Today we’d like to introduce you to Riley Thomas Weber.
Hi Riley Thomas, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in Fargo, North Dakota. Not really the place you would think of for excellence in the arts. Luckily, the town was home to a community that fostered a love for the arts- music, dance, theatre. I took a liking to classical music at a young age and by the time I was 11 I was playing four different instruments. It wasn’t soon after that when I started participating in musicals- mostly because all my friends were doing it. Musical theatre led me to dance, which led me to ballet, where I really found my passion.
I ended up getting a scholarship to the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities for Cello Performance. While studying music during the day I would take ballet classes for fun at night. Like most college students, I needed a part time job. My cousin hooked me up with a job fitting pointe shoes at a local store she worked at. I had no idea that fitting pointe shoes would become my future, but I guess that’s where it all started.
When I was 19, I got a professional contract with Ballet Minnesota and began my dancing career. I would have rehearsals during the day, attend college at night and fit pointe shoes on the weekends.
My senior year of college I actually stopped fitting pointe shoes and began teaching ballet, and by the time I eventually graduated college I became the assistant director of a ballet school that I watched grow from 40 students to over 300.
By the time I was 27 my dance career came to a sharp end- I had multiple ruptured discs in my spine, along with an old stress fracture. I needed surgery, and it became abundantly clear during my recovery that I would never dance professionally again.
While teaching ballet became my sole career- I felt antsy. One day in between teaching classes I got bored and decided to make a funny TikTok video about ballet shoes. I didn’t really think anything of it, but soon my phone blew up. My video went viral .
With the momentum of my video getting me thousands of followers I soon started making more content on social media. It wasn’t long before major pointe shoe brands were flying me to meet with them and offering me jobs.
Nikolay, the world’s most prestigious Russian pointe shoe company, offered me a job I couldn’t refuse. I began traveling the world fitting shoes, giving lectures and representing the brand at various trade shows and festivals. After a year with the company I relocated to their USA headquarters here in Orlando.
Once I moved here I started recording all the pointe shoe fittings I was doing and posting them on social media. My videos started garnering millions of views, and now I have people flying to our Nikolay Showroom from all over the world to be fit by me. It’s all so crazy!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Change is hard .The life of a dancer is short. I went from dancer, to teacher, to pointe shoe fitter. And while one career blended into another pretty seamlessly, I never really gave myself the chance to grieve. When I had surgery and lost the ability to fully dance, I assumed teaching would fulfill that void. But not being able to demonstrate everything fully anymore really took a tole on my mental health. Luckily I had amazing friends to help me through everything.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a Program Manager for Nikolay. Nikolay is the world’s largest pointe shoe brand. We make shoes in our Moscow factory for ballet dancers all over the world, along with garments and accessories for every dancer.
My job has many roles. I manage all of the company’s social media influencers. I also travel all over the world and give lectures and demonstrations about how to fit pointe shoes correctly, while also fitting dancers as well.
I’m also known for my social media following. I was really the first person to utilize tiktok for educational content on pointe shoes.
There are now other pointe shoe fitters posting things on titkok, which I think is great- there is room for everyone in this world. I’m just really proud that I have helped people realize how important it is to be properly fit for pointe shoes.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Reach out to me on social media! You will find links to book appointments with me or collaborate as well!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rileythomasweber
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@rileythomasweber?_t=8qntuazgbfy&_r=1
Image Credits
Chris Moore
