Meet Your Instructor

Who is Dr. Rico?

Marico Flake, aka Dr. Rico is a Memphis born hip-hop dancer, founding and leading member of the legendary Jookin crew G-Force, responsible for establishing UDIG Dance Academy, the first Jookin Academy. He is also known for his work in helping promote and develop curriculum for Memphis Jookin, an umbrella term used to refer to styles born from the Memphis Gangsta Walk dance. His credits include being featured on FOX's So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing with the Stars, and grammy nominee for Best Choreography for his work with Janelle Monae on her music video "Tightrope". Dr. Rico has also trained and mentored some of the best street dancers in the commercial dance industry such as Lil Buck, Ladia Yates, G Nerd, Daniel, & Ryan the Mind. Some of his notable performances include Al Capone, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, and the Grizzly Squad. He is also the co-author of "The Jook Book", a book that codified Jookin using ballet terminology. He has toured across the globe in Russia, France, and Canada. Dr. Rico believes in using hip-hop dance to empower others by uplifting tradition and innovating ways to raise consciousness through the arts.

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