Transcription
What's up everyone? Today we're going to be interviewing No Bone Tyrone, who is a very influential waiver popper from Compton, I believe. Um, and we're going to hear his story because you should know about him, especially if you're, you know, within the popping dance, within waving specifically. So, there's a lot of people that have mentioned, um, No Bone Tyrone. If you know Jay Smoo, if you've been to the Waves Within, he was one of the judges. No Bone also, um, just his name is talked about by many, many poppers, uh, in the in the world, not just in LA. So, let's get questions. Feel free to share as well. So, we'll, uh, we I feel like we're gonna hear some really cool stories.
My thoughts. But hey, No Bone, Tyrone, can you hear me?
Yeah, I can hear you now. Had to get my, uh, had to get my headphones together, man. How's everything?
Good. I just just getting home and, you know, I appreciate your flexibility as well and, you know, being here and I appreciate this time. So, I'm doing good. How are you?
Awesome. Awesome. How are you guys?
I'm doing great. I'm doing great. I'm just, uh, you know, more or less just wanting to make sure that, uh, you know, the sound is good. Uh, glitch-free, of course, and, you know, and as far as my image, as long as, you know, which is visible enough, uh, for for this to to continue is what my concern is right now.
Yeah. No.
Yeah. I definitely appreciate this.
Yeah. I fine so it sounds good and I love the fit too. I love the black on black and white background. So,
Yeah. Yeah, it's always something, you know, uh, just off the cuff, you know, you sometimes you just never know. Uh, it's I've had interviews before in the past where I blew it and didn't get the framing right and, well, you know how it is sometimes you you just don't know what to expect and and then due to time constraints, you know, you just try to hurry up a lot of times. So, in this case, it seems like everything is, uh, a little bit more prepared since we, you know, had had a chance to pretty much talk with each other in advance and, you know, and you let me know what to expect. So, definitely appreciate that. But, um, but yeah. So, where where are you from, by the way? I never even asked you. What what part what part of the world are you?
Yeah. Yeah. So,
Catherine from?
So, I was born in New York. So, Queens, New York, but most of my life I lived in Pennsylvania. So, uh, Lehigh, Allentown.
And then I moved to LA about 10 years ago. So,
Oh, so you're out here. Cool. Okay.
Out here. And now I'm living in Long Beach.
Oh, Long Beach.
Yes.
Oh, wow. Okay. Awesome. Awesome.
So, that's that's where I'm coming from. Um, let me see. I think Oh, there might be a Do you hear like a double voice like a delay of me talking?
I do not.
Not on my end. No, I don't hear a delay. No. No. It sounds good.
For anyone that's, uh, tuning in, let me know if you hear a double delay. It might be just me.
But let's see if anyone says anything. I see, uh, Felipe on. I see Fractal Distortion. I see Hurdle. Okay.
OG Hurdle in the house.
He's there, too. Okay. So, so Fractal says that there is like an echo.
Okay. All right. Well, let me see. Maybe, uh,
Let me see. There's an echo.
It It's only when I'm talking I notice.
Oh, okay. So, it's not on my end. Is there anything I can do on my end?
Yeah. I I wonder if well if it's coming from your speakers or because it's I'm not sure.
Okay. Uh, let's see. I could try turning off my my earphone.
Yeah. Try disconnecting it. Maybe that'll reconnect it.
Let's see. I say I'll just talk. I hear a minute. Oh. Okay. What about now?
One, two, three. Oh, it's gone.
That's gone. Okay. So, it's probably earphones. Okay.
And you sound I think it sounds clear, actually. Now, you sound clear.
Okay. It sounds more clear now.
Yeah, I would say so.
All right. Maybe that's all it is. I'm just so used to talking on the phone and using my earphones. It's a little bit more convenient. Uh, little, you know, little little more closer to my ears.
Right? No, I hear you. I just take the advantage when I can't.
I hear you on that. But yeah, so I would like to share so again for you know introducing myself, you know, from the East Coast living in LA. Um, but I've been, you know, popping was the one of the first dances that inspired me that got me into, oh, what is this street dance? What is this world? What is waving? And I, you know, fell in love with the movement for years and then I just, you know, fell in love with all different these different styles. Um, so recently I've been doing interviews of dancers. So interviewing dancers from California, from Japan, all over the world to hear the stories of their OGs. Um, who were the people they learned from? What were they watching? You know, I a lot of people in Europe, they always talk about, uh, the breakin films and, uh, New York like Electric Buggy. It's interesting to hear how people hear about the dance. it spreads and a topic recently was waving. People wanted to talk about, okay, what is waving? Where does it come from? Who are the people involved? And I was like, I want to interview those people. I want to hear I want to go down the the rabbit hole so that the current generation and the future generation can watch these stories, hear these stories and just it just keeps the it just keeps the art to me in my I want to keep the history or find out the history or things that haven't been shared for the future. That's that was that's what I'm my intention is with these interviews. Um, so when it came to waving, I interviewed Jace Move and I interviewed Daryl Stokes and,
And I interviewed, um, Function and, uh, Distortion, some of the liquid as well community on the East Coast.
Oh, okay. Okay. Distortion. I met Distortion, uh, a few weeks ago at the Ways Within. Really cool guy.
You know. Really, really cool guy. Uh, very, very knowledgeable about the liquid art form. Uh, I was just, uh, very impressed with his knowledge. I know he probably had no idea what I knew, which is is what I love cuz a lot of people they, uh, you know, they they kind of, um, get like a a certain impression about, you know, the art form as it, uh, kind of gets away from, you know, what they know about it. So that's why it's good to always be, uh, uh, in a place where people can come up to you and you can like exchange information.
Because, uh, that's the only way we're going to, you know, become more knowledgeable.
Is to just, uh, share information with each other.
Exactly. You know, and and I think that that's that's what a lot of a lot of people really are trying to do is just, you know, try to learn as much information as possible. So, so that way they could become better, you know, at at waving, popping, you know, popping, waloo, trying,
Right?
Whatever, whatever, whatever it is, man. Ticking, you know, cutting, right? I mean, we we could just go on and on and on, but yeah, but but exchanging that that information with each other is really the key, you know. So that's why I try to make it a point to get out to as many events as I can and make myself approachable because I, you know, man, I every time I go out, every time I question if I I should, you know, go to whatever the event is, I I always seem to run into someone that has, you know, these questions. And I it's just so impressive to me that,
You know, dancers are doing their homework now, you know, and it's so cool to see because before you could just get away with telling them anything, you know, and they would just literally just, you know, take it in. But I've I always had a a motto and a disclaimer that I always said, hey, you know what? Whatever I tell you, you know, whatever it is, I don't care what it is.
Please, I I beg of you, go and ask someone else. I usually, you know, honor, you know, anyone who who I ever have mentored to go and do your research. Just don't take my word for it. I mean, that that's, you know, that that's the way I've always been. Always. Always. I've never said, "Hey, what I whatever I show you, this is it right here. This is the this is all you need to know to you know, complete your journey." No, no, it's just the beginning, you know, just the beginning stages.
Wow. And that's a very selfless statement to make. I could see how I could see how the ego or ego one would be like, I am the way for sure me that which people do. There are people.
That's how you know.
But, uh, I see also Gizmo's on here as well.
Gizmo magnetic.
Yes. In the house. What's up, Giz?
Yes. But,
Was there too?
Yeah, he was there too. Just to get started because I also want to, you know, respect time as well.
Okay. Uh, the last thing I want to mention before we go into just your to your story, I want to hear your story and what you saw and, you know, your what just your experience. Um, Jace when I talked to because I'm interviewing people right all over LA and I was like I was talking to Tabo and he was like, who would be another person to ask about the history of LA like popping who started and he was like, ask, uh, No Bone Tyrone. So Tabo also has reference or mentioned your name as well. So again, hearing how, you know,
Oh my god, man, we go back so far. Oh my goodness, man. It's, uh, turning me into an old man here, right before our eyes. But no, it's all good, you know. It's it's definitely an honor and a blessing. So,
Yes, really good.
Yeah. So, uh, I would love to just I guess, you know, just to open up the the the question of how did you hear about the dance, this this form of popping and waving, and where was your your first, I guess, memories you could remember?
Oh my gosh, how much time do we have?
I know, I know. That's why I feel typically it goes for a while when people start sharing, but I whatever you feel comfortable, uh, being able to share, you know, the conversation.
Oh my gosh. Um, yeah. So, um, what I'll do is I'll go back. I'll go back in time.
Okay. Uh, so we're, you know, um, going to go back to approximately 1977, 1978, and, uh, and I'm I'm transitioning, I'm transitioning from junior high at the time. I just graduated from, uh, Charles Drew Junior High School in LA.
And something really big happened that summer. Um, I ended up, uh, moving from LA to go live with my grandmother. Now, before I, you know, went to live with my grandmother, I remember me and my little brother, Twister Flex Tim, rest in peace. I remember us, you know, walking home from school and a couple of guys, you know, ran by us and they hollered out again. They, you know, they they hollered out again, right? They hollered out, you know, like like WVG fool and they just looked at looked us down and and just ran ran by, right?
And so I was I was kind of like just curious as to what that was all about. And and I know I just mentioned how I was transitioning from LA to Compton.
And so so word got around that the hood was going to be splitting up sides. Like if you lived on one side of the tracks, you were going to be initiated into the Crips. If you lived on another side of the street, you were going to be initiate. You were going to become a Blood. So basically what they were doing was they were basically setting up everything to where you know you like just normal kids were getting initiated into gangs. So let's let's take a snapshot of that. So let's let's just,
So just take take a snapshot of that. Okay.
And so now I move away from LA and I and I and I go to Compton. So, it was Compton where I first seen the dance and and by this time we're talking like 19, it was again, it was the summer of 1978, 1979, and so,
Uh, we we were basically locking back then, straight locking, like, you know, it was all about locking, right? So I knew, well, pretty much everyone knew how to lock, whether it was just being doing it playfully or just doing it, you know, on a on a serious tip. Of course, I just was doing it just, you know, playfully like just amongst my friends. Never never to to get any type of fame or recognition, you know, from being a locker because it was just a normal thing we did. But so getting back to Compton, so I'm in my wood shop class and a guy asks me, it was amazing. He said, "Man," and I don't remember the guy's name. I do not remember the guy. We're talking freaking 40, you know, 40 years ago, okay? Like over 40 years ago, for sure.
But I do remember I remember the guy. This is now people have please, I mean, don't think I'm just making this up. All right, but I'm going to let you know that,
Yeah, the guy straight up asked me, hey, have you seen popping before? I said, popping?
Because you know, really, we're now we're talking like 1978 at the 1979 when he said popping, I could just, you know, think about what popping was and when, you know, let's let's just back up and let's really think about the word popping. Popping defined by Webster's dictionary in 1978, 1979 is a pierce, sharp, loud sound. Has absolutely nothing to do with a dance. Okay, that's that's what a pop is. All right. And so when he said that, the look on my face pretty much, you know, had that look like, man, what is he talking about? So when I said that, immediately the guy said, pop locking. He knew I was familiar with he knew I was familiar with locking. And so in order to get me to understand pop locking.
He was using this word in its connotative form, not denotative form, but it connotative,
Form, which is the shades and meaning of a word, you know, when you break it down.
Okay. Then I was able to say, "Oh, pop lock." And I was like, "No, I I haven't ever seen it." And so he said, "Wait until the end of class and outside of the campus on the grassy part of Dominguez High. They're going to be out there popping." And I just couldn't wait. So that time came and I seen popping for the very first time. Now, when I seen it, I was just absolutely blown away. And I, uh, as as far as, um, as far as the the crews and everything, I I still, you know, I I don't have an exact, uh, vision of the names of the guys that were dancing. Like I just can't, you know, uh, remember exactly who I seen popping, but that's the first time that I seen someone doing doing the the backslide for the first time, but it was on grass. It was on grass. I could not believe I'm watching these guys float on grass, right? And so the one thing that I was confused about after I seen it was, uh, I I I I was just so overwhelmed with, you know, my thought process because I didn't know I did I could not understand how something like that was happening. And so immediately I I remember that day after I seen Poppin for the first time, I went home, went into my room, shut the door, and literally just went deep into thought. And and and I'm going to tell you something. I literally could remember distinctively how I felt. I felt happy. I felt sad.
I felt frustrated. And I didn't know why. I didn't know what was going on. It was only until later on I figured it out. It it when I say later on, I'm talking maybe maybe four years later, maybe maybe maybe less than that. It, you know, once I started putting the pieces to the puzzle together as to what was going on, and I'll tell you what it was.
The reason why I was feeling that way is because when I seen popping for the first time, I didn't realize it, but my emotions was being played with.
That's why I was happy. That's why I was sad. That's why I was joyous at times. That's why I was frustrated. Now, the frustration part was because I'm thinking to myself, man, you know, why are these guys so good? Why are these guys so good? I'm from here. How did this dance take off like this? And I don't get a chance to be there on the stage with these guys. I that's it's almost like I wanted to, like have a chance to to be good already. But little did I know how lucky I was. I had no idea that what was happening at that time was unique for Compton and it was unique for Dominguez High. It was it was unique for for just that moment in time. And that takes me back to where once I really started looking at everything, I said, "That's it. That's how I'm going to do it. That's how I'm going to overcome getting put on." So, you see, my motivation
For doing the dance. It it it's beyond just, you know, doing it for, you know, a a couple of clicks or, you know, a couple of views or just, you know, I I I I was I I I I was really, uh, compelled to use this dance to pretty much get me in and out of of different neighborhoods because, you know, that's what we did, you know, and and like I said before, when you know they talked about like breaking down the the hood and, splitting it up. One side Crips, one side Bloods, right? And so that's that's really how I kind of like, learn to dance or that was my motivation as to why I wanted to learn to dance so bad and and it ended up happening. So So
Wow. So that so that's that's when I very, you know, that I should say that's when I started popping, uh, or that's when I was introduced to the art form and, uh, later on, uh, I, you know, started looking at, uh, a specific guy by the name of Anthony AK King.
Ah, okay.
He was, uh, you know, he he was, in a crew called Electronic Puppets.
That crew, you know, they basically, you know, uh, kind of paved the way for a lot of us, uh, there, you know, and in and, and not just them. There was there was there was a lot of different groups, but, uh, yeah, it was Anthony AK King was pretty much the the top dog.
Wow.
At the time, you know, and, uh, and so he was the first guy that I seen do a twist to flex. If you seen,
Yeah. Oh, yeah. For sure. Along with just twist flexing in general. That was literally like a one that was one of the number one power moves back then that you would see.
Interesting.
Guys do. So when it comes to popping, you know, um, it it it kind of starts with him. It really starts with him. And then when you, you know, you look at as time progressed and when I say progressed, I'm talking like maybe, uh, few months later, I started just meeting, you know, just like some of my classmates like we all kind of knew about pocking and we kind of knew who was good, who was, you know, who was, uh, some of the poppers that you needed to get to to know so that way you could improve your style. And so, um, I had a buddy named, uh, Joseph. I had a buddy named Joseph. He had a a brother named Baby. And Joseph and Baby, those were the two guys that introduced me to Anthony Starchild. Starchild is a a popper that lived in Lynwood, and he's the guy that I learned how to do the arm wave from. He's the first guy that I ever see. And and it was, uh, just I I I kind of sad to admit this. It's not sad, but just to show you the growth of of the art,
Back in the day, like when I seen Starchild do his his arm wave, he also had a body wave. And so,
You figure the arm wave, the body wave, and then the ability to reverse the body wave. Those are your only three waves, bro.
Those are your only three. There is absolutely no other waves. That's what people got to understand.
Those were the only three. And so so basically, yeah. Yeah. And so so basically, you know, that that's how I kind of got my start, like, you know, watching Starchild and then, you know, looking for any glimpse of, uh, anyone like trying to like wave at the time because you wanted to, uh, you you wanted to more or less try to catch anything that came out. And then and then also, uh, to go along with with, you know, watching those guys at Dominguez High School, there was also a crew called the Electric Bugaloos, right? With Sam,
And and, uh, the members of that crew,
You know. So, so basically when I seen them on Soul Train along with, you know, what happened to me with with the dancers that I seen, you know, at, uh, at Dominguez High, that's kind of what exposed me to it. And from there, you know, uh, this is what's amazing. Like really from there, like you could only imagine when Poppin first came out and then the the the, uh, the way that the Electric Bugaloos took off, their style of Electric Bugaloo was in it was so much in demand until it was impossible, impossible for them to teach this neighborhood, that neighborhood, this neighborhood. And then it was just, you know, so so many people. But I knew that, you know, it was it was a lot more to the art form than the Electric Bugaloo simply because remember guys were really advanced like like from the time that I seen, you know, the the the poppers outside of Dominguez High School and the time that I seen the Electric Bugaloos,
Right? Knew that, you know, that there was more to it, you know, to the whole thing than than what met the eye. And so it was just up to me. It was up to me to just put the pieces to the puzzle together and and try to like eventually create my own, you know, uh, my my own style or my own, you know, or my own set of of styles, right?
Yeah. And so that, you know, so for the most part, that's when I started, uh, back in, you know, like I said, 1978, 1979, and then, uh, from there, I ended up moving from Compton back to LA with my mom and then I went to, uh, Jordan High School in Was I went there for about a year or so and Then, well, I I take that back. It might not have necessarily been a whole year because I remember that year going to three different high schools. I went to I went from Dominguez High to Jordan High and then from Jordan High to Pona High, like all went in one calendar year. So it was really crazy for me as a kid, like just having to like adapt, you know, going from one high school to the to the other. And so by the time I got to Pona, I had already learned how to like do the arm wave and I I learned, you know, how to, you know, do the the body wave and then reverse it.
And I just started just at at that point in time, literally everyone that I knew that had anything to do with popping, I was, you know, anxious to just learn from them, just not necessarily by them teaching me, but just being a student of the game, watching, like, you know, doing, you know, whatever research I could, you know,
Just to find out about their history.
Yeah. And so, yeah, so for the most part, you know, that that's the one way that I gave myself an advantage is is just being a student of the game, you know, keeping my eyes open and and just, you know, making sure that if anything new came up, I was game on it.
Yeah. I was all over it. And so,
Yes.
So, so now we're, you know, we're looking at me in Pomona High and I never considered myself a popper at all. Even though I was good at waving. See, I was good at waving. I was good at, uh, creeping, sliding, and floating and gliding.
Okay. And and, you know, for the most part, as far as hitting, like hitting, like really like hugging the beat and and the ability to capture the beat, I was nowhere near there yet because I knew inside that when I seen guys perform, that's what they were doing. I wasn't there yet. And and that's part of it. You you really have to be honest with yourself and say, "Are you guys are you on those guys' level yet?" You know, and so,
That's what kept me going, you know, that's what kept me wanting to like, you know, uh, transform myself from just being a guy that knew a couple of popping moves into an actual popper. But it was it was, um, Anthony Starchild's, uh, waves that I had, right? And then, uh, I kept going back to LA, even though I lived in Pomona at the time. I kept going back and forth to LA just to, you know, hang out, still learn, right? And so in doing that, I also, uh, ran across a crew called the Mysterious Poppers.
Yes. I've heard. So when I seen, so so the the my two biggest influences by far for Waving, and it's not even close, it would be Anthony Starchild and the Mysterious Poppers.
Wow. Okay.
Because because I had the both the best of both worlds. I had waving, you know, just from, uh, uh, more of a simplistic standpoint to like, you know, snaking in the cobra, right? Even though I never, you know, learned how to do the cobra from them. Not at all. Again, it's just sitting back watching these guys perform.
Yeah. Yeah. So that's kind of what, uh, kind of, you know, gave me, um, gave me like an advantage, I I would say, as I got a little bit older. And then from there, you know, just just watching all kinds of stuff, like looking at not just like dancing, like when when I went to clubs, like looking at popping, when I went to a club, when I went to different contests, like that, it started to extend beyond just, you know, what I could see, like in with my own eyes, like, you know, in like a, uh, contest setting, or or a performance setting. I started looking at movies, right? Like like, you know, like different movies, like Sin, like the Sinbad, the Seven Voyages of Sinbad, you know, and Medusa, you know, with with the snaky hair. Uh, I I watched, uh, you know, like Bruce Lee, like, you know, in in there, the dragon when he's, you know, doing the doing, I mean, I I literally started just going beyond, like just,
You know, the normal stuff and then, you know, I started to find out that, wow,
It's been here all along, but we just never really looked at it like that. Like living has been around for centuries, right? Like so long. I mean, live right there with, you know, with with Tuts, you know, and and, and just that whole like ideology, you know, and and so I really started gaining a a lot of confidence and and started like adapting, like some of those movements that I seen on TV and what I seen people perform, I started adapting that into my own style. And, uh, that's kind of how I became who I was, you know, and and,
Uh, even though Starchild did his arm wave, you know, pretty much, uh, from a basic standpoint, I basically found a way to just innovate it. And then,
When when I got pretty good and the one thing that kind of made things, uh, a lot easier for me is when I seen the follow wave for the first time, like when somebody, you know, like you call it like a follow wave or a guide wave or a trace wave, like just the ability to do this, like,
You know, like when I was literally, uh, just kicking back one day and a neighbor, uh, down the street, Uh, Keith Dawson, he he he knew I was good, but he always loved to tease me. And he said, "Man, I know a guy who knows how to do a wave." And he knew I didn't know how to do it because he knew he, I mean, he's my neighbor for knew all about me. He says, "Yeah, I know a guy who knows how to do a wave. He can take a wave and throw a wave like you do, but he just isolates the wave on the different sides of his body. He goes on the left side." That was,
I didn't believe him. I did not. I could not wait. I go, "Oh, yeah, right. Yeah, let let's see." And then sure enough, he introduces me to the guy, and it's Ticking Dave. He's a guy that I knew from LA all along. I'm like, "What the hell, Dave? I didn't know." So he, so literally I learned how to do the follow wave from one of the, you know, founding fathers of that move, man. Now, where he got it, I don't know. I have no idea where the guy got it, but I know he was good. I know he was awesome with it. So, so there you go. So we we've got the So now we we're up to the arm wave,
The body wave, the reverse body wave, snaking or cobra, you know, and then and then you have now the follow. So,
It was the a combination of those different wave and elements is what kind of, you know, made me go into start like just creating all kinds of stuff, like literally.
Yeah. Yeah. Like literally like saying to myself, okay, well, what is it that, you know, that everyone else does that I could still do and it could still be a wave, but not look like anyone else's. And that's how I think and and what made me come to that conclusion was when we would enter contests, like anyone watching out there, like literally like one thing, like the frame of mind that I had, and a lot of us had, was, hey, you know what? If you're going to like do this move, whatever, what whatever the move is, whatever the style is, I made it a point to make sure that when I went out and performed in contests, I wanted to make it easy on the judges, bro. I didn't want to keep it in the hands of, I'm sorry. Like, like a lot of times I'll see guys so bent out of shape because they feel like all their hard work and and all their training should have gotten them a W in the contest. And I'm like, you know, I get it, but how, you know, in the back of my mind, remember, I'm thinking, well, what did you do personally to make it easier on the judges?
And and that's that's really how I train, that's how I practice, that's how I, you know, uh, create and configure styles. So, so if I if I if I may ask, are you saying you would look at someone, let's say, doing the wave, how they presented it, and you would,
Say, "What is it about this that I like, and how can I make it more digestible to the audience?"
Correct. Correct. That's exactly what it was. That's exactly what it was.
Like I,
That's exactly what it was. Yes, that's what it was.
You know. Yeah. Because, um, I really felt like just through normal conversations with friends, they would literally like complain to me like, "Hey man, that guy stole my move." Like, oh man, even, I I remember even Starchild, you know, getting mad at people like like taking his, like that was a big thing. Like people just did you, you like if I learned your move exactly how you did it, it it was no good. It was literally, I don't care how I could have duplicated it better than you. It's but but it it's useless when we get to a contest when you get out in public because people are going to call you out or they're going to be like, "Oh man, no, man. That's you're you're waving like Master Bugaloo or you're you're waving, you know, like like,
Right?
Uh, uh, uh, you're you're waving like Star Child, you know?" I mean, they they would call you out. So it it really made those moves useless if you just, you know, was if you were fortunate enough to duplicate someone's move.
I see. So that's one of the reasons why it was so important for me to take the move and not just duplicate the move, but really innovate the move. Like really put something on it that just, uh, basically just makes the the the moves a little bit more spectacular, you know, and and just a little, like the level of complexity, like like it's almost like, okay, well, even though when I seen the move in its purest form, it was it was really cool, but I'm like, okay, how could I make it better? How could I make it, you know, uh, harder for someone else to duplicate and and,
You know, that's the way I thought. You know, still to this day, I mean, I still think the same way. I mean, I really feel like, you know, there's just so many different u styles within wave being itself that no one has seen yet. Like literally, like, you know, um, and it's just not me. It's like that's the most ideal situation or I should say that's the most ideal, uh, level that any dancer or any waiver should be trying to work towards, right? Like trying to make it to where whatever you do is is so special until people look at it and say, "Yeah, we we we've seen it before, but we didn't we we've never seen it done like that."
You know, which is, uh, which is, I mean, when you think about it, I mean, it it's it's it's not easy to do, but then when you, uh, just make sure that you adapt your movements, like muscle memory, it it is, it's just become so natural. You know, like it's we're talking years and years and years of just doing the same thing over and over again and then recognizing what the weaknesses are, not necessarily the strengths. It's like the weakness, you know, cutting away.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You're you're only extracting what's animated,
Isolated, and controlled.
That's it, you know. And not not, uh, animated in the sense of, uh, you know, like robotic or mechanical, but but, you know, but but animated from from a from a contortion isolation standpoint, if that makes sense.
This what is this illusion? What what why am I fascinated by this?
Right?
What is the fascination? And okay, and so then, if I'm understanding correct, uh, clearly, of the when you were mentioning about people training and training, perhaps they're not exercising the approach to the waves of like what you're saying, of like how you're saying it's not so much of the training the moves, but it's your approach to what you want to give to the dance, if that,
Correct. Correct.
What are you giving? What are you giving? What how are you adding to the movement?
Correct. Correct. It's like it's almost like if you just think style, like we we'll just take, you know, a style like Bugaloo, right? We'll take a style like, you know, uh, bop, and we'll we'll we'll take even like waves, right? Like all three of them,
Has a specific, a specific criteria for each one, right? And so if I could like build a a criteria for ways, but just from my philosophy, just from my point of view, then I I've got a chance to continue to just build and build and and keep building.
You know? The way you do that is you you really just have to take note of what's different, like what, well, what makes this wave look different, and how can I like title this wave and really make sure that when I execute it, people could see the differences, like, wow, you know, he's doing a trap wave here, but over there, he's doing a straight jacket. You see what I'm saying? Like, yeah, see that crazy?
Yeah. You see what I'm man, like you don't like nobody thinks of this stuff, like literally, uh, without knowing everything, you know, how it is, like once you, you, you, like, once you have a criteria and you have rules, right? Like within that criteria, it's almost like you're testing the boundaries and the limitations of that criteria. And so once you learn everything, then you could start kind of like interfacing and and breaking, you know, like like literally like like not not let necessarily, you know, uh, confusing people, but more or less, you you can, you know, play with styles to where you can,
Really test, you know, the limitations and test the boundaries, you know.
Yes.
Like like you can break the rules as long as you know what all the rules are. That's that's really what it comes down to. As long as you know the rules, you can, you know,
You can bring it back. Yeah.
It's It's different enough, but it still has the un the structure and understanding, the rules. You have to know the rules.
Yeah. You have to know the rules. I mean, you we could go, my gosh, dude. Anything, right? Like, just close your eyes and think about all these styles. Like if you know every touch position there is on the planet, like every, you know, boooo roll, like every, every, you know,
Right?
Tick, you know, every every robotic movement, like then you can really like that's when you you can innovate that move, you know, and,
Really get more out of it than what anyone has ever seen before, and that's kind of how I operate, you know.
Wow. Okay. I I want to ask, since we're talking about the tick wave, you know, and the reverse waves, what would you, what are some of the waves that you have named or you have brought and shared with, you know, the the the public trans or or or even what is your, uh, if we could get a glimpse of how do you look at waves? How do you ex, uh, visualize waves or express waves? Your your your, I guess, your mind or of going into it.
Um, yeah. So, so basically, um, like some waves that's that I've seen before and, uh, everyone's familiar with. Um, I kind of like rename them simply, well, not all of them, but some of them I'll rename simply to isolate the differences from that wave, as it's compared to another one. For instance, like, um, the one wave that I was talking about before with when we look at Medusa with the with the snaky hair, right? Like like I don't know if you realize it, but we have always called that like exit waves because the waves are starting from your shoulder and it's exiting, it's exiting here, right? And so you could just only imagine like the the different uses of of that wave, right? Like you can place your body in different various positions and move your arms, you know, whether they're in here, whether they're outward, like you can really like freak it. So, so I I have always looked at that as my exit wave style, right? So, so that's that's one, you know, style.
And so, to answer your question, that's how I do it. I literally like I go down the list with, you know, the different different ways that I've, uh, like rebranded or releabl. But then some of them, uh, I would honestly say that I've never seen anyone like do some of the waves that that I, uh, made up or that I've innovated. And it's no knock against anyone that, you know, may have done it before, but I have never seen them do it. Right.
So, so yeah. So basically,
Uh, man, I I've got so many, uh, ways, but the the the one approach that I I had to take in order to keep adding is I had to like title each style. Like I've got the exit wave style, then I've got, you know, uh, trap waves that I do.
I have. Yeah. And so I I also have, you know, my body waves, you know, like, you know, reverse and, uh, and and it I have the reverse body. Well, you could call it a kick wave, I guess. Like a like a kick wave, the way you reverse the wave when it's goes down to the feet and back up again.
Uh, so I've got I've got a crack wave style that I do.
Cool.
Uh, I've I've got, um, just so many different variations of like the trace wave, you know, like,
It's it's, uh, uh, something that only when you see me perform, you'll notice it. But, uh, but I've I've got like a a cradle wave where the wave is, well, you can't you can't see my arm, but I've got like a cradle wave, right? And then I've got I've got the cradle wave, I've got, uh, whirlpool waves,
You know, I I've got, uh, you know, waves where, you know, I I tick, you know, uh, in some instances, but literally I had to like categorize each one and I I mean, I I've got a list of them. I mean, I I have to like read them off to me. I do I do have a lot, you know, but I'll, you know, actually, you know, maybe one of these days I'll or sometime within the next, uh, couple of weeks or whatever, I'll I'll list them all.
I have so many ways I can't even like name them all to you simply because I'm doing this interview right now and my mind isn't on. Okay. Right.
You could have just remembered all the the ways you have because that's not where my mind is. It's like only set like set up in an environment where, you know, I could actually execute them, then I could show you. But, but, but if there's anything that you want to know about specifically when it comes to waves or anything that you see me do, I could, you know, definitely definitely, uh, answer those questions for you. Uh, something actually I was, uh, I was thinking when you're talking about different types of waves, the tracing and, um, tidal waves, did have you yourself or seen others during the, you know, during the, the, you know, 79, 80s and going forward of hands, people using the hands for waves?
Uh, not like that. No way. No. Um, no. That's that's that's that was like later on. Like we're talking like decades later.
Okay.
You know, that's when I seen like people using hands now. I now I still do, you know, I still do a wave here, one,
You know, this one, right? I'm doing, you know, this one, right?
I do that one.
Okay.
You know, this one is very important. But I mean, as far as, you know, the the way you were doing it with your the twisting and all, you know, hadn't seen that yet. But, um,
But in terms of, uh, fingers, getting fingers involved, this is the only Lily. I would think that this is the only one where my finger really gets involved. Really.
The thing about it is, it's like I mean,
It's it's it's powerful because I mean, it it this this opens up a lot when I when I do this and then I bring it back. I mean.
It opens up so much. But wow. But it it it gives you the ability to just tell the story a lot easier. Like the more you can incorporate, you know, your fingers, your thumbs, your any part of your everything, right?
Yeah. Yeah. Everything's open. And also, you know, from hearing how you how you share your the analytical mind that you have breaking things down, uh, finding the purest ingredients. The way you describe it, it's really reminds me of a scientist.
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Very scientific. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It Yeah. It really is. Let's be honest, it really there's a there's a there's like a a very scientific uh strategy behind the whole thing, you know, because you only can give yourself an advantage, the more you can like find uh the more you could find anything that could help you like present your style easier, it is it's always a welcome site, you know. So that's what I try to do like use science and use technology you know to really uh make my my waving stand out.
But one thing that I think um helps me out a lot too is not and you know and you everyone's going to have their own views of this but based on the fact that I know how to wave well that really like makes me feel as though I need to save a lot of those wave movements for when I'm in the meat of my performance. Meaning that you'll probably never see me do a performance where I just I'm just I just automatically come out waving. I just it's really hard for me to do because my mind has been programmed to like pay attention to the music and the majority of the time you're listening to music it doesn't spell wave at all. It's like boom bop boom.
So it's like I get you know I can wave it out but then it's almost like I'm cheating I'm cheating I'm cheating this song. I'm cheating the audience. It's like I need to, you know, really, you know, get you I need I need to build that moment up instead of just giving it to you all at once, you know, and and and sometimes it's hard to do. And I don't care, you know, what your specialty is. It's always, you know, uh it's always a challenge to like try to hold out and then, you know, come with your, you know, your your master, you know, your your your master strategy like later on during the performance as opposed to giving it to them all at once. And that's just, you know, I think that's natural. And I learned that, you know, trust me, I I learned that as years went by. I mean, I literally used, like I said before, I was always like concerned about, you know, uh, waving, snaking, gliding, creeping, floating, and twister flexes. That was me. I wasn't like, "Okay, let me really like analyze the beat first because that to me that's that's the fun. That's the fun, you know, that's that's that's like the the the uh uh the one way to to draw the audience in is is is by showing them that you have a personal relationship with the beat."
And a lot of times people, they get so caught up into the movement, it's like, yeah, even your oldest moves, your your best ones, it may not necessarily match the music that's going on, right? And so that's kind of how I uh grade my performance is, okay, how well did you follow the beat, the the rhythm, the timing, you know, h how well did you pace? Did you did did you give him everything at the very beginning and then you know at the end you you just hit him with a couple of sloppy moves on the way out or did you give you know that is it's all about presentation from the beginning the middle and the end. You have to, you know, you you have to really uh make the audience believe that you believe in what you're doing no matter what it is, right? You know, it's about confidence and that's, you know, that that was the key all along was confidence. You know, how much confidence, you know, can I prove I have through my performance? Wow. how much you believe how much you believe in your own ability.
Yeah. Yeah. Right. Because how how is anyone going to believe that I'm good if they're looking at me and I'm I look like I'm uncertain. I I look like I'm just fumbling around all over the place and really not making it, you know, people understand what what it is that I'm trying to get them to see, you know. And it's it's trust me it's it's uh a trial and error. It's a trial and error period involved, you know.
Yes. It's funny. It is fun. Wow. That's what that was that was pretty how do I say what you just shared of your approach of the music, the relationship with the music and the moves coming, you know, after. But first, let's let's connect with the music and also just how you're analyzing your introduction, middle, ending.
Again, very Yeah, very gold information, I would say, you know, for people. Um, I see uh Anthony King, I think that's who you were mentioning.
Oh man, AK is not on here. Oh my god. He said, "Greetings, great ones." Yeah. What's up, AK? No, that guy right there, man. Hey, honestly, bro, like started from him, man. watching that cat like do his thing. Like if you see me twist or flex and if you like, wow, think that I have a cool twist or flex, it was him. It was him who inspired me, man. Like just my whole makeup like I I look at myself like my base style. Like when I when I'm not waving, it's it's a it's a mechanical puppet in the scarecrow. That's my base style. before we get to waving. It's like I want to look mechanical. I want to look like a puppet. I want to look like a scarecrow. If I'm not hitting those markers, I'm doing something wrong or everything is being done for a specific purpose. Like if it like like let's say we're just talking waves alone, that's probably the one exception I'll make to where okay, I don't care about, you know, being mechanical. a as it uh relates to doing the puppet or the scarecrow because I could just start off with my waves, but of course within the waves I'm going to still try to make them look mechanical. I'm still going to try to make them look, you know, like a puppet, you know, and and uh those those uh elements is what I take from, you know, from from the mechanical puppet and the scarecrow itself and I place it into waves without actually, you know, doing the puppet or the scarecrow, if that makes any sense.
You know, some attention your intention. Yeah. Yeah. It's attention to detail, you know, for the most part. attention to. Right. Right. Right. Wow. Um I was going to say just two two more questions I would like to ask you. The the first one is um how did you get the name No Bone Tyrone? I don't think that's a great question.
Yeah. So basically um it was it was my cousin my cousin Michael Warren uh from from uh Pomona High School. M he uh he was the first one who started calling me no bone Tyrone because he said when I would wave it looked like I didn't have any bones in my body.
That's yeah that's that's how I got that name you know and it's no bone Tyrone. Yeah that that's how I got the name. And it's I mean some people say hey well is it no bone or is it no bones? It's like well that's the key. It's like you it's your choice. I mean, you know, do I look like I'm dancing and and I don't look like I have a bone or does it look like I don't have any bones? It's like it's the same. It's one and the same. No bone, no bones. You can't go wrong. I mean, because I've heard people call me no bones, Tyrone. And there and it's it's not incorrect. I mean, that's that's what I'm trying to get you to say when I perform. like I wow, he doesn't have any bones, you know, and it's just not from a waving standpoint. See, that's the thing. What makes me uh what makes me appear as though I don't have any bones isn't the fact that I'm trying to look animated, isolated, and contorted when I wave. It's when I twist or flex. Because the twist of flex really when when I see when you see someone that really knows how to flex well, it literally looks like their head is separate from their shoulders is separate from their hips and is separate from their feet. When I first seen the twist flex, those are the elements. So once again, it kind of looks like you you're you don't have any bones even from that standpoint just from a twist. So you're you're not getting it just from the blades, you're getting it from my flexes. And I really feel like, you know, when it comes to twist flexing, you know, that that's one of one of my strengths, right? Like that's one of the things that helps me become or transform into Noble and Tyrone. So So Michael Warren, to answer your question, uh we called him back in the day the prince of darkness because he was a DJ back in the day from all the high school. all you pona high school guys out there, you know. Yeah, that that was my guy. He he was the first one who called me Noble Tyro.
That's great. That that's 198 1981. 1980 1980 in between 80 and 81 is when when I got the name for the first time.
Nice. Nice. I see uh Cool Boy. Oh man. Cool boy from Compton. Yeah. What's up, cool boy? That's my guy right there, man. He's OG from Compton, man. Like one one of my guys, you know, definitely did uh did a feature with him.
Nice. Nice. Yes. I Cool Boy has interviewed as well, I believe. Yes. Podcast. Many. Yes. I was I was watching those and that's amazing how much he's documented a lot of history, a lot of stories. Um I wanted to so my last you know my last question is uh what is a message you would like to leave with the viewers people watching this video you know people in the future watching this video what was what the message you would like to leave them with
um wow um gee uh I might have mentioned it before like when you when you are like trying to find your identity as a dancer. Uh don't get caught up into thinking that one specific style ranks above another one. Because really ultimately it's all about uh trying to uh become skilled in everything you can. It's literally like when I teach someone uh my style and and and I I uh more or less try to explain to them, you know, uh how they can get better. I always, you know, try to make sure that I explain the importance of them being able to challenge themselves. So, there's anyone listening right now, uh, like always welcome the challenge and don't always get so caught up and bent out of shape if you don't happen to win a contest. Um, some of my uh most memorable battles that I lost is when I really took that loss and I said that's why I lost. say like I I'm you you have to be able to take a loss and gain from that loss all the elements that you didn't use during your performance and and I would never be who I am if I didn't lose some of the battles that I was in. But uh but that that would be the biggest thing like you always try to like strive to uh have other criterias within that performance that you're trying to hit. Like for instance, yeah, you might not have won the battle, but did you win the respect of the audience? Did you win the respect of the promoter? Did you did you did your performance did you influence someone that was up and coming that didn't give a damn about the loss? They was like, "Wow, did you see that?" Yeah. That is what's the most important thing, not necessarily the win. The win the win is Listen, the win could be so temporary. I mean, you you could win you could win a contest one week and then the next week you could lose the other one simply because the timing, the situation, you know, the the the judging the, you know, the the criterias, you know, that were set in front of you to, you know, use to win the contest with. I mean, you may not have met them. So you you have to really uh just just appreciate the fact that you're doing something that a lot of people want to do and they try for years but they just can't get it and they get discouraged in some cases and they just, you know, they they just want to shut it down because they feel like you know, they're not getting anywhere. And uh and the one thing I want to mention as well is when you start like putting together like you know your your list of styles that you want to learn, you got to make sure that you really think about am I doing this on a temporary level? Like is this just going to be something I'm just going to do for a couple of years? Am am I doing this just to, you know, uh bust at the at at the uh company, you know, barbecue or, you know, the the the the office, you know, the office party, you know, or am I doing this, you know, for a long long term or is it short term or, you know, everybody's motivation to do the dance is going to be different? me when I seen it, I knew it was going to be a lifetime commitment.
That may not be right your motivation to do it, you know, for a lifetime. But for me, I knew it was because it was just so uh rewarding once I did learn how to do it. And then just the different doors that was able to open for me. I really really can say that I, you know, uh, picked up this dance and and and was able to to to add to it. And that's another thing like, you know, when you do get to where you feel you're supposed to be with the art form, you always, always, always want to try to figure out what can I not take away. We get so caught up into just taking taking and not giving right and so that that would be it like man you know I don't know if hopefully I didn't go too far too beautiful but I could keep going probably but those things are probably the most important like really you know decide if if this is just going to be temporary decide if it's going to be a lifetime time commitment. If it's going to be something that's just short term, it's okay. It's it's no problem, you know, uh putting, you know, a a uh put putting a stamp on on how long you you're going to do the dance because, you know, in order for you to really be good at it, it it takes time. It But are you willing to spend that time? It doesn't mean that what however long it takes is going to be a one sizefits-all formula for everyone cuz some people get it like technology is more advanced now. If anything, you know, you like the time that it to it took me to learn a lot of things like you just don't have that delay anymore because of technology, social media, YouTube, just, you know, just so many different forms of education that's out there, you know, shows like this, you know, interviews like this, you know.
Yes. Wow. Well, you know, I wanna I want to thank you. you know, Bone Tyrone for for not just being a incredible dancer, mover, you know, visuals, waves, but also having a mind like there's the clarity, the clarity of intention, the selflessness, really caring for people to take something in to grow. And that's I just admire that. I respect that. And I'm I'm happy that you know you are in this community and a person that people look up to. is a positive role model, you know, for artists, for dancers. Um, so I just want to thank you again, you know, for for everything you've done.
So, you're welcome. You're welcome. Thanks for interviewing me. Um, I think this might be the first time that I've ever did anything live. kind of a little nervous because, you know, some of the mistakes that I might make, like sometimes the words might, you know, not uh be expressed the the the way that I intend to for them to be, but at the same time, you know, um I I appreciate you giving me opportunity and and and and setting up a forum so I could come and explain share part of my with you. But you know um definitely definitely appreciate it.
Yeah man. And and also just to let you know Maline she was watching the this uh this talk. She said thank you both. This was great. And also so so people definitely appreciate this. And and also just to say like I've done I think about like 72 interviews now and I would say I I appreciate the way you expressed um the messages. I would definitely say that they were digestible and that there's some gold there's some gold information. I I really recommend dancers to watch this again.
So man, yes, sir. Thank you so much. Well, I hope you have a great rest of your night and Yeah, man. Thanks again. You're welcome. Peace. All right. Yes, sir. Take care. All right.