Today we’d like to introduce you to Rickyy Ricardo.
Hi Rickyy, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hello! I am Ricardo Richardson. My stage name is Rickyy Ricardo. I am from Savannah, Georgia, born and raised. I went to Savannah Chatham County Public Schools here in Savannah and graduated from Robert W. Groves High School in 2009. I started dancing at the age of 5 in Kindergarten at Gadsden Elementary School–learning beginner’s tap, jazz, ballet, and ballroom dancing from dance instructor Maxine Patterson. Growing up, I was bullied and teased for being different and a part of the LGBTQIAA+ community. So much so that it would turn to violence in most cases. In turn, it made me rebellious. I didn’t get into the school I wanted because of my conduct. I was a smart kid, and my grades would be great, but those things would get overshadowed because I wanted to fit in, or I would have to defend myself all the time against my classmates and kids in the neighborhood. Sometimes, family wasn’t the best help either. Dance became my outlet to refute those traumas and escape from my reality. I didn’t feel accepted by my environment but found a space to let go and just be myself as I was finding myself. While in the marching band during my sophomore year of high school, I was introduced to j-setting by Andre Golden, also known as Lavar Mizrahi, a longtime high school best friend and extended family member. J-setting is an HBCU-danceline majorette style born in the early 70s and derived from Jackson State University Prancing J-settes of Jackson, Ms. The style was adapted by African American men of LGBTQIAA+ experience in the South in the early ’90s, who wanted to dance and be a part of dance organizations but were shunned due to their sexual orientation. It was something about the style that drew me to it. I am a founding member of Mystique (M-sette), ENTYCE, and DNCElite (pronounced Dance Elite) and have been fortunate to lead each of those entities of young Black men and non-binaries. I attended Savannah State University where I obtained my Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Visual and Performing Arts with a concentration in Dance ’21 and a Charter member of the Alpha Iota Chapter of Delta Phi Delta Dance Fraternity, Inc. in Spring of ’18. While at SSU, I served as President of the dance ensemble Student organization, Obsidian Dance Repertory, and was a background waltz dancer for the Amazon Series, The Underground Railroad. As an alumnus, I hope to give back to the department that gave to me and reach back when I can. I have trained in Ballet, Jazz, Modern, Contemporary, Hip Hop, and dances of the African Diaspora. I am now a traveling professional dancer, choreographer, and performer while remaining a student of dance and utilizing my natural teaching abilities to help the next generation of dancers. I also teach private lessons and masterclasses. My goal as a performer is to expand and grow in the commercial, theatre, and concert dance fields as a dance artist. I am very in tuned with my surroundings, adaptable, and teachable as I am inspired by the world around me.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road has not been an easy one. For so much of my life, I was counted out as the underdog. There were so many times I wanted to quit and throw in the towel. Those are the moments where you go the hardest to never give up. The thing is we want to be on board with who we are and what we what do, but in most cases, it doesn’t work like that. I have had a lack of support and appreciation for what I do as a budding dance artist. Being diagnosed and dealing with depression and anxiety was its own struggle that tried to hinder me from greatness. Before attending Savannah State University, I attended Savannah Technical College as a Criminal Justice major but soon dropped out because of a lack of real interest. It was because I knew I wanted to dance and teach dance but settling for something I knew I never wanted. In November 2012, I lost my grandmother, Johnnie Mae Richardson. It was extremely hard, but it also pushed me to go back to school to pursue my degree. For the most part, I had to do the self-work and get out of my own way. Because the biggest obstacle sometimes we face is ourselves.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a hip-hop jazz dancer/choreographer; what sets me apart from others is my style and intensity. I come from j-setting, which is a fusion of many other genres of dance, so when I choreograph, you are going to see many different elements. My style is very Africanistic and unapologetically Black. It is also very genderless and not bound by the social construct of gender roles. It perfectly blends masculinity and femininity. I have a different process when it comes to creating. Something is always changing as dance does and evolves. My background in technique shapes what I do as far as choreography and performance. Being able to give that back to the community is what I am most proud of because dance is about people and their experiences. It is something that is lost once performed unless recorded. I aim to give people an experience by taking them on a journey. Dance is about storytelling and using the body to be that vessel. We are our own musical instruments. Our bodies are the voice of a song.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
I am always willing to connect, collab, and support others. Especially other black artists and creatives. Follow me @Rickyy__Ricardo2 on Instagram and @Rickyy__Ricardo on TikTok, also, through email [email protected].
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Instagram.com/rickyy__ricardo2
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-richardson
Image Credits
Christopher Laron Johnson
