Riley Tiarks is a New York City based dance artist from Columbus, Ohio. As an artist, Riley moves fluidly through the role of performer, choreographer, and educator. She began her dance education in Ohio where she trained in a wide range of genres. At the age of 18, Riley moved to Detroit, Michigan and furthered her education at Wayne State University. She recently graduated in May of 2023 receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology. During her time at Wayne State, she performed in the Department Annual Dance Concerts, Cabaret as Helga, and Dance Captain, Head Over Heels, and a member of WSU’s Company One. Alongside her performance, Riley excels as a choreographer, with her work performed at the American College Dance Association, and WSU’s Annual Spring Dance Concert. Her most recent choreographic endeavor includes Rocky Horror Show for Wayne State’s theatre program. She continues to educate the future generation of dancers through several dance studios in the Michigan and Ohio region. Riley is devoted to the dance science field; she has worked alongside her mentor Hannah Andersen where they have presented at several national and international conferences on injury prevention, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and dancer’s mental health.