kept that style of Rock Battle Dancing alive, where it still exists today. Though many battles would end peacefully, several others did not, which is the reason why The Bronx stopped that style of Rock Dancing very early on, and it evolved into a more disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
style.
Late 1970s
By the late 1970s uprock was established as a bonafide form of dance and this is when dozens of dancing crews formed in the Bushwick section of BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. Two of the better known groups of dancers were "Touch Of Rock" and "Dynasty." One was not required to be part of any particular group in order to dance or compete and there were many individuals who were considered independent. Also, not all uprockers focused on "battling" and instead perfected what were then known as "routines" wherein two dancers would perform a designed repertoire of movements that matched or coincided with each others steps.
The first 4 man Rock Routine was choreographed by Willie (Marine Boy) Estrada who was the leader of the Latin Symbolics Rock Team who were called The Rock Masters in the mid 1970s. The Latin Symbolics where known for having some of the best dancers in all categories throughout New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and were considered the Innovators of the Latin Hustle. Some uprock competitions prizes were earmarked for "best routine." Two such independent dancers that became well known for "routine-ing" were known as simply Enoch and Papo from The Latin Symbolics Dance Team from the Bronx in the early 1970s.
Uprock was taken seriously by some of its participants and supporters as it was an integral part of socializing. Prize money, women, bragging rights
Bragging rights
Bragging rights refers to an informal claim one can make to holding a certain achievement, such as a record or being the first at something. This claim is not an official title or status, but rather the ability to win an argument to holding the position....
were all coveted and to the better and popular dancers went the spoils. Mimicking gang
Gang
A gang is a group of people who, through the organization, formation, and establishment of an assemblage, share a common identity. In current usage it typically denotes a criminal organization or else a criminal affiliation. In early usage, the word gang referred to a group of workmen...
mentality where a member from one gang would successfully take the "colors" (jacket with gang insignia) from a member of a rival gang, dancers would sometimes compete for their respective shirts, however this practice was mostly done in Brooklyn, where the dance remained a bit primitive with the mind set of burning the other dancer with disrespectful hand gestures. Similar to gang idiosyncracy
Idiosyncrasy
An idiosyncrasy is an unusual feature of a person . The term is often used to express eccentricity or peculiarity. A synonym may be .-Etymology:...
, this was considered a particularly severe humiliation, thus, it was considered one of the highest stakes in a battle. If you lost your shirt, you would sometimes lose your nickname and/or your crew's name.
While other Rock Dancers throughout the City had critical acclaim from dancing in City Wide Rock Competitions Brooklyn Rockers kept their beloved style of Jerks and Burning in Brooklyn in local competitions. However, a few dancers from Brooklyn competed in competitions against the better dancers from other boroughs at contests in clubs like The Bon Sua, The Footsteps, Latin Times and the Starship Discovery in Manhattan where they placed in the top 3. One of the biggest City Wide Rock Contests was hosted by The Hoe Ave Boys Club on 174th St. in the Bronx in 1977. Dancers from all Boroughs competed and it was won by Hector Barrios and Pete Martinez from the Rock Masters executing a routine Choreographed by Willie (Marine Boy) Estrada of the Latin Symbolics Dance Company, and Leader of the Rock Masters.
Fading popularity
At first, the popularity of rocking was challenged by the well known discoDisco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
dance called the Hustle
Hustle (dance)
The Hustle is a catchall name for several disco dances which were extremely popular in the 1970s. Today it mostly refers to the unique partner dance done in ballrooms and nightclubs to disco music. It has some features in common with swing dance. Its basic steps are somewhat similar to the...
. Some talented rockers preferred the gracefulness of dancing with women that the Hustle provided, as opposed to the adversarial and sometimes dangerous climate of competing against another male dancer. By the mid-1980s and into the 1990s uprock began to fade into history. At the same time, another competitive form of urban dance called breaking all but replaced uprocking. As many uprockers became grown men with adult responsibilities, it seemed that the culture of uprock would become a distant memory, but it has not.
Brooklyn Dance
The dance involves two opposing dancers, or teams dancing alternatively or simultaneously performing a choreographed "battle" throughout the duration of a complete song. Although some of the moves uprockers execute emulate fighting, physical contact is never allowed. As stated above, physical contact is usually a sign of inexperience and/or dysfunctional behavior. If an uprocker is experienced he or she will not make any contact in order to "burn" his or her opponent. Uprocking's rules of engagement penalizes any dancer who actually touches the opponent, even if contact was made unintentionally.Experienced uprockers are usually familiar with the songs that they dance to and use the lyrics and sounds of the music to out-do their opponent. The music is the guideline for when to execute a jerk, burn, or freestyle. The dancer uses the music's lyrics or sounds in his or her favor in order to create the physical narration of the mock battle that manifests.
It becomes monotonous if not redundant should a rocker utilize burn after burn while dancing. Really good dancers tend to maintain uprocking as an art form and not just an all out burnfest. There should be a constant give and take of burns and jerks in order to give each opponent the space to burn the other, but also exhibit dance moves.
Opposing dancers can also face off in a line formation called the "Apache Line". In contrast to the circle formation in breakdancing, the Apache line allows multiple opposing dancers or crews to face each other and execute their burns. Back in the 1970s it was a fascinating display to watch. Each uprocker must keep in his/her line formation while battling. One form of Apache line competition utilized rotation positioning. In other words, dancers would battle until either he is tapped to step out by another rocker, or the opponent has been worn down.
These days, in the initiation of a new rocker who intends on joining a particular crew, an Apache line is created. Borrowing again from gang culture social protocol, the new uprocker must battle each member on the Apache line. The new rocker must dance down the center of the Apache Line and battle each rocker while maintaining a discipline in the use of jerks, burns and freestyle for which he is then evaluated.
This style of dancing was done mostly in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, other Boroughs had different ways of doing things, and the Bronx faded out this style of dancing Rock at an early point. Brooklyn continues to dance along the same mind set and rules which existed when they first started battling each other.
Etymology
No one is sure where the term "rocking" came from or why this form of dance was named using this word. It may have been that because of the dance's inherent nature of conflict, the colloquialismColloquialism
A colloquialism is a word or phrase that is common in everyday, unconstrained conversation rather than in formal speech, academic writing, or paralinguistics. Dictionaries often display colloquial words and phrases with the abbreviation colloq. as an identifier...
of "rocking" as in "rocking" the opponent was used. An example would be in describing a triumphant boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
or fighter
Warrior
A warrior is a person skilled in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based society that recognizes a separate warrior class.-Warrior classes in tribal culture:...
by saying, "He rocked that dude."
Another school of thought is that it was called "Rock" because early on rockers danced mainly to a specific range of rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
songs that fell into a category that would be more accurately categorized as a hybrid of rock/funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
. Examples of songs that fell into this genre would be "It's Just Begun" by Jimmy Castor, and the live version of "Sex Machine" by James Brown. These and many other songs were not quite soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
nor rock and roll, yet, they provided the kind of hard driving beat that fueled the uprock style of dance.
A dance hall flyer announcing a "Rock Contest", would confuse some who were not familiar with the term rocking as it related to this specific form of dance. Individuals would show up at an organized party event expecting a rock concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
having mistaken the event as a "rock and roll dance". After about a decade since its inception, "Rocking" became known as "Uprocking". It was the same dance with a different name.