Today we’d like to introduce you to Tia Rivera.
Tia, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My Name is Tia Rivera and I’m a New York City native living in Los Angeles. I am a dancer turned choreographer, Teacher and public speaker. I’ve traveled the world performing and speaking, sharing my love for dance and people. I get to wake up and do what I love every single day… But it wasn’t always this way. Let me start from the beginning. Being born in Brooklyn, NY and raised by a single mom had its challenges. I always had a love for dance but never dreamt of the possibilities of pursuing it as a career… Because let’s be honest, I was raised to go to school, then college, get a good job and retire with benefits, right? As a kid, I would dance at all of my family functions. Making up dance routines and teaching my cousins to perform them with me. Dancing was just something I did for fun, It made me happy. It wasn’t until my last year of high school that the opportunity presented itself to pursue dance further than my living room and parties. At the age of 17, I joined a dance company in Harlem, NY called Kr3t’s. There, I was exposed to so many different street dance styles and fell involve with them all. I remember being so eager to just learn, still not knowing where my love for dance would take me. If I wasn’t in school I was taking a dance class. At the time, I couldn’t afford to take many dance classes so I did the work study program at Broadway
Dance Center and Peridance, Cleaning the bathrooms and studios in exchange for $5 classes along with dancing on the train to make extra cash. I did what I felt was necessary to get the training I know I needed to be great.
At 18, I started doing club shows for upcoming artists making a few hundred bucks here and there and still didn’t think much of dance becoming a career. I was also enrolled in college and went for a semester, majoring in psychology and minoring in dance. I wasn’t signed to an agency at the time so I would search for auditions in Backstage newspaper. One day I came across an audition for a Micheal Jackson Tribute tour, that’s when my life took a turn. I booked the first major job that forced me to choose between staying in school or pursuing this crazy dance dream. I’m thankful to have parents that supported my decision to leave school and pursue my dreams. This is the same year I signed to Bloc Talent Agency and the year I realized I can make a living doing what I love. In 2011, I did season 1 of Rhapsody James Motivating Excellence program, followed by being nominated and cast in the monsters of Hip hop Show which brought me to Los Angeles for the first time. Directly after the Monsters show I did my first award show, The VMA’s with Neyo and my first major music video with Beyonce for “Girls, who run the world”. I can say 2011 was a pivotal year for my career. Beginning to consistently work as a dancer, I took a leaped of faith and moved to LA in 2013.
Since then I’ve worked with just about everyone I’ve wanted to work with as a dancer and have now transitioned into being a choreographer over the past three years. Along the way, I grew a passion for people, mentorship and speaking. I’ve been blessed with business ventures that have allowed me the opportunity to travel and share my light with thousands of people as a public speaker. Looking back on my journey I can say that I didn’t start with many resources or knowledge but I made do with what I had and didn’t let my circumstances define me and who I knew I could become if I put in the work. I chose to believe in myself, I chose to keep working even when I couldn’t see the finish line. Lastly, I chose to commit to my dream no matter how long it took because guess what, the time was going to pass anyway. For every highlight of my life, there have been many speed bumps. I just never let them define me. The result of my life isn’t about the circumstances I grew up in but how I chose to rewrite my story. I only hope to inspire everyone who has a dream in their heart to pursue it, whole heartedly. Choose yourself, Believe in yourself and keep working.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There were many struggles along my journey. Diamonds are made under pressure though and I wouldn’t change my struggle for anything because it made me the strong woman I am today. Some of those struggles consisted of lack of money, lack of knowledge, and not having a plan or anyone to show me the way. I took a leaped faith when I moved across the country to Los Angeles, leaving behind in NYC everything I ever knew to pursue a career I wasn’t even sure was going to work out. I slept on an air mattress at a friend’s place during my first six months in LA and rode a bicycle for a year because that’s all I could afford. I went through personal family issues, heartbreak and learning who I was all in the midst of pursuing my career. I thank God for his hand on my life and seeing me through some dark times. Those tests are now apart of my testimony.
Please tell us about your work.
I am a dancer turned choreographer, teacher and public speaker. I work primarily in T.V and Film, live shows, and commercials. As a teacher, I travel and teach in various countries along with hosting my workshops and seminars in the states. During my workshops, I teach creatives how to turn their passion into their profit, game plan their career and so much more. I’m most proud of the lives I’ve been able to impact and the careers I’ve been able to help elevate by the guidance, opportunities and love I continue to spread.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I have a lot of proud moments. I’ve been blessed to work with amazing people whom I’ve looked up to for a very long time. One of my favorite moments as a dancer was working with Jennifer Lopez. Being that I’m Latina and from NYC, she was always a bucket list artist for me. We share the same culture, are from the same place and I grew up on her music. Sharing the stage with her at the American Music Awards in 2016 and dancing with her in her “Booty” M/V teaser was a full circle moment for me. As a choreographer, a special moment was choreographing my first tour which was Halsey’s Hopeless Fountain Kingdom Tour in 2016 along side my mentor, Fatima Robinson. I’m looking forward to creating many more proud moments. I’ve been doing this a long time but it feels like I’m just getting started.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tiarivera.com/
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamtiarivera/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/iamtiarivera
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/user/TiaRivera/videos?view_as=subscriber
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