PRIDE AND JOI
A Candid Convo With Marky Martinez
As a celebrated dance and fitness superstar, life coach, and international drag-queen sensation, “transformer” Marky Martinez wears many hats. (Some, admittedly, with feathers.) One of those hats happens to be working with us at Joico, where he infuses an infectious spirit into every show, video, and stage we put him on. To honor Pride Day – and Marky himself – we sat down for a super-candid convo about his journey to live a joi-ful life without boundaries.
Frankly, it’s hard to give LA-based Marky Martinez a job title. He has many; and each one is as important as the next. But when pressed, Marky refers to himself as a “transformer,” an apt description for a human who inspires change and growth at every turn. From his early days as a TV dancer on Fame, to a celebrated career as a hit choreographer and Beachbody fitness superstar, to life coach, and drag-queen personality (“Flava”), this magnetic man now commits his life to helping others break out of their shell, and to live their lives with authenticity and joi. We wanted to find out how he does it.
JOICO: Your rise to success in the fitness and dance arena is truly inspiring. Take us on a brief history tour….
MARKY: “I came to LA over 30 years ago to follow my dance dream. After the Fame show ended, I danced in commercials and movies, and was tapped to assist renowned choreographer, Bob Talmage. He took me — a little 24 year old dancer – under his wing and said, “I want to season you; you won’t have to worry about a job for the next ten years.” And he did…even though I was too young to understand the impact of his gift. Eventually I was asked to choreograph a half-time show with JLo for women’s soccer at the Rose Bowl. That was the moment I finally felt what Bob saw in me – and it’s a confidence that has propelled me to go into any situation and be able to build my vision.”
JOICO: Speaking of vision, tell us how the leap from Creative Director of a smash-hit fitness program to life coach came about….
MARKY: “At Beachbody, I hired choreographer, Shaun T. and we built his very first program together – Hip Hop Abs. At the time, Shaun was struggling with his sexuality, and I helped him find a comfortable way to tell the truth and come out. When that happened, I realized I had the capacity to support people in a broader, more spiritual way; so I took a life-coaching course, got certified, and began working with TLC’s T-Bozz, right after the devastating loss of her musical partner, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes.”
JOICO: Which leads us to ask about Flava. How did she come into the picture?
MARKY: “While I was coaching others, I was in the midst of building this creative spirit, Flava, who was a vision inside my head. When I was younger, I would always paint this eye with long lashes, shading, and amazing eyebrows; and I never knew why I loved to do it. At the time, androgyny wasn’t a thing; if you wanted to be a drag queen, you looked like Dolly Parton. I wanted to rebel against the gay community, put feathers in my hair, and confuse people with androgyny so they had to love ME, not a character. But Flava turned out to be an overnight success; before I knew it, I was flown all around the world — to Paris, London, New York, Stockholm. She was a phenomenon.
My very favorite thing is that I struck a chord with both gay and straight audiences. Loving Flava doesn’t mean you’re attracted to her. Straight men would give me a compliment, and awkwardly look away. I would tell them: “It’s ok, you can look at me.” And our eyes would meet – even with their discomfort. At that moment, I knew I was helping transform lives, because I was taking away the barrier between us.”
JOICO: So what does Flava bring to YOUR life?
MARKY: “She brings me freedom. In any situation, I always ask myself, “What would Flava do?” As Flava, I’m boundless. When I put her boots on, I can literally feel my body shift…I’m unapologetic…I attack the stage.”
JOICO: And how do you see these two parts of your life meeting?
MARKY: “When I teach dance class, I feel a sense of Flava because I’m out of my head. There’s this powerful soul and spirit that I connect to that I want to give to my students.”
JOICO: Can you tell us how the Pandemic affected your life?
MARKY: “In the past year, we’ve all gone through some clarity and clean-up. Right now, for the first time ever, I’m going to merge Flava and my creative consulting world – branding myself as a transformation specialist, and using Flava’s force to build my present. I’m starting with myself: In the gay world, sometimes being a drag queen isn’t accepted when it comes to finding a partner; and for a long time, I was afraid that people wouldn’t be interested in me if they knew I was Flava. Now, I’m being transparent in all of it and there are no excuses. I’ve started dating again and have found love.
JOICO: And we’re so happy for you, because – as you know — we’re all about joi here! Can you tell us how your work with Joico impacts you personally?
MARKY: I’m a big supporter of people just being happy. Joico welcomed me in with open arms, as raw as I was…and really taught me how to embrace joi. This concept resonated with my personal philosophy; and that’s how I’m trying to live my life.”
JOICO: Let’s talk about Pride. What does the day mean to you, and how do you celebrate it?
MARKY: “When I was young, Pride was the day I could be free to celebrate myself authentically and not be judged. But it’s gotten bigger, and we’re even seeing marches instead of parades – it’s education that we need more of. Today, as a mature gay man, Pride is still a reminder. And what I love is that now everybody’s on board to celebrate freedom of expression…if you’re colorful, it’s okay to acknowledge it. Pride is no longer just about gay people.”
JOICO: And as a public gay figure, do you feel any responsibility to pave the way for others?
MARKY: “For a long time, I was just really wrapped up in my career. Early on, I did the movie, Milk, with Sean Penn, and played an openly gay Black performer. Harvey Milk was such a significant leader in our community; and now I, too, feel it’s time to teach and pass on education to others. I’m doing this by standing up and being completely open and real with everyone in my life. I grew up in a Latin family with 43 male cousins who called me a faggot. Many of them now have gay children and come to me for advice. Education isn’t just a worldly effect – it’s also reflected in your own family.”
JOICO: And what does the future hold – for you AND for Flava?
MARKY: I want to be able to be Flava and still teach; and still be in the corporate world. That’s my superpower. I’ve actually started teaching some of my fitness classes as Flava…because it’s all about coaching people to break out of their shell, and transforming their mindset. I’m the guy who can see the insecurities of anybody – even myself. And I work with that, help people get past it, and lead them to find the beauty within themselves.”
You can follow Marky Martinez and Flava on Instagram, @therealmarkymartinez and @flavatheartist.
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