Tyrone “The Bone” Proctor
Honoring our Legacy

Dance Mogul Magazine · Honoring Our Legacy

Tyrone “The Bone” Proctor: Honoring the Soul Train Pioneer of Waacking

Don Cornelius named him “The Bone.” The world came to know him as the Waack Doctor. Our 2013 tribute to the original Soul Train dancer who kept waacking alive, updated with his full story.

Originally published February 18, 2013 · Updated November 5, 2026 · Dance Mogul Magazine

At a Glance What Is Waacking Soul Train The Teacher Watch Timeline FAQ

In Memoriam

Tyrone “The Bone” Proctor (1953 – June 6, 2020). When Dance Mogul Magazine first honored him in 2013, he was teaching waacking around the world. He passed away in his sleep at his home in New York on June 6, 2020, at 66. This update keeps our original tribute and adds the rest of his story.

Tyrone “The Bone” Proctor, from our original 2013 tribute.

Dance Mogul Magazine was created to bridge the generational gap between the arts and education. In 2013 we were proud to introduce a man who needed no introduction. We won’t know where dance is going if we don’t take the time to honor those who helped make dance what it is today, and to honor their contribution to our culture.

“Going to Paris to record ‘Still a Thrill’ was my small way of thanking Tyrone for inspiring me and for teaching me how to ‘live’ in front of the camera, how to ‘bring it’ at all times.”

— Jody Watley, Grammy-winning singer and former Soul Train dancer

File // At a Glance

Name — Tyrone “The Bone” Proctor

Nickname — “The Bone,” given by Soul Train creator Don Cornelius; later “the Waack Doctor”

Born — 1953, Philadelphia; raised in West Oak Lane; Olney High School, Class of 1972

Known For — Waacking pioneer; original Soul Train Gang dancer; choreographer; master teacher; street dance historian

Groups — The Outrageous Waack Dancers (with Jeffrey Daniel and Jody Watley); Breed of Motion

Landmark Video — Jody Watley’s “Still a Thrill” (Paris, 1987)

Recognition — MTV Video Music Award nominee, Best Choreography, 1989 (New Kids on the Block, “You Got It (The Right Stuff)”)

Died — June 6, 2020, New York City, age 66

1975

American Bandstand
dance contest win

1987

“Still a Thrill”
filmed in Paris

1989

MTV VMA
choreography nomination

45+

Years carrying
waacking forward

Who Was Tyrone “The Bone” Proctor?

Tyrone Proctor was the Soul Train dancer who became the world’s best-known teacher of waacking. A Philadelphia truck driver’s son whose family said he started out with “no rhythm,” he graduated from Olney High School in 1972, where he choreographed the drama department’s Hello, Dolly!, and soon found his way to Los Angeles and onto national television.

Don Cornelius named him “The Bone.” Dancers around the world came to call him “the Waack Doctor.” For more than four decades he carried one of street dance’s most expressive styles from the underground clubs where it was born to classrooms and competitions across North America, Asia and Australia.

What Is Waacking?

Waacking is a dance style of fast, whipping arm movements, sharp poses and dramatic, theatrical expression, danced to disco and funk. It evolved in the gay Black and Latino underground club scene of 1970s Los Angeles, which is why our original tribute called it the “grandmother” of vogue.

Soul Train brought it into living rooms across America, with Tyrone Proctor among its leading dancers. The AIDS crisis of the 1980s took many of the style’s originators, and waacking nearly disappeared. Proctor’s teaching is a major reason it came back.

He Gave the Credit Back

Tyrone always named the people who shaped waacking in the underground clubs of 1970s Los Angeles. In our 2013 tribute, he gave love and credit to Michael Angelo, Arthur, Blinky, Lonnie Carbajial, Andrew Frank, Billy Goodson, Dwaine Hargray, Gary Keys, Little Tommy, Micky Lord, Lamont Peterson, John Pickett, Billy Starr and Tinker.

Soul Train, American Bandstand and the Outrageous Waack Dancers

A vintage Soul Train magazine pin-up of Tyrone “The Bone” Proctor, from our 2013 tribute.

As an original Soul Train Gang dancer, Tyrone toured with Don Cornelius and with fellow dancers including Damita Jo Freeman, Sharon Hill, Pat Davis, Scooby Doo and Don “Campbellock” Campbell. In 1975, he and partner Sharon Hill won the dance competition on American Bandstand, the rival show. According to his biography, he was also among the first teachers at Soul Train Dance Studios in 1978.

With Jeffrey Daniel, later of Shalamar, he founded the Outrageous Waack Dancers, alongside Jody Watley, Sharon Hill, Cleveland Moses Jr. and Kirkland Washington. Ebony magazine featured the group in 1978, and they toured Las Vegas, Canada and Japan. Daniel has credited Tyrone as the dancer who taught him waacking. Tyrone also appears in the VH1 documentary Soul Train: The Hippest Trip in America.

Tyrone The Bone Proctor with a Soul Train elder

Tyrone “The Bone” Proctor (right), from our 2013 tribute.

New York, “Still a Thrill” and the MTV Spotlight

By the early 1980s, Tyrone had moved to New York. His biography says he helped form the music group Breed of Motion there, working with dance luminary Willie Ninja, and that the group performed with Gwen Guthrie and the Peech Boys for the closing party of the legendary Paradise Garage.

In 1987, he appeared in and choreographed Jody Watley’s “Still a Thrill” video, filmed in Paris and described in our 2013 tribute as the first major music video to feature waacking. He went on to choreograph for artists including Taylor Dayne, Levert, Keith Sweat and Johnny Kemp; his biography credits Dayne’s “Tell It to My Heart” as the first video to incorporate the vogue dance style.

In 1989, MTV nominated him for Best Choreography in a Video at the Video Music Awards for New Kids on the Block’s “You Got It (The Right Stuff),” helping set the template for the boy-band choreography that followed.

The Teacher Who Brought Waacking Back

For the rest of his life, Tyrone taught. He trained many of the style’s leading names, including Archie Burnett, Aus Ninja, Black Kat, Princess Lockerooo, Yasco, Miki, Eva Schou and Kumari Suraj. He judged the first waacking competition at Brian “Footwork” Green’s House Dance Conference in 2007 and was Guest of Honor for House Dance International from 2007 to 2010. Hip-hop concert choreographer and historian Rennie Harris honored him as a “New York Legend of Hip Hop.”

Princess Lockerooo, now one of waacking’s best-known leaders, has called him “my teacher, my mentor, my guru.” His student Archie Burnett told The Philadelphia Inquirer that Tyrone “also taught tolerance and acceptance.” That may be the deepest part of his legacy: a dance born in communities that were pushed to the margins, taught with pride to the whole world.

When he died in June 2020, his longtime friend Jeffrey Daniel announced it to the Soul Train family, calling him “the Waack Doctor.”

Watch: Tyrone “The Bone” Proctor

Our original tribute included these videos and a link to footage of Tyrone receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Video from our original 2013 Tyrone Proctor tribute.

What the Next Generation Should Learn

Rhythm can be learned. His own family remembered a boy with no rhythm. Practice made the Waack Doctor.

Credit the source. Tyrone named the club dancers who created waacking every chance he got. Respect starts with names.

A style survives through teachers. Waacking nearly vanished. One dedicated teacher helped bring it back to the world.

Teach acceptance with the steps. His students remember the tolerance as much as the technique.

Why Tyrone Proctor Matters to Dance Mogul Magazine

Dance Mogul Magazine exists to preserve culture and empower people through dance. Tyrone Proctor’s life does both. He protected a style that could have been lost, gave credit to the people who created it, and opened the door for thousands of dancers who found confidence and community in waacking. Explore his Soul Train family in our Soul Train Dancers archive, meet fellow legend Don “Campbellock” Campbell, and see every pioneer on The Legacy.

Tyrone “The Bone” Proctor Timeline

1953 — Born in Philadelphia; grows up in West Oak Lane.

1972 — Graduates from Olney High School, where he choreographed the drama department’s Hello, Dolly!

1970s — Joins the Soul Train Gang; Don Cornelius nicknames him “The Bone”; brings waacking to national TV.

1975 — Wins the American Bandstand dance competition with partner Sharon Hill.

Late 1970s — Co-founds the Outrageous Waack Dancers with Jeffrey Daniel; the group is featured in Ebony in 1978.

Early 1980s — Moves to New York; helps form the music group Breed of Motion.

1987 — Appears in and choreographs Jody Watley’s “Still a Thrill” in Paris.

1989 — Nominated for Best Choreography in a Video at the MTV Video Music Awards (New Kids on the Block).

2007–2010 — Judges the first waacking competition at the House Dance Conference (2007); Guest of Honor for House Dance International.

2013 — Honored by Dance Mogul Magazine.

2020 — Dies June 6 in his sleep at his home in New York, at age 66.

Frequently Asked Questions About Tyrone Proctor and Waacking

Who was Tyrone “The Bone” Proctor?

Tyrone “The Bone” Proctor was an original Soul Train dancer, choreographer and teacher from Philadelphia who became the best-known pioneer and teacher of waacking. He co-founded the Outrageous Waack Dancers and choreographed Jody Watley’s “Still a Thrill.”

What is waacking?

Waacking is a dance style of fast, whipping arm movements, sharp poses and dramatic expression, danced to disco and funk. It developed in the gay Black and Latino underground clubs of 1970s Los Angeles and reached a national audience through Soul Train.

Why was Tyrone Proctor called “The Bone”?

Soul Train creator Don Cornelius gave Tyrone Proctor the nickname “The Bone.” Later in his career, dancers also called him “the Waack Doctor.”

Was Tyrone Proctor in Jody Watley’s “Still a Thrill” video?

Yes. Tyrone Proctor appeared in and choreographed Jody Watley’s “Still a Thrill” video, filmed in Paris in 1987.

When did Tyrone Proctor die?

Tyrone Proctor died in his sleep at his home in New York on June 6, 2020. He was 66.

Who did Tyrone Proctor teach?

Tyrone Proctor trained many leading waackers, including Archie Burnett, Aus Ninja, Black Kat, Princess Lockerooo, Yasco, Miki, Eva Schou and Kumari Suraj. Jeffrey Daniel has also credited him with teaching him waacking.

Continue Your Journey

Soul Train Dancers: Living Legends & Eternal Icons

Don “Campbellock” Campbell: Dance Mogul Magazine’s Tribute

Shabba-Doo: Street Dance Pioneer and Breakin’ Film Star